York Early Music Festival celebrates its 50th year with a spectacular new commission
This July York Early Music Festival celebrates its 50th edition and to mark this special occasion has commissioned the majestic York Fanfare, Flourish at 50 to be played during the opening weekend.
To create the York Fanfare the festival joined forces with Yorkshire composer Sam Meredith and all female German ensemble [hanse] Pfeyffery to create this magnificent piece of music to mark the occasion.
The York Fanfare is written by Wakefield- born Sam Meredith. A finalist in the 2023 NCEM Young Composers Award, Sam was selected from a strong line up of applicants, all alumni from the Young Composers Award, to be this year’s Commission Composer for the York Early Music Festival.
Last year, Sam completed his MA in Opera-Making and Writing at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. His work has been performed at the Barbican and the annual Bauhaus Festival in London under the tutelage of John Harle, who has commissioned him to write pieces for big band, large ensemble and most recently a duet for saxophone and piano. He has sung and toured with the Idrisi Ensemble and was proud to appear in the choir for Alan Bennett’s film The Choral, directed by Nicholas Hytner.
Performing the fanfare are this year’s artists in residence [hanse] Pfeyffery, a Renaissance wind band specialising in improvised and rediscovered music from around 1500 played on shawms, cornetto, dulcian, slide trumpet and trombone.
The ensemble were finalists in the 2024 York International Young Artists Competition when they won the Cambridge Early Music Prize.
The York Fanfare will open this year’s festival on Friday 3 July outside The Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall at the University of York at 6.20pm before the opening concert by I Fagiolini, and also outside York Minster before the concert by The Sixteen on Saturday 4 July at 6.45pm, 7.00pm, and 7.15pm.
There will be an opportunity to catch them one last time on The Early Music Show live from the NCEM on BBC Radio 3 on Sunday 5 July at 5pm.
They will also perform Serenade for Isabella: The Casanatense Chansonnier at the York Early Music Friends Coffee Concert on 4 July. Hosted by the Friends and open to everyone, the concert features works from the Casanatense Chansonnier, written as a wedding gift for Isabella d’Este in Ferrara in 1492.
Composer of the York Fanfare, Sam Meredith said:
“In this piece, I wanted to emulate the rousing and awe-inducing nature of
a ‘traditional’ fanfare, whilst also creating a sense of playfulness, joy and
celebration, more in the spirit of folk and dance music. The often syncopated landscape that emerged, first during the compositional process and then through working with [hanse] Pfeyfferey, is hopefully an exciting and an energetic tribute to the National Centre. For Early Music who commissioned this fanfare to introduce the 50th Early Music Festival in York.”
Dr Christopher Fox, who has been involved in selecting and mentoring the young composers for the NCEM Award since 2011, said:
“Every year I am amazed at the imagination and skill of the composers who create music for the Award scheme. The workshop day at which eight young composers develop their work with a professional ensemble is always very exciting. It’s also been a delight to see so many of the NCEM composers, like Sam Meredith, go on to make a name for themselves. The NCEM alumni are a fantastic bank of compositional talent.”