DARTMOOR 1-4 OCTOBER
EXMOOR 8-11 OCTOBER
Extraordinary music in remarkable places
with Armonico Consort, James Baillieu, Claire Booth, Adrian Brendel, Rachel Campbell-Johnston, Michael Collins, Christopher Glynn, Noriko Ogawa, Steven Osborne, Rachel Podger, Harriet Rix, Lawrence Sail, She’Koyokh, Tamsin Waley-Cohen, the Calidore String Quartet and more.
Welcome to the Two Moors Festival 2026
Across the two weeks of this year’s Festival, we will see a dizzying array of artists and thinkers bringing music, poetry and conversation to Exmoor and Dartmoor. Each year, I have the enjoyable job of packing as many cultural riches as I can into two long weekends and I hope that you will find this Festival a rewarding and uplifting one.
I’m extremely proud that we are the English partner in Mark-Anthony Turnage’s new String Quartet, and a co-commissioning partner of Gavin Higgins’s new song cycle Speak of the North. You can hear major international artists such as Steven Osborne, Michael Collins, Claire Booth, Calidore Quartet, Rachel Podger, Adrian Brendel and James Baillieu, as well as a major choral and community event at Exeter Cathedral with the Armonico Consort, which will involve children from local schools. Our focus on young artists continues too, with Jaren Ziegler and Tomos Boyles joining us from the inaugural residency last November. City Music Foundation Artist Caroline Taylor returns after entrancing the audience at Castle Hill in 2024, and of course, you’ll have a chance to hear our own Young Musicians Competition winners perform.
The Klezmer and Balkan Band She’Koyokh will be getting us all dancing in a workshop ahead of their concert — one of several events we have for children and families as well. I hope you will agree that it’s a fitting follow-on to our 25th anniversary year, and a festival in the truest sense — a moment of celebration and community, inviting us all to stop our hectic lives for a moment, and to listen.
Tamsin Waley-Cohen, Artistic Director
THURSDAY 1 OCTOBER, 6PM
Great Fulford EX6 7AJ
At Home with Haydn
£100
WA. Mozart Sonata No 1 in G K.301; Joseph Haydn Sonata No 1 in G major; Duo for Violin and Cello in D Major; Songs selection; Sonata in E Flat Major for Violin and Piano; Piano Trio in A Major Hob XV:18
Dinner Interval
Joseph Haydn C Major Sonata No.6; A Major Sonata No. 4; C Major Trio Hob XV:21; Songs selection; Piano Trio No.39 in G Major ‘Gypsy rondo’.
Join us in the beautiful and atmospheric surroundings of Great Fulford for a glittering evening celebrating Haydn. Four of Britain’s most in-demand chamber musicians join forces for a special double bill of concerts. Violinist and Two Moors Festival Artistic Director Tamsin Waley-Cohen, whose playing has been praised by The Sunday Times as “radiant and soaring”, and distinguished cellist Adrian Brendel perform alongside soprano Caroline Taylor and pianist James Baillieu — described by The Daily Telegraph as “in a class of his own”. A selection of Haydn songs will feature in each concert, including The Mermaid’s Song and The Wanderer, as well as Mozart’s Abendempfindung. The concerts, interspersed with dinner in the Great Hall, will feature Sonatas, a Duo for Violin and Cello and Trios, including his Piano Trio in A Major and, one of his most popular chamber works, the Piano Trio No. 39 ‘Gypsy rondo’, sitting alongside works by his ebullient young contemporary, Mozart.
For the full programme please visit our website.
Capacity for this special event is limited and early booking is advised. You may like to consider becoming a member of the Festival to enjoy priority booking – visit the Support page of our website for more information.
FRIDAY 2 OCTOBER, 10AM
The Hall, Stepcote Hill, Exeter EX1 1BD
Tamsin Waley-Cohen: Discover the Violin for 0-5s and their grown-ups
£10
A hot ticket at last year’s Festival, our under 5s concert is back at the beautiful Hall in Exeter for another low-key dose of musical brilliance. Festival Artistic Director, internationally acclaimed violinist Tamsin Waley-Cohen will be presenting a beautiful programme of music for violin that will calm, energise and transport you and your little ones. Feel free to move about and enjoy a coffee as you experience incredible music by Bach and beyond.
