Get set for a music-filled August Bank Holiday weekend!
Introducing your 2023 Southwell Music Festival lineup.
This is the most varied Southwell Music Festival programme yet, with something for everyone including choral, baroque and chamber music, jazz and folk, the return of the free Festival Fringe and a brand-new Musical Picnic.
Tickets go on sale on Monday 19 June, with Festival Friends enjoying Priority Booking.
The 2023 Festival runs from Friday 25 – Monday 28 August, welcoming professional musicians and performers from across the UK, as well as shining a spotlight on the best of Nottinghamshire’s home-grown talent.
Acclaimed pianist Jeneba Kanneh-Mason makes a welcome return to the Festival for a headline recital at Southwell Minster on Saturday 26 August. Jeneba performed at the very first Southwell Music Festival back in 2014, aged just 11 and is the third of the Kanneh-Mason clan to establish herself as a soloist.
For classical fans, Saturday evening sees the Festival Baroque Sinfonia take you on a journey through the seasons in all their musical glory with a performance of Vivaldi’s iconic Four Seasons. And on Sunday, the Baroque Sinfonia is joined by the Festival Voices for a celebration of Handel to mark this coronation year, including performances of his Coronation Anthems and fabulous showcase for choir, Dixit Dominus.
We always like to bring moving and atmospheric choral music to the awe-inspiring Minster, regularly performing work by contemporary composers. This year the Festival Voices perform contemporary choral works alongside the poetry of writer and civil rights activist Maya Angelou for a Friday evening concert of music and words to encourage, challenge, and inspire.
For folk and jazz enthusiasts, fiddler and composer Aidan O’Rourke returns to Southwell, joining forces with pioneering piper Brìghde Chaimbeul for a Friday lunchtime Festival Folk gig. Nottinghamshire-based jazz trumpeter Hugh Pascall is also back with his quintet for a Sunday afternoon of jazz in the Festival Marquee, plus watch out for Hugh’s free pop-up performances in locations across the town on the Saturday.
Head to Southwell Minster’s stunning Palace Gardens for a Musical Picnic – a free Saturday afternoon of music, workshops and fun for all. Make your own percussion instrument, play along with the Nottingham Samba Collective and enjoy performances from the Phoenix Saxophone Orchestra and talented young musicians from The Minster School.
For those with a love of singing, make sure to book your place at this year’s Come and Sing – the opportunity to fine-tune your vocal skills and perform alongside professional singers, culminating in an informal performance of Vivaldi’s Gloria, accompanied by the Festival Baroque Sinfonia.
As always, the free Festival Fringe brings even more music to Southwell, this year raising money for Trent Dementia. Fringe performers include Nottingham Young Musician winner Benjamin Staniforth and pianist Annie McChrystal. For the first time musicians will also bring classical, folk and jazz sounds to Ceramics in Southwell in the Market Square on Sunday.
Early-career musicians will be playing a central role, as part of the Festival’s apprenticeship scheme for string players and singers. Asaka Quartet from the Royal Academy of Music and alumni from the acclaimed Genesis Sixteen programme will play alongside established professionals and present their own concerts. Local young musicians will also receive expert tuition from Festival artists in the annual Masterclass.
I am proud that this is our most varied programme yet, with something for everyone including choral, baroque and chamber music, jazz and folk, the return of the free Festival Fringe and the brand-new Musical Picnic. With such a jam-packed programme I suggest you decamp to Southwell for the August Bank Holiday Weekend!
Marcus Farnsworth, Southwell Music Festival Artistic Director
The Festival brochure is available to pick up in all the usual local places in and around Southwell, or you can view the brochure online. Information about each concert can be found via our Online Box Office.
When can I book tickets?
Festival Friends enjoy Priority Booking for all ticketed events. Why not join today in order to secure your tickets for this year’s Festival? Membership starts from £50 – join the Friends.
💫Platinum Friends – Monday 15 May
💫Gold Friends – Monday 29 May
💫Silver Friends – Monday 5 June
💫Bronze Friends – Monday 12 June
💫Public Booking – Monday 19 June
Tickets can be booked online or by calling the Box Office on 01636 330014 (Mon – Fri, 9am – 7pm).
