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Supported by

THE DUNARD FUND

THE SIMON DIGBY CHARITABLE TRUST

THE EASTBURY HOTEL

BLACKMOOR VALE
MAGAZINE

ADANAC

Porter Dodson

Sherborne Abbey Festival held its first concert on Friday, 5th May 2000, and the festival has been held each year since as a four or five day event based around the liturgy and its music. The festival is run by volunteers and aims to bring high quality classical events to the town at a price people can afford. Any profits made are used to fund future festivals and to promote music within the Parish of Sherborne

Dame Joan Bakewell
Dame Joan Bakewell

 

The Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Chamber Ensemble
The Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Chamber Ensemble

 

Red Priest
Red Priest


2013 FESTIVAL

This year Sherborne Abbey Festival will run from Friday 3rd May-Tuesday 8th May 2013 presenting a packed musical programme that is guaranteed to thrill and excite.

Artists appearing this year include The Sixteen with their own Baroque Orchestra presenting a beautiful Monteverdi programme. The ever popular Red Priest return again to present their brand new programme 'Handel in the Wind', whilst The Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Chamber Ensemble appear for the first time with a programme that includes Schubert's 'Octet in F, Mozart's 'Horn Quintet in E flat' and Rossini's 'Sonata No.1 in G for strings'. The Festival Chorus, who have built a fantastic reputation over the last 6 years, will be performing Verdi's 'Requiem' marking the bi-centenary of his birth. Joan Bakewell will be giving a talk entitled 'My Life and Times' and Zum, who performed to great acclaim in 2010 will be returning to perform their 'World Reforged' programme.Snake Davis, internationally renown saxophanist, will be taking a saxophone workshop and introducing his new group SnakeStrings in concert in the abbey plus much much more including the Military Wives of Yeovilton singing for us for the very first time.

Yeovilton Military Wives Choir
Photograph by Danielle Bonnie Robbins
Yeovilton Military Wives Choir

David Terry
David Terry

 

Snake Davis
Snake Davis with Snake Strings

 

Sherborne Festival Chorus
Sherborne Festival Chorus

The Sixteen
The Sixteen

In his book England's Thousand Best Churches, Simon Jenkins lists Sherborne Abbey in the top 18 of England's churches and credits it with some of the finest vaulting in the country. He writes, "I would pit Sherborne's roof against any contemporary work of the Italian Renaissance".

To encounter great music in these beautiful surroundings is something rather special. These moments of real magic are available all too rarely. So why not come and join the growing number of people who return year after year to enjoy our festival in this wonderful setting -- once experienced never forgotten.

 Sherborne Abbey at night

 

Sherborne Abbey Parochial Church Council (PCC) is a Registered Charity No.1130082.
The Festival is run by the PCC to support its charitable activities in the field of music.
© 2004 Sherborne Abbey Festival Committee