• Sacconi Chamber Music Festival • 16-18 May 2025 • Folkestone •

Friday 20 May at 7.00pm

concert

St Mary & St Eanswythe’s Church, Folkestone

with the Sacconi Quartet and Mark Padmore (tenor)

We open the Festival with an extended concert featuring the World Premiere of a brand new work for tenor and string quartet by Jonathan Dove. The text has been taken from a poem by Syrian poet Ali Safar and looks directly and unwaveringly at the plight of the people caught up in the Syrian conflict.

Haydn: String Quartet in D minor, Op. 76, No.2, ‘Fifths’
Mendelssohn: String Quartet in F minor, Op. 80
Jonathan Dove: ’In Damascus’ A brand new work for Tenor and String Quartet. WORLD PREMIERE
Bartok: Hungarian Folk Melodies for Violin and Cello, arr. Karl Krauter
Martinu: Duo No.1 for Violin and Cello
Donald Grant: Folk Duo for Violin and Cello

Saturday 21 May at 7.00pm

concert

St Mary & St Eanswythe’s Church, Folkestone

with the Sacconi Quartet and the Royal College of Music Chamber Orchestra

We continue our Dove thread with his spirited quartet ‘Out of time’, which leads us nicely into the dynamic and unmistakable sound landscapes of Steve Reich’s Triple Quartet. We then take a wistful interlude in Elgar’s Serenade and a more solemn reflective moment in Mozart’s Adagio and Fugue. To contrast his solemnity, Mozart’s A major violin concerto performed by Ben Hancox exudes light and joy, with a Turkish finale!

Dove: String Quartet ‘Out of Time’
Reich: Triple Quartet
Elgar: Serenade for Strings, Op.20
Mozart: Adagio and Fugue for Strings in C minor, K. 546
Mozart: Violin Concerto in A major, K. 219

Saturday 21 May at 9.30pm

concert

St Eanswythe’s Primary School, Folkestone

with Morgan Szymanski (guitar) and the Sacconi Quartet

The fantastic Mexican classical guitarist, and a previous collaborator of the Sacconis, Morgan Szymanski is joining us for the late-night slot this year. Join us for a cold cerveza and a vibrant programme of Latin music. The Sacconis will also join him on stage for Boccherini’s famous Fandango Quintet!


Sunday 22 May at 3.00pm

concert

St Mary & St Eanswythe’s Church, Folkestone

VIOLA INVASION!

Robin Ashwell (viola)
Roger Chase (viola)
Yuko Inoue (viola)
Garfield Jackson (viola)
Douglas Paterson (viola)
Andriy Viytovych (viola)

RCM Viola Quartet:
Lisa Bucknell, Nazli Erdogan, Anastasia Sofina and Natasha Michael

Ireland arr. for solo viola by Tertis: The Holy Boy
Bridge: Lament for Two Violas
Bowen: Fantasia for Four Violas, Op.41
Dale: Introduction & Andante for Six Violas, Op.5
Jacob: Suite for Eight Violas

It is rare to have so many violists under one roof! This is a unique opportunity to hear some of the finest players perform a wealth of English gems, all dedicated to the great violist Lionel Tertis.


Sunday 22 May at 7.00pm

concert

St Mary & St Eanswythe’s Church, Folkestone

With the Sacconi Quartet, Charles Owen (piano), Roger Chase (viola) and Pierre Doumenge (cello)

In our finale concert we set the optimistic tone with Mozart's 'Hoffmeister' Quartet and carry it forward into Jonathan Dove's Piano Quintet, which was conceived during a six-week stay in rural Italy. To finish, the warmth of the glorious Brahms Sextet closes our ninth Sacconi Festival and our celebration of Ensemble.

Mozart: String Quartet in D major, K. 499
Dove: Piano Quintet
Brahms: Sextet in B flat major, Op. 18

Download Festival Brochure


Festival Archive

  • Ben Hancox
  • Hannah Dawson
  • Robin Ashwell
  • Cara Berridge
  • Jonathan Dove
  • Mark Padmore
  • Roger Chase
  • Charles Owen
  • Yuko Inoue
  • Morgan Szymanski
  • Douglas Paterson
  • Garfield Jackson
  • Pierre Doumenge
  • Andriy Viytovych