Scarborough's Big Ideas festival expands classical music programme

In previous years, as a prelude to the annual Big Ideas Festival, a concert by the Scarborough Symphony Orchestra (SSO) has been held at Queen Street Methodist Hall.

This year’s theme is an All-Russian Spectacular with performances of the country’s orchestral masterpieces from 7.15pm onwards on Saturday May 9.

Led by conductor Shaun Matthew and featuring violinist Andy Long, the evening’s SSO programme includes La Mer by Alexander Glazunov, Dimitri Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor and Maurice Ravel’s orchestration of Modest Mussorgsky most famous work Pictures at an Exhibition.

The line-up this year also includes the inaugural collaboration with the renowned North York Moors Chamber Music Festival (NYMCMF) with a special Schubert String Quintet in C Major concert led by founder and director Jamie Walton.

Staged at the Pre-Raphaelite St Martin-On-The-Hill Church on the afternoon of Saturday May 16, from 3.30pm, the piece is widely considered to be a masterwork of chamber music.

The NYMCMF ensemble for the concert comprises Tamsin Waley Cohen (violin), Emma Parker (violin), Simone van Der Giessen (viola), Hannah Roberts (cello) and Jamie Walton (cello).

The NYMCMF established in 2009 and now in its 17th year, has consistently played to capacity audiences across the county and has been previously shortlisted twice for a prestigious Royal Philharmonic Society Award.

Their 2026 festival takes place between August 8 and 22, across numerous North Yorkshire venues, that include St Hedda’s Church at Egton Bridge, St Hilda’s Church in Danby, St.Michael’s Church, Coxwold, St Mary’s Church Lastingham and at the festival hub, Welburn Manor, near Kirkbymoorside.

This year’s Big Ideas also sees the yearly return of the popular Scarborough Symphony Orchestra offshoot ensemble in the form of 5 Star Brass who will perform a selection of pieces from their extensive range of music at the festival’s main venue of St Mary’s Church on Wednesday May 20, from 7.30pm.

Formed in 2017 by trombonist Tony Turner, the musicians include Geoff Bellamy (French horn), Richard Wood (trumpet/cornet), Kevin Moxon (cornet/soprano cornet), Nigel Blenkiron (flugel/trumpet) and Tony Cross (tuba).

Soprano opera singer Anna Dias makes her debut appearance at the Big Ideas festival this year with the latest in a series of solo recitals which sees her accompanied by pianist David Murray at St Martin’s Church on Friday May 22, at 7.30pm.

At recent solo engagements with various choral societies, her recent repertoire has included Carmina Burana (Orff), Theresa Mass (Haydn), Requiem (Brahms), Coronation Mass (Mozart), Ascension Oratorio (Bach), Requiem (Fauré), Magnificat (Bach), Ich Habe Genug (Bach), messiah (Handel) and St John’s Passion (Bach).

Big Ideas By The Sea Festival at various venues across Scarborough from May 15 to 30.

Details of the events are also included in the Scarborough Fair summer season brochure.

Visit bigideasbythesea.com as well as scarborough-orchestra.org and northyorkmoorsfestival.com for tickets and further information.