FRIDAY 2 OCTOBER, 5PM
The Hall, Stepcote Hill, Exeter EX1 1BD
Poetry Reading: Lawrence Sail and Julia Copus
Poets with strong West Country connections read and discuss their work
£10
One of Britain’s most distinguished poets, Lawrence Sail's poetry is noted for its combination of close observation and broader reflections. In his most recent collection, Guises, he explores belief and doubt, memory and imagination, art and perception, the loss of friends and the state of our ailing planet.
Julia Copus is a poet, biographer and children’s writer. 2019’s Girlhood was winner of America’s inaugural Derek Walcott Prize for best collection by a non-US citizen. Her most recent book, This Rare Spirit: A Life of Charlotte Mew, was described by John Carey in The Sunday Times as ‘a triumph of precise scholarship and imaginative sympathy’.
This poetry reading will include poetry related to and inspired by the West Country.
FRIDAY 2 OCTOBER, 7PM
Exeter Cathedral, 1 The Cloisters, Exeter EX1 1HS
£43.50, £22.50, £15
Armonico Consort: Tallis Spem in Alium and Monteverdi Vespers
A supersize choral concert in surround sound
Claudio Monteverdi Lauda Jerusalem from Vespers of 1610; Beatus Vir; Ave Maris Stella a8. Francisco Valls Missa Scala Aretina; David Buckley Lamentations; New Work; Thomas Tallis Spem in Alium.
Armonico Consort & Baroque Players; Tamsin Waley-Cohen, violin; St Peter’s Singers; School Choirs. Directed by Christopher Monks
We are thrilled to welcome the Armonico Consort back to the Festival after a memorable Dido and Aeneas in 2023. They have a well-earned reputation for providing imaginative singing opportunities for young people and this performance sees children from schools across Devon perform alongside professional musicians. During the Renaissance and Baroque periods, the influence of Venetian composers such as Monteverdi and Gabrieli across Europe was staggering. Catalan composer Francisco Valls was one such inspired composer and his huge polychoral work, the Missa Scala Aretina, receives a rare performance at this concert, alongside excerpts from the Monteverdi Vespers. The large-scale choral works in this concert will be interspersed by haunting and atmospheric violin interpolations performed by Tamsin Waley-Cohen, inspired by the music of Hildegard of Bingen. Be among the first to hear a brand-new work by Hollywood film composer, David Buckley before getting swept up in Tallis’ epic 40-part Spem in Alium, performed by singers stationed all around the cathedral.
SATURDAY 3 OCTOBER, 11.30AM
St Andrew’s Church, Ashburton TQ13 7DT
Stars of the Future: Jaren Ziegler and Tomos Boyles
Rising stars play Brahms and Schumann works for viola and piano
We are delighted to welcome back to Dartmoor two outstanding young musicians who took part in our inaugural Duos Residency last November, violist Jaren Ziegler and pianist Tomos Boyles. A Classic FM Rising Star for 2025, Ziegler won the BBC Young Musician Strings Final in 2022 at just 16, becoming the first violist to do so. Boyles is rapidly carving out a career as a young and exciting concert pianist with a distinctive voice. Winner of the 2025 Dudley International Piano Competition, he is a postgraduate at the Royal Academy of Music and recipient of the Bicentenary Scholarship, supporting both his studies and the release of his debut CD for Linn Records later this year.
SATURDAY 3 OCTOBER, 3PM
Ashburton Arts Centre TQ13 7DT
£15
All Ages Concert with Noriko Ogawa
The well-loved pianist plays Chopin, Takemitsu and Brahms
WA Mozart Rondo alla Turca; Johannes Brahms Intermezzo in A major, Op. 118 No. 2; Edward Elgar Salut d’amour, Op. 12; Tōru Takemitsu Rain Tree Sketch II; Frédéric Chopin Ballade No. 3 in A-flat major, Op. 47, Scherzo No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 31.
Noriko Ogawa has achieved considerable renown throughout the world since her success at the Leeds International Piano Competition. Noriko’s “ravishingly poetic playing” (The Telegraph) sets her apart from her contemporaries and we are delighted to welcome her to Ashburton for this all-ages concert.
Come and enjoy some exquisite piano music by some of the all-time greats in the relaxed and informal surroundings of Ashburton Arts Centre. Perfect for anyone who feels more comfortable attending concerts in an easy-going atmosphere.
Tickets are free for children aged 16 and under – see back page for details.
