HIGHLIGHT 
The Sessions at Sessions House

Sessions House is one of Ely’s lesser known venues, but it throws open its doors to host a series of intimate lunchtime concerts across the duration of the Festival. See emerging classical musicians from esteemed institutions The Royal Academy of Music, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, The Royal College of Music, The Royal Welsh College of Music and of course, King’s Ely!

Monday 17th June

Duo Tanwen - Flute and Harp (Royal Academy of Music)

Chatteris born Bonnie Scott (harp) and Ruby Howells (flute) formed Duo Tanwen after more than a decade of friendship, when both were accepted to study at the Royal Academy of Music in 2020. Since then, they have performed in venues such as the Henry Wood Room and the Duke’s Hall. The duo covers a wide range of repertoire, and is particularly passionate about programming music from women composers and those from under-represented backgrounds. 

Wednesday 19th June

Joan Furió Vivas - Classical Guitar (Guildhall School of Music & Drama) 

Joan Furió Vivas has performed as a soloist across Europe and the US, in venues such as the Milton Court Concert Hall, the Eduard Toldrà Auditorium at Conservatori Municipal de Música de Barcelona, St. James Picadilly, Valencia’s Oceanografic or The Bitter End in New York City, in concert series such as Festival de Música Religiosa de Vic, Festival de Música de Rialp, Dijous Concert (CMMB), Barnes Music Festival, Strings @ Eight (GSMD) or for the British Spanish Society.

Recent highlights include his debut with orchestra, playing the Malcolm Arnold Guitar Concerto with the Silk Street Sinfonietta conducted by Antoine Veillerette in London. 

Joan holds a First Class Bachelor of Music from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, where he is

presently a scholar completing his Master’s with Robert Brightmore and Sean Shibe. He won the chamber and solo honorific prizes at Barcelona’s Conservatoire, where he studied with Joan Furió Navarro.

Friday 21st June 

Wigfield Brass (Royal College of Music) 

Wigfield Brass is a brass trio (trumpet, French horn and trombone) based in London. Katie, Amadea and Pau met in 2019 whilst studying for their performance degrees at the Royal College of Music, eventually graduating with honours in 2023. They are currently studying a postgraduate course at the same institution while they work as freelance musicians for some of the best orchestras in the country, such as the LSO, Philharmonia Orchestra, RPO or BBC Symphony Orchestra. The trio was created as a result of their shared passion for live music making and the opportunity to show what the combined sounds of the three instruments can be like. Their repertoire is diverse and experimental, spanning from their own arrangements of popular tunes to Baroque forms and 20th century chromaticism.

Monday 24th June

King’s, Ely

King’s Ely Senior School Cello Consort, ‘Spikes’ present a varied programme of music for a summer’s afternoon. 

Wednesday 26th June

Duo Fisarco - Accordion & Violin

Duo Fisarco is a classical accordion and violin duo, comprising accordionist Ben de Souza and violinist Chloë Meade. Formed in 2017 while students at the Royal Academy of Music, the duo has recently returned to the performing circuit after a pandemic-enforced hiatus. Recent duo engagements include performances for the Friends of Newbury Spring Festival, Bach to Baby, Mini Classics, Salisbury Chamber Music Club, Clare Hall Cambridge, and The New Room Bristol. Ben and Chloë's respective careers also encompass solo, chamber and orchestral playing, as well as teaching, coaching, and conducting work.

Duo Fisarco's repertoire includes original and transcription works by composers including Schnittke, Elgar, Piazzolla, Hermosa, Koppel and Mozart. They also often intersperse programmes with solo pieces on both instruments.

Friday 28 June

Zsombor Könczei (Trinity Laban Conservatoire)

Born in an artistic family in Budapest, Zsombor started playing the violin at the age of five. He graduated in the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music in 2022 in Márta Ábrahám’s class. He is currently studying with Ofer Falk at Trinity Laban Conservatoire, holding the Trinity Laban and the Margaret Helen Harris Scholarships, and he has been awarded The Henry Wood Accomodation Trust Fund. Zsombor has participated in many competitions in Hungary, furthermore he played in the final of the 16th International Georg Philipp Telemann Violin Competion in 2019 (Poznan, Poland). He has played in violin and chamber music Masterclasses for Barnabás Kelemen, Yair Kless, Michael Vaiman, Jennifer Pike, Michael Bochmann, Ayke Agus and Gábor Takács-Nagy. In Budapest, he was the member of the Ábrahám Consort between 2018 and 2022, and since 2022 he has been the leader of the MilleniArt Ensemble, with which he has premiered works by emerging Hungarian composers. In 2023, he joined the Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra in London. 

Chamber music has always been crucial in Zsombor’s musical development, and he particularly appreciates string quartet repertoire. Alongside his violin studies, he has studied composition, and he enjoys playing Hungarian folk music. There will also be an element of dance to the programme with two pieces featuring Spanish dancer, Georgina Viu.

Donations welcomed to support the performers (recommended donation £4)