International Festival & Summer School PIANO WEEK will have its second appearance in Moreton Hall School between 24th July and 6th August 2017. With seven residencies in the UK, Italy, Germany and China in 2017, this new touring classical music enterprise is en route to become one of the major household names amongst piano festivals in the UK and overseas. Headed by a British concert pianist Samantha Ward (founder and artistic director) and Polish concert pianist Maciej Raginia (creative director), the festival is full of high calibre performances from the in-house team of concert pianists as well as from internationally celebrated guest artists. It runs alongside the summer course, which is open to participants of any age and ability.

In Moreton Hall, for a fortnight, classical music lovers will be able to attend daily recitals held in the Musgrave Theatre at 7.15pm, featuring an impressive array of internationally acclaimed concert pianists: Samantha Ward (UK), Maciej Raginia (Poland), Yuki Negishi (Japan), Diana Ionescu (Romania), Niel Du Preez (South Africa), Warren Mailley-Smith (UK), Maiko Mori (Japan) and Sam Armstrong (UK). The audience will be delighted to hear that this year the concerts will also include chamber music with guest appearances by the celebrated violist Fenella Humphreys (UK), who will join Samantha Ward for the opening recitals of each week. Tickets for all performances are available for purchase directly on the festival’s website (www.pianoweek.com/concerts) or via box offices at Oswestry Visitor & Exhibition Centre (Tel: 01691 662753) and Shrewsbury Visitor Information Centre (Tel: 01743 258888). Since its launch in 2013, the festival has welcomed major names in classical music such as Stephen Kovacevich, Leon McCawley, Chenyin Li and David Fung, which is a tribute to its cultural wealth and success.

Samantha Ward’s original concept of creating an all-round musical programme with no boundaries of age, skill or location has not only proven to generate new concert platforms for a number of extremely talented performers, but it has also helped to engage new audiences across Europe and Asia and offer a huge boost of confidence to any piano player enrolled in the summer school part of the festival. Here, you can expect to find a five-year old beginner alongside an adult amateur, a professional concert pianist or an internationally celebrated artist all engaged in music making together – on stage, in public master classes, playing duets or composing. The content of this intensive week consists of a long list of individual one-to-one lessons, master classes, duet lessons, listening and harmony, memorisation, composition, theory and sight-reading sessions to name but a few. In Moreton Hall, all this is delivered on the finest Shigeru Kawai concert grand piano and Yamaha uprights with plenty of room for individual practice. In their spare time, participants are welcome to use many of the school’s amenities including the gym, swimming pool, sports hall, tennis courts or golf course amongst others.

TICKETS: £6/£12 | Box offices: 01691 662753 & 01743 258888 | www.pianoweek.com/concerts