The Northern Aldborough Festival opens next Friday for a fortnight's celebration of classical music, dance, swing music and outreach work in the Vale of York.

In its tenth year, the North Yorkshire village festival features international artists complemented by young local talent.

Most events will take place in the specially converted Aldborough Church between June 25 and July 10, but the programme also includes morning concerts and an ambitious outreach programme that will visit schools, hospitals and prisons.

Festival director Andrew Lawson-Tancred says: "We're very excited about our line-up for 2004. The introduction of opera continues to be extremely popular, as well as our series of events with major international stars. We expect 2004 to be another record year for the festival."

Opera leads the way with three festival highlights, starting with Opera Project's production of Figaro's Wedding (otherwise known as The Marriage Of Marriage) next Saturday at Aldborough Church at 7pm. Adrian Powter is Figaro and Caroline Childe, the singing voice of Becky Sharp in the BBC adaptation of Vanity Fair, is the Countess Almaviva.

West End actors Jan Hartley, David Timson and Malcolm McKee serve up a smorgasbord of operatic highlights and send-ups in Opera a la Carte in the Garden Room Restaurant of Harlow Carr, Harrogate, on July 2 at 7pm for 7.30pm. Tickets include a three-course dinner, so not surprisingly, the concert has sold out.

Tom Hawkes directs London City Opera in a 7pm performance of Puccini's Tosca on July 9, sung in Italian at Aldborough Church.

At the time of going to press, only four tickets remain for the festival's opening evening concert by Evgenia Rubinova at Aldborough Church next Friday. The silver medal winner at the 2003 Leeds International Piano Competition will play a7.15pm programme of Beethoven and Chopin sonatas.

Earlier that day, at 11am, counter tenor Robert Ogden presents Food Of Love, his exploration of the counter tenor's art from Purcell, Handel and Britten to Wagner, Verdi and Bernstein, in the morning concert at Creskeld Hall, Arthington, near Leeds.

Chamber musicians The Trio of London - pianist Julian Jacobson, violinist Elisabeth Perry and cellist Melissa Phelps - complement the world premiere of Matthew Rodie's festival commission, Cubed, with piano trios by Mozart and Schubert at Aldborough Church on June 29 at 7.15pm.

In further classical highlights, BBC Young Musician prize winner Alison Balsom, trumpet, and Jonathan Scott, organ, perform at Aldborough Church on July 3 at 7.15pm; the Yorkshire Baroque Soloists' concert with Peter and Yvonne Seymour and Simon Jones at Markenfield Hall, near Ripon, on July 6 at 11am has sold out; and fast-rising mezzo soprano Helene Hebrard's recital with pianist Julius Drake at Rudding Church, Rudding, on July 6 at 7.3pm is close to selling out.

Of particular interest to York's classical cognoscenti will be the Sorrel Quartet's world premiere of a new commission from retired University of York professor David Blake. Quartet No 4, his fourth string quartet, forms the centrepiece of the Sorrel's 7.15pm programme at Aldborough Church on July 8.

Away from the classical schedule, look out for Romance With The Gods, an evening of rhythmical footwork, soulful singing, hypnotic drumming and rich storytelling, performed by the Annapurna Indian Dance Company at Aldborough Church at on July 1 at 7.15pm. Annapurna takes the audience into a world of hopes, dreams and desires through dance stories of young girls and mothers and their romances with the Gods.

The closing-night picnic concert in the grounds of Aldborough Manor on July 10 from 6pm features The Cat Pack, a 20-piece big band, whose repertoire embraces swing, boogie-woogie, rock'n'roll and rhythm & blues. The concert starts at 8.15pm and ends with fireworks at 11pm. No doubt the festival organisers will be hoping for plenty more during the fortnight ahead.

For tickets and brochures, ring 01423 324899.

Updated: 15:24 Thursday, June 17, 2004