Saturday 2nd June - Anthony Hughes, piano recital
In a change to the previously advertised recital for this date, the Live Music at the Abbey Series welcomed Anthony Hughes for the first time. (Due to unforeseen circumstances Christian McKay was unable to return this year). The programme included:
Beethoven - Polonaise op. 89, and Theme and Variations on "Schöne Minka"
Liszt - Liebestraum no. 3 in A flat, and Hungarian Rhapsody no. 2 in C sharp minor
Cui - Causerie (a chat)
Rachmaninov - Sonata no. 2 in B flat minor (original 1913 version) op. 36.

Anthony Hughes was born in Wirral in 1969, and completed his studies at the Royal Northern College of Music, having been awarded a first class honours degree, a postgraduate diploma, and collecting many important awards for piano playing. During this period his teacher was the eminent Polish pianist Ryszard Bakst.
Further successes include the International Frederic Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw: the Polish people nationally voted Anthony a top favourite pianist. In Holland in 1992 he won second prize and much acclaim for his performance of Rachmaninov's third concerto in the International Eduard Flipse Competition. He also won second prize at the International Dudley Piano Competition playing Rachmaninov's second concerto.
After gaining recognition in Warsaw, Anthony recorded a selection of Chopin's piano music for Polish National Radio and Polskie Nagrania. In April 1999 he gave the opening recital at an international piano festival in Munich, Germany, and more recently he gave a recital for the Beethoven Society of Europe at St. Martin-in-the-Fields, London.

Saturday 19th May - Verdi, Messa da Requiem
The 2001 series opened in resounding fashion - literally with trumpets and drums echoing through the Abbey! As the year 2001 marks the centenary of the death of Guiseppe Verdi, three Yorkshire choirs decided to join forces to perform the ever popular and dramatic Requiem, a concert which attracted a capacity audience. The Requiem was composed in memory of Alessandro Manzoni and first performed in the Church of San Marco, Milan, on 22nd May 1874 under the direction of the composer.
Any choir which has taken part in a joint concert will be aware of the amount of preparation such a venture requires, particularly if the concert is being performed twice in a week at different venues. The Easingwold Singers and North Yorkshire Chorus had travelled to Sheffield on the previous Sunday to join the Sheffield University Chorus and Orchestra in the Octagon at the University. 
The soloists for the Abbey concert were Hilary Jackson (soprano), Christine Rice (mezzo-soprano), John Bowley (tenor) and D'Arcy Bleiker (baritone), the concert was conducted by Martin Hindmarsh . There could hardly have been a more suitable setting for a performance of Verdi's Requiem, and all involved rose to the occasion. The evening was concluded fittingly when Dr Roger Tebbet, Musical Director of the Easingwold Singers, and Christopher Thompson, Chorus Director of the North Yorkshire Chorus were brought on to be acknowledged for preparing and rehearsing their choirs.