South Downs Summer Music (SDSM)
15 – 20 July 2025
Alfriston, Lullington and Litlington, East Sussex
https://www.southdownssummermusic.co.uk/
About the Festival
A celebration of music and community, South Downs Summer Music is known and loved for its ambitious and varied programming and laid-back, friendly atmosphere. The Artistic Directors, Emily Holland and Zahra Benyounes engage some of the finest international and UK artists for a week of inspired performances. Previous performers included Melvyn Tan, Catrin Finch & Aiofe Ní Brhiain, Apollo 5, Timothy Ridout and Joe Stilgoe to name a few.
Most concerts are held in St. Andrew’s Church, Alfriston, the “Cathedral of the Downs”, while the MicroConcert at noon on Saturday takes place at one of the smallest churches in England, The Church of the Good Shepherd in Lullington . The recently opened event space at The Long Man Brewery hosts jazz on Saturday night.
2025 Festival
The programme ranges from audience favourites such as Elgar’s Serenade for Strings, Britten’s Simple Symphony through works of recently re-discovered female and minority composers Fanny Mendelssohn and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor to classical pieces inspired by Scandinavian folk music, English sea shanties and the music of Jelly Roll Morton. For the full programme please visit: southdownssummermusic.co.uk
Highlights
Julian Bliss Artist-in-residence
The fantastic clarinettist, Julian Bliss is a returning figure at the festival. He previously performed as soloist in Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time, and also with his jazz quintet. This time his multifaceted talent will shine on three consecutive nights: Julian will appear as virtuoso soloist in Malcolm Arnold’s Concerto for Clarinet and Finzi’s Bagatelles – arranged by himself – on Tuesday 15 July, as a sensitive chamber musician (Brahms and Coleridge-Taylor Quartets) on Wednesday 16 July and as a jazzman in Wynton Marsalis’s The Fiddler’s Tale on Thursday 17 July.
Wynton Marsalis The Fiddler’s Tale
A rare opportunity to hear Marsalis’s masterpiece for 7 musicians and narrator, inspired by Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale. The Fiddler will be brought to life by Artistic Director, Zahra Benyounes, while the brilliant up-and-coming trumpeter Aaron Akugbo will perform the part originally played by the composer himself. Star of The Wire, Da 5 Bloods and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Clarke Peters will act as Narrator.
Alexis Cárdenas & Recoveco
The Latin Grammy-nominated virtuoso violinist, Alexis Cárdenas brings his Venezuelan & Colombian quartet to light up the Friday night with their distinctive blend of sensual melodies & jazz improvisations from Latin America.
Grieg Piano Concerto
SDSM’s past and present artistic directors, including founder, Jeremy Young come together on Saturday 19 July to perform an evocative Nordic programme culminating in Grieg’s thrilling Piano Concerto arrangement with string quintet.
Young Artists
String Quartet residency
Each year SDSM provides the opportunity for a student quartet to participate in the festival. They receive lessons and masterclasses from the artistic directors and festival artists, and present the pieces they work on during the week at the festival’s closing concert on Sunday. They also have the chance to play in the Opening Concert as members of the Festival Orchestra. The masterclasses are open to the Supporters. This year the festival welcomes the Talland Quartet.
Hastings International Piano Competition Prize winner
As a result of SDSM’s ongoing cooperation with the Hastings Piano Competition one of the lunchtime concerts features a prize winner of the competition. Mariamna Sherling, who won 3rd prize in 2022, is bringing to SDSM of an exciting programme of Bach, Chopin, Ravel and Stravinsky.
Community
Support for the festival has grown considerably over the years. By now the festival boasts a large and enthusiastic community of Friends, Patrons, Benefactors and Business Sponsors, who support SDSM not only financially but with in-kind contributions, as well as enormous goodwill.
Antique dealers Emmett & White provided stage props in previous years and became Business Sponsors earlier this year, while long-term festival sponsor, Folkington’s horse-box bar on the village green, where they dispense complimentary G&Ts to ticket-holders before evening concerts (unless pouring with rain) has become one of the emblems of South Downs Summer Music.
Tickets
Evening concerts £25/£20
Thursday lunchtime £15
Saturday afternoon £20/£18
St Andrew’s pass £110
Friday lunchtime/Saturday Microconcert/Sunday afternoon – retiring donation