Southwell Music Festival: Big names announced for 10th-anniversary line-up on August bank holiday weekend
A popular music festival is promising to be bigger and better than ever as it returns for its 10th anniversary spectacular.
Southwell Music Festival returns to the Nottinghamshire town on August bank holiday weekend for its 10th anniversary year and organisers are promising it will be the best yet.
The four-day festival, runs from Friday, August 23, to Monday, August 26. It boasts classical, chamber and choral concerts alongside performances from jazz and folk artists. There will also be pop-up performances, a musical picnic for families and the free Festival Fringe's return, which will raise money for local charity, Beaumond House Hospice.
At the centre of this year’s festival programme is a Sunday evening performance of Mozart’s Requiem in the awe-inspiring Southwell Minster. This concert, a collaboration of the festival’s resident professional ensembles, the Festival Sinfonia and the Festival Voices, promises to take the audience on an emotional journey of sorrow, hope, and redemption.
The concert will open with the world premiere of a new work by composer Cheryl Frances-Hoad and poet Kate Wakeling. Specially commissioned by Southwell Music Festival to mark this anniversary year, With What Sudden Joy features the words of Southwell residents and school children who were asked to share their personal perspectives on the power of music.
Also appearing is renowned jazz singer Norma Winstone, who will perform tunes and inspiring improvisations on Friday afternoon. Plus, folk trio Leveret brings their stand-out approach to music-making to the relaxed setting of the Festival Marquee on Sunday. On Saturday, music will spill into the streets of Southwell, with free pop-up performances from the New Orleans-style brass ensemble Head Rush. The Musical Picnic was sell-out event last year, families can grab their picnic blankets and head to the Palace Gardens for performances, crafts, face painting, and ice cream. Tickets are free, but they must be booked in advance.
On Saturday evening, A Night at the Opera! Hear offers performances of some of the greatest tunes ever written for stage performed by internationally renowned mezzo-soprano Susan Bickley alongside Alison Rose, Frederick Long and Libby Burgess. The Festival also sees the return of its unique Surround Sounds series in the intimate setting of the Chapter House, a Live and Late performance of Beethoven’s hauntingly beautiful String Quartet No. 15, a celebration of medieval repertoire and a performance exploring the scandalous life of poet Lord Byron.
Rounding off the Festival weekend, amateur singers of all abilities are invited to join the Festival’s professional soloists for its ever-popular Come and Sing. Singers will rehearse and perform Mozart’s Coronation Mass, with the added bonus of singing alongside players from the Festival Sinfonia.
Southwell Music Festival Artistic Director Marcus Farnsworth said: “In our 10th anniversary year, our 2024 Festival will see Southwell teeming with musicians as we celebrate our town and the universal language of music. This year’s programme promises something for everyone, with music ranging from the medieval to the modern and everything in between. I cannot wait to welcome audiences this August to join us for a very special musical celebration.”
Tickets for Southwell Music Festival go on sale on Monday, June 17 and are priced from £5. For full programme details and to download a Southwell Music Festival brochure visit: https://www.southwellmusicfestival.com/southwell-music-festival-2024-whats-on/