Red Violin festival 2024
Red Violin is excited to announce the next festival throughout Leeds, 14-19 October, in partnership with Leeds International Concert Season, Leeds Conservatoire, Opera North In Harmony, University of Leeds, South Asian Arts, Sinfonia of Leeds, ArtForms, Everyman Cinema, Leeds City Walking Tours, with premières featuring violinists of all ages and a wide range of music, exhibitions, talks and film. The Red Violin would like to thank Nicholas Snowman OBE (former CEO Southbank Centre), founder board member, for all his support. Follow us on social media for the latest updates.
Lord Menuhin, Founder Patron with our Artistic Director (ITN/BBC TV News Wales)
The Red Violin is the brainchild of internationally acclaimed violinist Madeleine Mitchell, celebrating the violin across the arts in all its guises, with Lord Menuhin as Founder Patron. The title is taken from ‘Le Violon Rouge’ paintings by Dufy and Pougny, (before the eponymous film). The first festival took place in 1997 over 10 days and was a great success with packed houses, creating new audiences.
Director Madeleine Mitchell with Ivry Gitlis and his Stradivarius, with school children in Tiger Bay, Cardiff, following his recital at Red Violin
2007 saw the return to Cardiff of this unique event devoted to everything violin, in collaboration with BBC NOW, St David's Hall, WMC, Chapter Arts, Cardiff University, The Norwegian Church, Live Music Now, Asian Music Circuit, RSA, 4 Royal Music Colleges, Welsh Jazz Society, the BBC and Classic FM, with Lord Elis-Thomas as Patron, Hon President Ida Haendel, and extensive media coverage.
Opening event National Museum of Wales Fanfare for 4 Fiddles courtesy of Western Mail
Star violinists have included Ivry Gitlis, Rachel Podger, Julian Rachlin, Alina Ibragimova MBE, Maxim Fedotov, Eliza Carthy MBE, Baiba Skride, Jyotsna Srikanth MBE and Mitchell herself including her remarkable collaboration with percussion and her popular Violin Songs album.
Giant Violin devised by Mitchell as sounding installation