IT'S one of the biggest little festivals in the country - and this year's musical extravaganza gets underway tomorrow.

The Swaledale Festival has won national renown since it was launched just over 30 years ago and has brought some of the world's finest musicians to the Yorkshire Dales.

Despite its comparative remoteness to the rest of the UK, the two-week event is widely regarded as one of the best classical festivals in the country and has proved a runaway success with music-lovers.

And for 2011 the organisers have put together a line-up that has become a success before the first note has sounded, with tickets selling strongly and some events already sold out.

World-class musicians set to appear include Fretwork, London Concertante, Northern Sinfonia, Jacob Heringman, the Skampa Quartet, jazz guitarist Martin Taylor, and folk legend Kathryn Tickell.

A key feature of the festival is its commitment to new commissions which are premiered each year and the 2011 event is no different, featuring new works by Michael Brough, Jonathan Dove and David Gordon.

There are also five brass bands and, among many items catering for other interests, the likes of TV personality Loyd Grossman presenting the festival's "Reeth Lecture" and Simon Armitage reading from his own poems.

The People Show brings zany drama to Richmond's Georgian Theatre Royal and there's even puppetcraft and a whole series of spectacular walks with different themes.

Festival chairman Nick Reckert said "There are still plenty of tickets left for most events, but we urge people to order quickly, because many events sell out."

The Swaledale Festival was founded in 1980, not only to celebrate the music already within the Yorkshire Dales, but also to bring internationally-renowned musicians and composers into the area.

In the words of its founders the idea behind it was to make Swaledale "to music what St Ives is to painting". The event is now a firm local tradition as the principal provider of professional music across the northern Yorkshire Dales and attracts about 7,000 visitors a year.

For the full festival programme visit swalefest.org. Tickets can be ordered on-line or by telephone from 01748-880019, from Monday to Saturday, between 10am and 4pm.