The York Early Music Festival was established in 1977 to celebrate music from the medieval to the baroque within an array of historic venues across the city of York. The festival is administered by the National Centre for Early Music.

In 2024, we are celebrating this wealth of musical creativity through the human voice and song, the combination prized for its power to communicate with us most directly; and through metamorphosis, the inspiration behind the creation, reimagination and reconstruction of music across time.

Guests this year include vocal ensembles The Gesualdo Six, Concerto Soave, Vox Luminis and Cappella Pratensis, while other highlights including a series of chamber concerts curated by BBC New Generation Artist and Festival Artistic Adviser Helen Charlston and her guests, who include the Consone Quartet, harpsichordist John Butt and mezzo soprano Rebecca Leggett. As for reimagination, guest artists including The Sixteen, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and Gawain Glenton’s Ensemble In Echo will be revealing how much, how often and how many composers have borrowed from each other and themselves.

We are particularly delighted to welcome a new collaboration with artists and colleagues based in Flanders with support from the Alamire Foundation, AMUZ in Antwerp and the Flanders Government, and to host young ensembles from across Europe once again as they join us for our Young Artists Competition.