DEVOTED musicians will soon fill Ulverston with songs for the ‘classically curious’.

The Ulverston International Music Festival returns in June, and for the first time since 2019 welcomes back an orchestra in the shape of the Royal Northern Sinfonia (RNS) to perform on the opening night.

The RNS return to perform Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.

Sure to delight traditional Festival audiences, the organisers also hope that it’s the perfect ‘gateway’ for the more classically curious.

Artistic director Anthony Hewitt said: “Performing musicians are devoted to their instruments, serving the music and composer - to communicate the meaning behind the notes on the musical score.

“We are always also seeking new ways to engage with people who are classically curious - those who may just need that extra bit of encouragement to cross the line in to the concert hall.

“Part of the joy of performing is to make the music sound as if we (the performer) are hearing it for the very first time.

“So in a sense an audience who is new to classical music is our ideal audience. Come along, and we’ll be playing for you - we’ll be playing the music with your fresh, open ears.”

Mr Hewitt says that it is the ‘buzzing, live, spontaneous experience’ that musicians crave.

He said: “It’s just not the same as watching it on YouTube or streaming it through your HiFi - think of going to the movie theatre and experiencing en-masse the tension of a thriller, and feeling the shaking of the theatre with the sound-effects.

“That shared experience and adrenaline is palpable all-round and is the reason we leave our homes. I would challenge anyone that is tempted to try classical music to come along to our opening night.

“It’s a great opportunity to hear music with which you’ll probably be familiar, and will be a great chance to be immersed in the sound, emotion, and vibrations created by all these acoustic instruments.”

The opening night will take place on June 2, with tickets available from The Coro’s box office.

The festival will last until June 10 with 16 events taking place in and around Ulverston.

For tickets, visit www.thecoro.co.uk