Brinkburn first to hear The Creation; A North East music festival has stolen a march on this year's BBC Proms. RICHARD YATES has the details.

Byline: RICHARD YATES

A MUSIC festival in the heart of rural Northumberland will bring this year's BBC Proms closer to home next month.

The world-renowned Gabrieli Consort & Players will be at the Brinkburn Music Festival to present a sneak preview of their production of Haydn's choral masterpiece The Creation, which they are scheduled to perform a week later in London's Royal Albert Hall.

The festival, held in the aweinspiring and secluded surroundings of the 12th Century Brinkburn Priory, off the B6344 Morpeth-Rothbury road and on the wooded banks of the River Coquet, extends over two weekends - July 3- 5 and 10-12 - and is now in its sixteenth year, having built up an international reputation for firstrate performances by leading classical musicians and singers.

The Gabrielis, led by their artistic director and Brinkburn founder Paul McCreesh, perform The Creation in the festival's finale from 3.30pm on Sunday July 12.

They will be joined by internationally acclaimed soloists Rosemary Joshua, Mark Padmore and Neal Davies, together with young Chamber Choir singers from the famed Chetham's Music School in Manchester. The same performers will appear with the Gabrielis at The Proms.

Paul McCreesh says: "We're really proud to have been asked to perform at this year's BBC Proms -

and delighted that we can give our Brinkburn audience a taster of what the Promenaders will hear a week later".

The Gabrielis' most recent recording of The Creation scooped a 2008 Gramophone Award in the Record of the Year choral category.

On Sunday July 5 at 3pm the unaccompanied singers representing the Consort half of the Gabrielis will present I Heard a Voice from Heaven, a selection of music of mourning and consolation in the English tradition, including Howell's Requiem.

Other big-hitters at Brinkburn this year include Seaham-born baritone Sir Thomas Allen (Saturday July 11, 7.30pm); leading British tenor Mark Padmore and world-class pianist Paul Lewis performing Schubert's song cycle Die sch|ne Mllerin (Friday July 10, 7.30pm); and the fast-rising Anglo-Irish ensemble Carducci Quartet playing works by Haydn, Moeran and Beethoven (Saturday July 4, 7.30pm).

For full details of the Brinkburn

Music Festival programme visit www.brinkburnmusic.org or call [phone]. Tickets are available from the box office at The Maltings Theatre & Arts Centre, Berwick, on [phone].

CHORAL music enthusiasts can enjoy attractive programmes in two of the region's finest religious buildings this weekend.

Tonight from 7.30 the Durham Singers are in Durham Cathedral to perform Conrad Eden's arrangement of Grey Towers of Durham, along with Handel's Zadok the Priest, Purcell's I Was Glad and Byrd's motet Quomodo Cantabimus. Tickets: pounds 10 on the door.

And in Hexham Abbey tomorrow at 7.30pm the Newcastle Bach Choir will be conducted by Eric Cross in Durufle's Requiem, Britten s Festival Te Deum and MacMillan's Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis. Tickets are pounds 9 and pounds 12 with concessions available and under-18s admitted free. Call [phone] or [phone].

THE church of St Cuthbert in Shadforth, Durham, celebrates its 170th anniversary next Friday with a festival of organ music involving no fewer than four organists presenting what the church promises to be "an exciting and varied programme".

The music starts at 7pm and the pounds 4 tickets on the door also pay for refreshments.

richardcyates@ talktalk. net