Southwell Music Festival to return on August 22 to 25, with full artist line up to be announced at free concert on May 15 at Southwell Minster
A popular music festival is set to return this summer and will shine a spotlight on the best of Nottinghamshire’s home-grown talent.
Now in its eleventh year, Southwell Music Festival will take place from Friday, August 22 to Monday, August 25.
The festival welcomes professional musicians and performers from across the UK and will provide a platform for aspiring musicians from our area to showcase their talents.
Festival founder and artistic director, Marcus Farnsworth, said: “We are thrilled to be back for our eleventh year, bringing some of the best music out there to Southwell.
“This year’s programme looks fantastic, and I’m excited to welcome Southwell Music Festival audiences and new faces to what will be a jam-packed bank holiday weekend of music for all to enjoy.”
The full four-day festival line-up will be revealed at a free launch concert at Southwell Minster on May 16 — tickets will then go on sale on Monday, June 9.
In the meantime, organisers have given a sneak peak at some of what festival goers can look forward to.
Festival favourite, folk artist Kathryn Tickell, will return following her sell-out performance in 2023.
She is a two time winner of the BBC Radio 2 Folk Award for Musician of the Year, and will perform on the Northumbrian pipes alongside her band The Darkening.
For the traditionalists, the Festival Voices and Baroque Sinfonia will join forces to fill the Minster Nave with the sound of Bach’s majestic B Minor Mass — considered to be one of the composer’s greatest ever works — conducted by Artistic Director Marcus Farnsworth himself.
Those look for a something a little more lively can enjoy the festival’s first very first big band act, The Cottontail Orchestra, which will blend jazz with spiritual themes as they perform selections from Duke Ellington’s Sacred Concerts.
On Sunday evening, the Festival Voices and Baroque Sinfonia join forces to fill the Minster Nave with glorious sound with a performance of Bach’s majestic B Minor Mass, conducted by Artistic Director Marcus Farnsworth. Skilfully balancing choral, solo and orchestral parts, allowing for intricate counterpoint and harmony, this is one of Bach’s greatest ever works.
The festival will also also see the return of the festival’s annual Come and Sing concert, the ever-popular Saturday afternoon free musical picnic in the Palace Gardens, and once again, the Festival Fringe will return with free performances in venues and outdoor locations across Southwell.
The Fringe gives local musicians, groups, and ensembles an opportunity to perform and information about an open call will be released is expected to be released soon.
This year will also feature a new addition to the programme with a Saturday afternoon relaxed concert, which will offer the opportunity to experience classical music in the Minster without the traditional formality.
