Date: August 2, 2026
Categories: Cross-cultural, Experimental, Family, Festivals, Folk music, New Work, Women musicians, Young Musicians
Tags: cheltenham town hall, national youth choir, nicholas chalmers

Sunday 2nd August 2026, 2:00 PM at Cheltenham Town Hall, Imperial Square, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL50 1QA.

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Programme
Sydney Guillaume – Kalinda
A.R. Rahman – Balleilakka
Jaakko Mäntyjärvi – Four Shakespeare Songs
Kim Andre Arnesen – Even When He Is Silent
Rolando Budini – La Arenosa
Arvo Pärt – …which was the Son of
Paul Crabtree – The Valley of Delight: Death and Resurrection
Elaine Hagenberg – A Farewell
Reena Esmail – Man tu shudam, tu man shudi

Performers
Nicholas Chalmers – Conductor

National Youth Choir

Programme Note
Join some of the best young singers in the world for a breathtaking musical journey that spans continents and generations. Roots celebrates the cultures we inherit and the human connections we create for ourselves.

Feel the electrifying Haitian rhythms of Sydney Guillaume’s Kalinda and ecstatic Bollywood energy of A.R. Rahman’s Balleilakka contrasted with moments of profound reflection in music by Kim Andre Arnesen, Arvo Pärt and Elaine Hagenberg.

Discover Jaakko Mäntyjärvi’s playful take on Shakespeare’s well-known lyrics and experience the world premiere of a new commission from Indian-American composer Shruthi Rajasekar.