The Sherborne Abbey Festival is celebrating its 21st anniversary this year. The event attracts world class musicians as well as showcasing the musical talent thriving within the Sherborne community and schools in the town. The festival is the brainchild of one man, its artistic director John Baker.
Twenty-one years ago Sherborne resident John Baker went to hear his cathedral chorister son sing at a festival of liturgical music. He returned inspired to replicate the experience in the splendid setting of Sherborne Abbey.
The festival has been held every year since 2000 and has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds which is spent supporting the choir and music at the abbey, and providing grants to musicians connected to Sherborne. The major refurbishment of the organ currently being undertaken at Sherborne Abbey is funded by the festival.
Tickets for this year's festival will go on general sale on February 11th.
A packed programme runs across eight days. Among the highlights will be performances by the Choir of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, acclaimed soprano Kate Royal, and a unique exploration of choral music from saxophonist Mark Lockheart and organist Roger Sayer.
The Sherborne Festival Chorus will perform Elgar's 'The Kingdom'.
Orchestras, ensembles, singers, and bands from Sherborne School, Sherborne Girls, Leweston School and The Gryphon will be performing at various venues around the town.
The Sherborne Town Band will give a free concert in the abbey.
Celebrating the music of the 'Jazz Sirens' - the 20th century greats like Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Peggy Lee - will be Jacqui Dankworth, whose mother Dame Cleo Laine is a former performer at the festival.
The full programme is available on the festival website at www.sherborneabbeyfestival.org where you can also buy tickets.
Central to the festival will be services at Sherborne Abbey where Festival Eucharist will be celebrated at 9.30am with Festival Evensong sung at 5.00pm on Sunday May 3rd. Festival Mattins will be at Castleton Church at 11am.
The festival will be bookended by two special events: you can enjoy an Italian dinner with opera at The Plume of Feathers on the two nights before the festival proper begins, and close out the festival with a French-themed soiree at The Cross Keys with jazz singer Gabrielle Ducomble providing the entertainment.
The Sherborne Abbey Festival has won several awards over the years. Most recently it won silver at the Dorset Tourism Awards 2019 for the Tourism Event/Festival of the Year, while artistic director John Baker was presented with the gold for his Outstanding Contribution to Tourism.
The Sherborne Abbey Festival runs from May 1st to May 6th. Full information is available in the festival booklet available in the abbey or many other locations around town, or from the Tourist Information Centre, or click on www.sherborneabbeyfestival.org where you can also order tickets when they go on general sale from February 11th.