Jess Dandy will perform at Worcester Cathedral this summer at the festival’s Gala Concert |
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| Organisers of one of the county’s most successful festivals have announced the attendance of a special guest. The Elgar Festival – which runs from Tuesday 30 May until Sunday 4 June this year – will welcome Jess Dandy, the foremost British contralto of her generation. Jess will join the English Symphony Orchestra and Elgar Festival Chorus as soloist in Elgar’s The Music Makers at this year’s Festival Gala Concert on Saturday 3 June at Worcester Cathedral at 7.30pm. Born in Cumbria, Jess studied Modern and Medieval Languages at Trinity College, Cambridge and the Ecole Normale Superieure de Lyon. An alumna and fellow of Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Jess has performed with many of the world’s leading ensembles and orchestras including BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, The English Concert and Minnesota Orchestra. Jess has appeared as a soloist at some of the world’s most prestigious venues and festivals including Carnegie Hall, New York, London’s Royal Albert Hall and Edinburgh International Festival. Earmarked as ‘one to watch’, Jess opened the First Night of the BBC Proms in 2021 and was shortlisted later that year for a Royal Philharmonic Society Award. Kenneth Woods, Artistic Director at the Elgar Festival said: “We are absolutely delighted to welcome Jess to this year’s Elgar Festival. She is certainly one of the most exciting young singers around today. True contraltos are rare – it’s a very special voice type, and one Elgar particularly loved. As soon as I heard her, I knew she had to be part of this year’s festival.” Jess is a multi faceted artist with a keen interest in ecology, body psychology and spirituality. She is the co-founder of SongPath, a mental health initiative creating musical walking trails in nature for better mental health. The Gala Concert is at the heart of the festival; alongside Jess, the concert will welcome conductor Kenneth Woods and featured composer Michael Berkeley.
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