Ryedale Festival has announced a new three-year partnership with Sinfonia of London and conductor John Wilson, marking a significant commitment to bringing orchestral music of the highest quality to audiences across North Yorkshire and the wider north of England.
Over the next three years, Sinfonia of London will become a regular presence within the Festival’s artistic programme, allowing audiences to encounter the orchestra through a sequence of distinctive and ambitious projects. The partnership reflects a shared belief in artistic ambition, imaginative programming and sustained audience development, alongside a determination to bring great music to audiences across the north of England.
The collaboration begins on Sunday 12 July 2026 with a major orchestral concert at the York Barbican. Tickets are on sale now from both the Festival and the Barbican. Entitled An English Summer, the programme celebrates British orchestral music in all its variety and colour, from the lyricism of Vaughan Williams’s The Lark Ascending to Walton’s brilliant Spitfire Prelude and Fugue, alongside a parade of light music classics by Eric Coates and others.
John Wilson relaunched Sinfonia of London in 2018 with the aim of bringing together outstanding players for projects shaped by conviction and care. Since then, the orchestra has become one of the most talked-about ensembles in the country, returning regularly to the BBC Proms and London’s Barbican Centre to sell-out audiences. The partnership with Ryedale Festival signals a long-term artistic relationship, creating space for substantial orchestral projects within the festival over the next three years.
The full programme for the Summer Festival will be announced on 27 March 2026.