Have you ever wanted to perform as part of Southwell Music Festival? Applications are now open for amateur musicians and ensembles who would like to take part in our Fringe Festival event on Sunday 25 August 2024. We will be providing musical entertainment between 10am – 4.30pm to accompany the Ceramics in Southwell event in the Market Square. Whether you’re a brass band, a jazz trio, a choir, or a folk band, we’d love to hear from you. We aim for a mixture of styles and genres throughout the day and can offer performance slots of 30 – 45 minutes per ensemble. This is not a paid opportunity, a ..read more

We are seeking to recruit a new Chair who is passionate about and supportive of the arts and who understands its benefits to wider society. Could this be you? Or perhaps you know someone who would could make a great Chair for Southwell Music Festival. Southwell Music Festival is a small but ambitious musical charity and the role of Chair is crucial to the success of our organisation. The Chair and the board of trustees are ultimately legally accountable for everything we do, including our overall governance and strategic direction. The Chair works closely with Marcus Farnsworth (Artistic Direc ..read more

On Monday 26 February Southwell residents were treated to a visit from award-winning poet, Kate Wakeling. To mark Southwell Music Festival’s 10th anniversary this August, Kate is working with composer Cheryl Frances-Hoad to create a brand-new 15-minute piece for soprano soloist, string orchestra and chorus. This new piece will celebrate the power and possibilities of music and will be premiered as part of the Festival’s Sunday night concert alongside Mozart’s Requiem. Kate is keen for the text creation to be a collaborative effort, and plans to weave together historical texts with words from t ..read more

Southwell Music Festival returns this August for its 10th anniversary year. The four-day festival runs from Friday 23 – Monday 26 August. Established by Artistic Director Marcus Farnsworth and music-loving members of the Southwell community in 2014, the Festival is celebrating 10 years of welcoming professional musicians and performers from across the UK, as well as shining a spotlight on the best of Nottinghamshire’s home-grown talent. 10th anniversary commission and Mozart’s Requiem To mark this special year, we are commissioning a brand-new 15-minute piece for choir and orchestra, written b ..read more

To mark Southwell Music Festival’s tenth anniversary, the composer Cheryl Frances-Hoad and poet Kate Wakeling are creating a new work for choir and string orchestra. This new piece will celebrate the power and possibilities of music and be premiered at the 2024 Festival. Cheryl and Kate would like to invite the community of people who support the Festival to contribute to the text for this vocal work. In constructing the libretto, Kate will create a series of mosaic-like new poems which include transcribed snippets of comments and reflections about music from the Southwell Music Festival commu ..read more

Applications are open for Southwell Music Festival’s String Quartet Apprentice programme. The apprentice scheme has run for several years and aims to support early-career instrumentalists and singers with a package of support during our summer festival in August. Each year we select a string quartet to be resident at the Festival. Over 6 days, the string players receive coaching from our team of top chamber music specialists including our Associate Artistic Director, violinist Jamie Campbell. The quartet also has the opportunity to present their own 60-minute recital and perform alongside the ..read more

Southwell Music Festival is back this December for not one but two festive musical offerings at Southwell Minster. A Christmas Celebration A Christmas Celebration on Monday 18 December, sees the Southwell Festival Voices join forces with director Marcus Farnsworth and narrator Simone Ibbett-Brown to share carols old and new in a stunning and atmospheric sequence of poetry and music celebrating the joy of Christmas. Audiences are promised an evening of intimate music and words reflecting the themes of hope and peace central to the Christmas story. The festive programme features classic carols a ..read more

If you’re attending his year’s Festival, you may already be thinking about pre- or post-concert meals or where to get a drink or snack whilst in Southwell. This year, we are serving Meals in the Marquee each day before the evening concert. This is a set menu and we ask that you book in advance – find out more and book online. The Minster Refectory will also be open each day of the Festival, and on Friday 25 and Saturday 26 August, will be serving hot meals until 7pm. Advance booking is recommended, please call 01636 815691. Our team of volunteers has kindly put together a list of other caterin ..read more

Meals in the Marquee Coming to this year’s Festival and want to book a pre-concert dinner? This year we are launching Meals in the Marquee, an affordable two-course pre-concert dinner before our evening concerts (Friday, Saturday and Sunday). A gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan option is available each day, and all meals need to be booked and paid for in advance via our online ticket office. We recommend that you arrive promptly at the start time to join the queue for the buffet (please note the times are slightly different for each day). Seating is unreserved, around tables of 10. If you are ..read more

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 K ..read more