A MUSIC festival is returning this June with a packed schedule catering for all tastes.

The Ulverston International Music Festival is taking place from June 2-10.

The festival will be welcoming back the Royal Northern Sinfonia for its opening night of performing Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.

Headliners from the opening weekend include jazz from the Not Quite Big Band (June 3), and Foden's Brass Band, (June 4).

The Coro has always been the hub of the Festival and it will also play host to opera with a performance of Gilbert and Sullivan’s most loved comic masterpiece The Mikado (June 8) and a folk night featuring the award-winning Claire Hastings (June 9).

The Coro will also host the welcome return of the festival’s family concert (June 7), with Travelling by Tuba, giving the chance for over 100 local schoolchildren to take part in workshops and to perform music together.

The Festival will return to Holy Trinity Church Bardsea for three contrasting concerts: Lucy Wakeford Harp, (June 4), Pas de Deux (June 7) and Principles of Nature (June 8).

Ulverston Parish Church hosts Chamber in the Church (June 6), plus recitals by pianist Daniel Lebardt (June 9) and the bass-baritone Neil Balfour in Song Cycles (June 3).

Neil Balfour, a keen cyclist, needed no persuading to get into the spirit of the Festival and will get ‘out and about’ with artistic director Anthony Hewitt following part of one of the Velo Retro routes on June 4 for some impromptu outdoor performances.

The final day of the Festival starts with a screening of Amadeus (June 10) at The Roxy as a nod to the highlight of the festival choral finale (June 10), Mozart’s Coronation Mass.

The festival’s artistic director Anthony Hewitt said: “It’s exciting to be back in 2023 with sixteen events packed into nine days. Whilst our original mantra was to present pure classical music, it is becoming clear that our strengths lie in casting the net to a much wider pool of styles and genres, and seeking out artists whose talents originate in diverse musical backgrounds and training.

“We aim to present more than just classical music, without compromising excellence and high artistic merit.”

Tickets for the Festival are on sale now from The Coro while tickets for the film screening are available from The Roxy.

Brochures are available from The Coro and shops around Ulverston.