The Berwick Music Society has officially launched the music programme for its 2025/2026 season, starting with an inaugural concert by the newly formed Berwick Brass Quintet on September 27th, 2025.
The programme also includes jazz, saxophone and piano concerts as well as a vocal masterclass and a fascinating audio-visual lecture on Baroque music, a period that changed how musicians and audiences played, composed and listened to classical music.
Performers include saxophonist Carl Raven, The Tim Kliphuis jazz trio, opera singer Yvonne Barclay’s masterclass featuring two local vocalists, Sarah Moore and Cameron Robertson, art historian Maria Chester’s Baroque spoken word and live music showcase with Edinburgh’s Gal Trio, and concluding with Latvian-born, Newcastle-based pianist Ieva Dubova.
“This is our second year, and we’re delighted to unveil a diverse and eclectic range of music events over the coming months that adds to the town’s reputation as the happiest place to live in the UK (according to a Guardian newspaper report earlier in 2025). For a place as small as Berwick – the population is circa 13,000 – there is an impressive cultural offering and we’re delighted to play our part,” said Dr Catherine Preston, Chair of Berwick Music Society.
All concerts will take place at Berwick Parish Church and the dates and timings are as follows:
- Berwick Brass Quintet, Saturday 27th September 2025, 2pm-3pm, (£10)
- Carl Raven (saxophone), Saturday 25th October 2025, 2pm-3pm, (£10)
- Tim Kliphuis Trio (jazz trio), Saturday 22nd November 2025, 2pm-4pm (£15 with interval)
- Yvonne Barclay ‘Rising Stars’ Masterclass with vocalists Sarah Moore and Cameron Robertson, Saturday 24th January 2026, 2pm-3pm (£10)
- Maria Chester and The Gal Trio: Exploring Music and Art of the Baroque Period, Saturday 28th February 2026 2pm-3pm (£10)
- Ieva Dubova (piano), Saturday 21st March 2026, 2pm-4pm (£15 with interval)
Tickets can bought online here at the Berwick Music Society website on the door at the Berwick Parish Church, Parade, Berwick. Season tickets are £50 for all six concerts, saving £20, and are available on the website.
As part of its ongoing commitment to making music accessible to all, under-18s have free admission for the season. Music lovers who find the £10/£15 ticket price prohibitive can email info@berwickmusic.org in complete confidence.
Following its launch in 2024, Berwick Music Society wants to continue to celebrate the best in regional, national and international classical and contemporary music performed by professional soloists and small ensembles.
Supported by the Community Foundation, the Music Society’s ambition is to showcase work by composers and performers in Northumberland and the Borders and to encourage our local community to become involved in music across a wide range of genres. The Berwick Music Society also has a patrons’ scheme for music fans to show their personal support for the town’s ever-evolving musical offerings. Supporters and music fans can sign up as a Patron on the BMS website to help the society’s continued evolution.