A SPECIAL concert that tips its hat to the sage of Coniston, John Ruskin, will feature Barrow's star turn Jess Dandy.

Ruskin and Music is staged at St Thomas's Church, Kendal, on Sunday, August 4, as part of the 2019 Lake District Summer Music International Festival and popular contralto Jess will be joined by soprano, Jennifer Witton; baritone, Kieran Rayner; violinist, Emily Sun; Ashey Fripp on piano, and Michael Berkeley, as presenter.

In his bicentenary year, Ruskin is being remembered worldwide for his roles as a social reformer, revered art critic, a gifted artist and champion of Turner and the Pre-Raphaelites, but his interest in music is little known. In the special LDSM event, there will be quotes from Ruskin's own writings and those of his contemporaries, illustrated with music, in the spirit of Michael Berkeley's popular Radio 3 programme Private Passions. The programme will include a LDSM-commissioned work by William Marshall setting Ruskin's poetry to music and music by Ruskin himself, together with Bellini, Berkeley, Mozart, Oakeley, Ravenscroft, Beethoven, Corelli and Mendelssohn.

Jess - who was the winner of the London Bach Society Bach Singers Prize 2017 - played a major part of the recent Ulverston International Music Festival, which included her successful SongPath initiative that promotes walking and music making in the context of mental health.

Jess is also an experienced ensemble singer with the Monteverdi Choir, The King’s Consort, Le Concert d’Astrée, Polyphony, the Gabrieli Consort and Philharmonia Voices.

LDSM runs from July 27 until Friday, August 9, featuring 40 events in 11 venues spread across the region.

Box office 01539-742620.