The annual Swaledale Festival of Music and the Arts blazes a cultural trail for the North Yorkshire Dales

Bringing music and the arts to the three most northerly Yorkshire Dales notably Swaledale, Wensleydale and Arkengarthdale, the Swaledale Festival comes round in May.

Under the patronage of writer, lecturer and arts advocate Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason and antiques expert Ronnie Archer-Morgan, the Swaledale Festival is an annual festival of music and arts based in the three most northerly Yorkshire Dales – Swaledale, Wensleydale and Arkengarthdale – a large rural area of outstanding natural beauty. Founded in 1972, this year’s festival runs from Saturday 24 May to Saturday 7 June offering 60-plus music, arts and walking events to inspire, transport and exhilarate one in the spectacular northern Yorkshire Dales.

Fraser Wilson, appointed Artistic Director of Swaledale Festival in December 2024

A host of festival venues are used ranging from tiny chapels seating fewer than 90 people to halls seating several hundred. Many are charming village churches, too, but there are also heritage sites such as Richmond’s Georgian Theatre Royal while in the past few years the festival has utilised the 600-seater Tennant’s Garden Rooms in Leyburn as a new venue.

The programme includes a core of classical music concerts as well as folk, brass bands, jazz and world music while poetry, film, dance, drama, comedy, workshops, masterclasses, exhibitions, family events, talks and themed guided walks run in parallel to the main programme.

There are usually a few surprises too (think steam-train trips, bat watches, archaeology projects and astronomy sessions!). There’s also a focus on the extraordinary landscape, the history, the legends and the characters that shape the northern Yorkshire Dales.

Top musicians and artists have come from all over the world to perform at Swaledale. Therefore, over the years the festival has welcomed such luminous artists and ensembles as John Williams, Dame Emma Kirkby, the Hallé, Royal Northern Sinfonia, Peter Donohoe, Stephen Hough, Alexander Markov, Tasmin Little, Natalie Clein, Red Priest, James Gilchrist, Iestyn Davies, Sheku Kanneh-Mason, London Mozart Players, the King’s Singers, VOCES8, the Brodsky, Carducci and Ŝkampa String quartets, Black Dyke Band, Antonio Forcione, Niamh Ní Charra, Clare Martin, Martin Taylor, Kathryn Tickell, Martin Simpson, Lau, Adel Salameh, Seckou Keita, People Show, Brian Sewell, Roger McGough, Simon Armitage, The Young’uns, Barry Cryer and the Aurora Percussion Duo.

The festival – which has received several national and international awards for its work including the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2018 and the Prime Minister’s Big Society Award in 2014 – has commissioned music and artworks, too, from such leading creators as Sally Beamish, Sir Richard Rodney Bennett, David Blake, Graham Coatman, Stephen Goss, Roxanna Panufnik, Jonathan Dove, Heather Fenoughty, David Gordon, Alan Plater and Michael Kusz as well as providing an important platform for local performers and artists.

This year a series of special concerts will celebrate the genius of Maurice Ravel 150 years after his birth. His shimmering colours feature in performances by the renowned north-east chamber orchestra Royal Northern Sinfonia with superstar trumpet soloist Matilda Lloyd, legendary French pianist Pascal Rogé and chamber music by the award-winning Carducci String Quartet.

Other world-class artists flocking to the Dales stages this year include the giant of Indian classical music Amjad Ali Khan, celebrated Cuban guitarist Eduardo Martín, harpist Lise Vandersmissen, jazz violinist Emma Fisk and extraordinary turntablist, Shiva Feshareki while English supergroup Granny’s Attic and the silken-voiced Martha Tilston will bring foot-tapping folk to the festival with Radio 4 favourite, Mark Steel, presenting his hilarious new comedy show, The Leopard in my House.

A record ten Young Artist Platform concerts will shine a light on rising stars including accordionist Ryan Corbett, prize-winning cellist Joshua Lynch, pianist Xiaowen Shang, woodwind group Trio Volant and trumpet and tuba players, Stan and Nona Lawrence.  

‘We are overjoyed that an established classical music festival such as Swaledale puts faith in young artists like us,’ said Stan Lawrence. ‘On a personal note, my family lived in Muker, Swaledale, for many generations. Therefore, it’s great to be able to reconnect with my heritage and, indeed, very inspiring to be playing music in such a beautiful part of the world.’  

This year’s annual Reeth Lecture (entitled ‘Making Space for Nature’) will be given by Professor Sir John Lawton an expert on nature recovery and President of the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. He kindly said: ‘I want to take the opportunity to share my vision for how the Yorkshire Dales National Park can play a crucial role in delivering more, bigger, better-managed and joined-up sites for the benefit of wildlife and the people who live, work in or visit the Dales. I’m greatly looking forward to this unique chance to meet and talk to farmers, landowners and visitors alike.’  

And professional forager, Jim Parums, makes a welcome return to the festival to run two wild-food workshops in Hudswell Woods – a truly beautiful ancient woodland running alongside the south bank of the river Swale just west of Richmond – while 12 expert guided walks will explore the stunning and inviting landscape of the North Yorkshire Dales

Wensley, Holy Trinity Church (Photo: Peter K Burian)

The 2025 festival offers a wealth of opportunities to participate and create ranging from a traditional Dales dance workshop and landscape photography to painting and a community singing day focusing on Fauré’s popular ‘Requiem’ led by the dynamic young conductor, Sarah Latto.  

As always, local musicians play a huge part in the festival and one will be treated to the evocative sounds of Leyburn, Muker and Reeth brass bands as well as performances from local choirs: The Swale Singers and The Jervaulx Singers. And in the festival’s first international exchange, Bammental School Symphony Orchestra from southern Germany will perform a joint concert with local pupils from Richmond School Orchestra thereby fostering international connections and sharing artistry while ongoing collaborations with schools and care homes will see a selection of world-class musicians performing ‘free-of-charge’ for residents and pupils thus enabling them to experience the thrill of live music.  

The festival’s newly appointed artistic director, Fraser Wilson, said: ‘Artists and audiences come here from around the world because it’s a unique place to share music. Arriving at the events is part of the experience as your journey takes you through the beautiful and inspiring National Park. The concert might take place in a tiny tucked-away chapel or a cosy village hall, so it feels quite intimate and not like going to a massive venue. You can have a drink in the local pub and maybe meet one of the performers there. Swaledale’s a special musical gathering but one which spreads across a wide area.

‘The quality and variety from which you can choose is very special, too, as we include all kinds of music, a guided walk nearly every day and some fascinating hands-on sessions involving Swedish basketry, dancing and painting. Come for a while and see what takes your fancy. It is unlike any other festival I can think of. And I have the excitement of it being my first festival too!’ Bravo!

Tickets for all concerts are available to under-25s for just £3.
Online booking: www.swalefest.org