3 Dales, 90 events and 8,000 happy people!

The award-winning Swaledale Festival has finished for another year! 90 events took place across Swaledale, Wensleydale and Arkengarthdale, including classical, folk and jazz music, family theatre, world cinema, masterclasses, dance, poetry, art exhibitions, talks, guided walks and more. Events took place in over 30 different venues, from charming village churches and chapels to large halls seating several hundred.

The superstar cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason and his friends performed to a sell-out crowd at the Garden Rooms at Tennants in Leyburn, and the current BBC Young Musician of the Year, seventeen-year-old pianist Lauren Zhang, astonished a packed audience in Richmond’s Influence Church with her flawless technique and exquisite musicianship.

World music featured in a big way: the legendary Spanish guitarist Paco Peña stunned the audience at St. Andrew’s Church in Grinton with his evocative flamenco music.  St. Andrew’s also hosted global music explorers Kabantu, violinist Jennifer Pike who performed with three top Indian musicians, and Antonio Forcione’s sensational Italian, African and South American fusion. World cinema also played a part, with films from Spain, Palestine and Chile shown in small venues in Leyburn and Hawes.

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World music explorers Kabantu performed on Tues 4 June at St. Andrew's Church, Grinton