WEIR King Harald’s Saga (15’)
BIRTWISTLE Cortege for 14 musicians (15’)
BRAHMS Serenade Op.11 (46’)
Claire Booth kicks off the 2026 Sheffield Chamber Music Festival in style!
Our Guest Curator, and RPS Singer of the Year 2025, opens with a one-woman opera retelling the story of ‘the last real Viking’, Harald Hardrada, by Judith Weir. The forces of Ensemble 360 follow, with Birtwistle’s highly theatrical procession of musicians and one of their favourites, Brahms’s brilliant and beloved Serenade, a swaggering, celebratory launch to nine days of chamber music, song and high theatre.
Post-concert drinks
To celebrate the start of the Festival, ticket-holders are invited to join us for a free glass of wine or soft drink in the Crucible bar after the concert.