‘Pianism of the highest order’ The Times
‘One of the finest string quartets on the planet’
Le Devoir
SATURDAY 3 OCTOBER, 6.30PM FREE FOR CONCERT TICKET HOLDERS
St Andrew’s Church, Moretonhampstead TQ13 8LL
Q&A with the Calidore Quartet
Get to know the award-winning string quartet as Tamsin Waley-Cohen sits down with the Calidore Quartet to discuss the new quartet Arietta by Mark Anthony Turnage and their career in general.
SATURDAY 3 OCTOBER, 7.30PM
St Andrew’s Church, Moretonhampstead TQ13 8LL
Calidore String Quartet
Dvořák's American Quartet and Mark-Anthony Turnage Premiere
Antonin Dvořák String Quartet No. 12 in F major, Op. 96 (B. 179), American; Mark Anthony Turnage Arietta (English Premiere); Erich Korngold String Quartet No.3 in D major, Op.34.
Lauded by The Los Angeles Times for performances that are “astonishing… the kind of sublimity other quartets spend a lifetime searching for,” we are excited to welcome the Calidore String Quartet to perform a programme spanning tradition, modernity and lyricism. Dvořák’s “American” Quartet, written during his time in the US, combines Czech warmth with the rhythmic vitality and openness he encountered abroad. At the heart of the programme is Mark Anthony Turnage’s Arietta, a new work co-commissioned by the Festival, inspired by the introspective world of late Beethoven. The concert concludes with Korngold’s Third String Quartet, a work of lush harmony and sweeping emotion that carries the composer’s unmistakable melodic gift into a darker, more turbulent expressive world, shaped by exile and the shadows of history.
SUNDAY 4 OCTOBER, 11.30AM
St Lawrence Chapel, Ashburton TQ14 7DD
Harriet Rix: The Genius of Trees
The local author and tree scientist talks about her debut book
£10
When local author Harriet Rix started to write a book about how trees have shaped the world over the 390 million years of their development there was one place where she knew she had to go - to the oldest fossil forest in the world in upstate New York. Here, ancient root systems told the story of trees at their very beginning, shaping rivers and building up soil. Three months after that trip the Daily Mail announced “Earth’s oldest forest is discovered near Butlin’s in Somerset.” Starting, then, from the Devonian forests of Exmoor, Harriet will lead us from the Amazon, through Pakistan, Iraq and the trees of Europe, to reveal the genius of trees in all their multi stranded glory.
Harriet Rix
“Non-fiction rarely sees a debut like The Genius of Trees. It is a true masterpiece” The Telegraph
“everything feels like real chamber-music rather than display-vehicles, with Collins and Ogawa bringing bags of poise and wit to the entire programme.” PrestoMusic
Noriko Ogawa and Michael Collins
SUNDAY 4 OCTOBER, 3PM
St Andrew’s Church, Ashburton TQ13 7DT
£35, £25, £15, £10
Michael Collins and Noriko Ogawa: The Parisian Clarinet Works for clarinet and piano by Poulenc, Debussy and Saint-Saëns
Charles-Marie Widor Introduction and Rondo Op. 72; Gerald Finzi 5 Bagatelles Op.23; Francis Poulenc Sonata in B flat; Claude Debussy Première Rhapsodie; Camille Saint-Saëns Clarinet Sonata in Eb major, Op.167; Malcolm Arnold Sonatina Op 20
One of the leading clarinettists of his generation, Michael Collins has appeared on stages from Carnegie Hall to the BBC Proms and was hailed by the The Times as “one of the best clarinettists walking the planet.” Joined by pianist Noriko Ogawa, they bring to Ashburton a programme inspired by their acclaimed recording La Clarinette Parisienne. The concert features Claude Debussy’s seductive Première Rhapsodie, Francis Poulenc’s emotionally charged Sonata, and one of Camille SaintSaëns’s final works, full of charm and wit. Collins and Ogawa’s partnership is a duo of two musicians at the pinnacle of their craft. They have given concerts worldwide and this concert promises to conclude our Dartmoor weekend in dazzling style. Read more about Noriko on page 7.
THURSDAY 8 OCTOBER, 5.00PM
Parish Rooms, Dulverton TA22 9DP
Pre-Concert Talk and Creative Writing Workshop
In a special conversation chaired by Northumbria University historian Professor Julian Wright, composer Gavin Higgins joins Claire Booth and Christopher Glynn to explore the relationship between words, music and our contemporary sense of northern-ness and the notions of living at the margins. The event also includes a creative workshop inspired by the prompt “Speak of the North”, inviting audience members to contribute poems, reflections and short texts to a growing Community Book accompanying Higgins’ song cycle on its journey between venues.
