The 11th Hay Music Festival will take place from September 11-14, with three days of concerts, discussions and special events followed by a day of outreach in local schools, The Family Place and Hay Day Café.

Held in and around Hay-on-Wye, this year’s festival is titled ‘The Healing Power of Music’, with a programme designed to celebrate the ability of music to lift spirits and bring people together.

The festival opens on Friday, September 11 with an evening concert featuring the Fitzwilliam Quartet and renowned pianist Simon Callaghan.

They will perform Schumann’s Piano Quintet, alongside works by Mozart and Beethoven.

Saturday’s programme begins with two concerts showcasing young talent from Sinfonia Cymru, including a string nonet and wind quintet.

Works by Mozart, Barber, Bernstein, Farrenc, Thuille, Mustonen, Françaix and Boulanger will be performed, followed by Mendelssohn’s String Octet.

On Saturday evening, Hay Castle will host the Doctors of Jazz, bringing together a collection of leading British jazz musicians to explore the ‘healing power of jazz’.

Sunday begins with a discussion on ‘Music as a Treatment’, featuring composer Nigel Osborne and Michael Trimble, emeritus professor of neuroscience at Queen Square and UCL. The discussion will be chaired by composer and music educator Christopher Best.

The 2014 film Love and Mercy, a biographical drama about Beach Boys founder Brian Wilson, will be screened in the early afternoon. The film explores his struggles with mental illness and the role music played in his recovery.

The festival will conclude with another performance by the Fitzwilliam Quartet, featuring the world premiere of a new string quartet by Nigel Osborne, followed by Beethoven’s monumental String Quartet No. 15, Op. 132.

Michael Peake, chairman of Hay Music, said: “Never have we needed music more than now to lift our spirits and engender optimism.

“With its world-class musicians and a great programme, this weekend can’t fail to achieve that.”

More information can be found on the Hay Music website.