LAKE District Summer Music celebrates its 30th anniversary with another fabulous festival of music-making.

Running from August 1-14, this year's prestigious gathering has 50 events at 15 venues, including a welcome return to the Coronation Hall at Ulverston - which hosts the opening concert featuring the Armonico Consort and Baroque Players - and the Victoria Hall at Grange-over-Sands.

Taking its own anniversary as a starting point, the themes for the 2015 festival mark many other anniversaries, including the 150th birthdays of the great Nordic composers Sibelius and Nielsen, and music composed against the background of conflict – the First World War centenary, 70 years since the end of the Second World War, and the bicentenary of Waterloo in 1815.

The opera-on-film strand includes Prokofiev's War and Peace and Verdi’s Aïda.

The centenary of the birth of French cabaret singer Edith Piaf in December 1915 and its connection to the execution of British nurse Edith Cavell is marked in a concert at Zeffirellis on Friday, August 7, signalling a new jazz collaboration between LDSM and the Ambleside venue.

New off-shoots include two events at Kendal Town Hall marrying live music with silent film - Dreyer's 1928 masterpiece The Passion of Joan of Arc is played out as the Orlando Consort brings the voices of 15th century French sacred and secular music to its drama. By contrast, George Melies' pioneering cameos inspire the Apollo Saxophone Quartet, giving life to the characters on screen.

Among those returning this year are the Kuss Quartet from Germany, cellist Gregor Horsch from The Netherlands and Trio di Parma from Italy. Artists from the UK include the Apollo Saxophone Quartet, which also celebrates its 30th anniversary and for whom LDSM has commissioned a new work from the young composer Luke Bedford. The 4-MALITY percussion quartet brings the première of a work by Jan Bradley for mezzo-soprano and percussion, setting texts by three female First World War poets.

One of the UK's top festival's, LDSM also welcomes new artists including Ukrainian pianist Vadym Kholodenko, winner of the Gold Medal at the prestigious Van Cliburn 2013 International competition and celebrating local talent, Cartmel Fell storyteller Emily Hennessey will be reliving a great Russian folktale in one of two family events at Carver Church, Windermere.

LDSM's highly respected founder and artistic director, Renna Kellaway, said: "Reaching the 30th anniversary was a milestone pointing forward but allowing us to look back over years of wonderful music-making with world artists, inspiring teachers, new generation musicians, an ever-widening circle of friends and colleagues and always highlights that remain long after the year has gone.

"We end with a candlelit concert given by our LDSM Academy Artists. Remembering so many great past students, their contribution to our celebration may well be their springboard to future successes."

Advance booking opens to festival patrons on May 26, online and postal booking a fortnight later; by telephone (01539-742621) from June 15.