THURSDAY 8 OCTOBER, 7.30PM
All Saints’ Church, Dulverton TA22 9DW
£37.50, £27.50, £17.50, £10
Claire Booth, Tamsin Waley-Cohen and Christopher Glynn
Songs and chamber music by Grieg, Grainger and Higgins
Edvard Grieg Violin Sonata No. 2 in G major, Op. 13; Haugtussa (The Mountain Maid), Op. 67; Percy Grainger Selection of Folksong Arrangements; Gavin Higgins Speak of the North Violinist and Festival Director Tamsin Waley-Cohen, praised for her “undeniably fabulous playing” by Classical Source, joins award-winning soprano Claire Booth and GRAMMY-winning pianist Christopher Glynn for a programme of music by Edvard Grieg, Percy Grainger and Gavin Higgins. Grieg’s Second Violin Sonata, written during his honeymoon, is inflected with Norwegian folksongs and is zestfully sunny, while Grainger’s folksong arrangements will get your toes tapping. The concert concludes with Speak of the North, a Two Moors Festival co-commission. Described as "a vast and sprawling journey across the moors, mountains, cities and coasts of the north of England” (The Guardian), Gavin Higgins’ new song cycle features poems by northern writers, such as Tony Williams and the Brontë sisters, interwoven with folk violin in a collection of musical pictures brought to life through song.
FRIDAY 9 OCTOBER, 6.30PM
Priory Church, Dunster TA24 6SH
£37.50, £27.50, £17.50, £10
Rachel Podger and Lucie Horsch: Baroque Violin and Recorder
Two Baroque stars join forces for duos by Bach and Telemann
JS Bach arr. Chad Kelly Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565; Georg Philipp Telemann Der getreue Musik-Meister, TWV 40:107; Fantasia no. 7 ‘a la Francese’, Canonic Sonata No. 1 in G major, TWV 40:118-23; CPE Bach Duet for flute and violin in E minor; Freya Waley-Cohen ‘Caffeine’; Antonio Maria Montanar; Sonata for violin in D minor Giga senza basso; Joseph Bodin de Boismoitier Sonata for flute and violin in E minor op 51. Plus, traditional tunes including Johnnie Faa, Lord Aboyne’s welcome, The Lass of Pietie’s Mill, Ettrick Banks and The kid on the mountain.
Described by The Times as “the unsurpassed British glory of the baroque violin,”
Rachel Podger joins forces with recorder virtuoso Lucie Horsch, praised by The Guardian as “the latest big thing in recorder playing.” Together they bring a programme of dazzling virtuosity and profound expression, featuring music by JS Bach and Telemann alongside traditional tunes. One of the world’s leading baroque violinists, Podger is celebrated for her artistry and collaborative spirit. Horsch has rapidly become one of the recorder’s most exciting voices, captivating audiences with performances that pair Baroque masterpieces with contemporary works, revealing the instrument’s remarkable expressive range.
A light supper will be available at various points throughout the evening for £12.50. Tickets will be available to purchase in advance. See our website for more details.
“there is probably no more inspirational musician working today” Gramophone
Rachel Podger Lucie Horsch “Fearsome virtuosity and superb technique” BBC Music Magazine
FRIDAY 9 OCTOBER, 9PM
Priory Church, Dunster TA24 6SH
Kurtág at 100: Kafka Fragments
£18
Tamsin Waley-Cohen and Claire Booth perform Kurtag’s seminal song cycle by candlelight
Join us in the candlelit Luttrell Chapel at Dunster Church for an atmospheric late-night performance of György Kurtág’s Kafka Fragments in the composer’s centenary year. Setting extracts from Franz Kafka’s letters and diaries, this landmark 20th-century work for violin and soprano spans a remarkable emotional range, capturing the breadth of human experience, from dreamlike surrealism to flashes of dry wit and moments of delicate beauty. Sharing a fearless commitment to music of the present day, there’s no better pairing than Two Moors Festival Director, violinist Tamsin Waley-Cohen and 2025 RPS Singer of the Year, soprano Claire Booth, for a performance of this astonishing work.
SATURDAY 10 OCTOBER, 1.30PM
All Saints’ Church, Dulverton TA22 9DW
Young Musicians Competition Winners Concert
£15
Anton Pigott, piano; Evie Mengxi Xu, piano; Emilia Eggers, violin; Lucas Zhang, viola
The four talented young winners of this year’s Competition each give a 20-minute recital, showcasing their musical and technical prowess. The repertoire will be confirmed closer to the time.
