Worldwide music festival celebrated at York Minster

Friday 7 June 2013, 3.00pm

Bells at York Minster will be among 1,000 ringing across the world this summer as part of an international music festival to mark 100 years since the birth of composer John Cage.

The worldwide Carillon Project, organised by the Forum of Contemporary Music Leipzig (FZML), will reach York on Friday when Dr John Ridgeway-Wood will perform five pieces of Cage’s rarely played compositions over two days.

Dr Ridgeway-Wood will begin playing the York Minster carillon (a set of tuned bells played from a keyboard) on Friday 7 June at 3pm when he performs Cage’s Music for Carillon numbers 1 to 3, followed at 3pm on Saturday by numbers 4 and 5.

The performances will be part of more than 40 taking place across the world between May and August 2013 in honour of John Cage.

“This is the first time I have performed these pieces at York Minster and it’s a fantastic opportunity to take part in the festival and to play some rarely heard compositions by Cage,” Dr Ridgeway-Wood explained.

“It’s also a challenge for me as the first four pieces weren’t written for a traditional carillon and will have to be adapted during the performance.”

Canon Peter Moger, who as Precentor oversees the Minster music, said: “The York carillon is a remarkable instrument; I hope visitors to the Minster and the wider city will enjoy hearing these performances.”

The Carillon festival forms part of the CAGE100 art and music festival, an international project organised by the FZML and involving 100 different events to mark the 100thanniversary of John Cage’s birth.

ENDS

For further media information or images, please contact:

Leanne Woodhurst

Tel: 0844 939 0014 ext 2480

Email: leannew@yorkminster.org