ENGLISH Touring Opera opens this year's Ulverston International Music Festival with an energetic new production of one of the world’s most beloved operas, The Marriage of Figaro.

ETO stage Mozart’s classic comedy at the Coronation Hall on Wednesday, June 6 (7.30pm) as part of UIMF 2018 which runs until Saturday, June 16.

Among several star turns appearing at artistic director's Anthony Hewitt highly regarded festival - now the 15th - will be pianist Miki Yumihari; acclaimed singer, pianist and songwriter Joe Stilgoe; Grimethorpe Colliery Band; one of the world's great oboe players, Nicholas Daniel; former BBC Young Musician of the Year string finalist, guitarist, David Massey; distinguished trumpet player Paul Archibald; and as part of the Dodo Street Band, world number one recorder genius, Piers Adams.

One of the many highlights of the grand, 11-day gathering promises to be the Friday, June 15 (7.30pm) performance which features some of Russia's finest string players Camerata Tchaikovsky, joined by Ulverston's young sax supremo, Jess Gillam and Anthony Hewitt, who play Glazunov's deeply romantic Saxophone Concerto and Shostakovich's brilliant Piano Concerto no 1, respectively.