Tickets are free for children aged 16 and under – see back page for details.
“One of the finest and most entertaining British-based exponents of global music” The Guardian
SATURDAY 10 OCTOBER, 2.30PM
Wiveliscombe Community Centre TA4 2JP
She’Koyokh - Balkan and Yiddish Dance Workshop
£15
Ahead of their evening concert at St Andrew’s Church, She'Koyokh is offering the opportunity to take part in an afternoon dance workshop. With live music from members of this wonderful 7-piece klezmer and Balkan band, the workshop will include Yiddish circle dances such as the Freylekhs and Bulgar, set dances such as the Patsh Tants and Sher, and dances from Macedonia, Moldova, Serbia and Bulgaria. No previous experience is required! The workshop is open to all ages and levels, and you don't need a partner to take part.
SATURDAY 10 OCTOBER, 7.30PM
St Andrew's Church, Wiveliscombe TA4 2LT
£35, £25, £15, £10
Saturday Night with She’Koyokh: Klezmer and Balkan music
Seven-piece, virtuosic, versatile and prize-winning ensemble, She’Koyokh plays klezmer and traditional music from the Balkans, Turkey and beyond. Celebrating their 25th year, She'Koyokh is a live-force to be reckoned with - a wild swirl of klezmer clarinet, Romanian violin, jazzy guitar licks, virtuoso accordion, driving double bass and dance-inducing percussion, plus the sweet, expressive voice of Çigdem Aslan.
Tickets are free for children aged 16 and under – see back page for details.
SUNDAY 11 OCTOBER, 11AM
East Quay, Watchet TA23 0AQ
Rachel Campbell-Johnston: A Life in Art
In conversation with Tamsin Waley-Cohen and Laura Pitman
Former chief art and poetry critic for The Times, Rachel Campbell-Johnston’s books include Mysterious Wisdom: The Life and Work of Samuel Palmer and the children’s book, The Child's Elephant. She has a PhD in modern and contemporary British poetry and in this special event at Gallery 1 at East Quay, she will discuss the purpose or point of art, and her career, in conversation with Festival Director, Tamsin Waley-Cohen and local artist Laura Pitman. Painting for over thirty years, Pitman’s work is vibrant and expressive, often leaning into colour-rich, semi-abstract interpretations that invite viewers to feel as much as see.
SUNDAY 11 OCTOBER, 3PM
All Saints’ Church, Dulverton TA22 9DW
Steven Osborne plays Beethoven's Diabelli Variations
Festival finale with the world-renowned pianist, including works by Schumann, Ravel and Beethoven.
Robert Schumann Papillons, Op 2; Erik Satie Gymnopedie no.3; Lili Boulanger D'un jardin clair from Trois Morceaux pour piano; Anatoly Lyadov A Musical Snuff Box, Op.32; Fritz Kreisler (arr. Rachmaninoff) Liebesleid; Maurice Ravel Valses nobles et sentimentales; Ludwig van Beethoven Diabelli Variations, Op.20
Steven Osborne OBE is one of Britain’s most admired pianists, celebrated for his depth of musicality and refined expression. A regular on stages worldwide, from the BBC Proms and Wigmore Hall, to Berlin and Lincoln Center, New York, we are in for a rare treat in Dulverton as Osborne performs a richly varied programme. The recital features music by French composers including the trailblazing Lili Boulanger, and an exquisite arrangement by Rachmaninoff of a violin piece by Fritz Kreisler. It concludes with Ludwig van Beethoven’s monumental Diabelli Variations, described by Alfred Brendel as “the greatest of all piano works.” Osborne was appointed OBE for Services to Music in 2022.
BOOKING
Tickets and full programme: TwoMoorsFestival.co.uk
Tickets may be booked by telephone or in person: +44 (0)1772 439 062 Monday to Friday, 9am–1pm
General booking: Monday 13 July
Priority booking: Artistic Director’s Circle: 22 June; Patrons: 24 June; Benefactors: 26 June; Associates: 29 June; Friends: 6 July 2026
Tickets for 16s and under are free with an accompanying adult, excluding the Haydn Salon at Fulford. Programme and venues are subject to change. If the event is showing as sold out on our website, there may be tickets available on the door. Please call the Festival Office on 01772 439 062 to check.
Royal Patron: HRH Duchess of Edinburgh GCVO
Scan for tickets and more information: