Southwell Music Festival draws crowds with six days of music in historic Minster venue
A six-day musical extravaganza has pleased crowds with performances from small acts to celebrity musicians.
Southwell Music Festival’s first full scale festival in three years was well received over the August Bank Holiday weekend, with festival-goers enjoying concerts in Southwell Minster, the Methodist Church and other venues around the town.
The festival was kicked off on Wednesday of last week by celebrity organist Anna Lapwood, followed by performances from Chetham’s School of Music and The Festival Voices and Sinfonia Strings with Seven Last Words From The Cross.
Highlights across the following five days of symphonic orchestral concerts, solo performances, jazz and folk gigs and late-night sessions, included an opportunity to meet composer Cheryl Frances-Hoad, and a concert of her composition Everything Grows Extravagantly in the Methodist Church, fun-filled Festival Cabaret, jazz and folk from the the Alice Zawadzki Duo and The Kathryn Tickell Trio and celebrity pianist Martin Roscoe’s piano recital in the historic minster.
There was also a new experience for attendees in the Surround Sounds performances in the round chapter house — with music by Bach, Telemann, Thomas Tallis and Graham South.
Perhaps the most awaited of the concerts was the rarely-performed Mendelssohn’s St Paul on Saturday night, by the resident festival ensembles, bringing an evening of drama, action, intrigue and miracles to the cathedral.
Throughout the town a free fringe festival showcased the best of the area’s talent, with performances from the Carlton Male Voice Choir, musicians from the Minster School, Mirabile, Brass on the Grass and Katharine Dryden and the Southwell String Quartet.
Youngsters were entertained, with a family concert on Saturday morning telling the story of Custard The Dragon with music and fancy dress.
On Sunday there was a chance for everyone to get involved with the Come and Sing session.
Attendees formed a large choir of voices to mark the last day of the festival, before enjoying an organ recital by Jonathan Allsopp to close the event.
