Classical Music in the Cotswolds
Hints of summer are finally here and the music festival scene is coming alive again!
We are so lucky to have a number of music festivals right here in the beautiful Cotswolds with all kinds of music to suit all tastes. Starting in June and running though to August are two wonderful festivals devoted to classical music:
The Dean and Chadlington Summer Music Festival (21-23 June) and the renown Longbrorough Festival Opera – book tickets now, well in advance if you’re planning this as part of a memorable stay with us in Kingham.
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Dean & Chadlington Summer Music Festival weekend (various locations)
On Saturday 22nd June 2024 we will host an afternoon tea concert right here at the Pavilion in our grounds at Kingham Lodge, featuring Aimee Kearney (soprano) and Patrick Keefe (baritone). For tickets to this afternoon event, click here.
On Sunday June 23rd we also host two events here at our Pavilion in Kingham: a prestigious Singing Competition for emerging artists, judged by eminent operatic experts, and Piano Concert by the Junior Royal Birmingham Conservatoire in the Pavilion. Tickets for these events can be purchased here.
This small weekend festival exists to promote the study and practice of the arts of music, poetry, acting, literature and similar arts through public appreciation. Since its inception in 2007 the Festival has brought exceptional music to this part of the Cotswolds. Revenue comes entirely from ticket sales and through the generosity of Friends, patrons and donors.
Other events will be a Jazz Supper at Chipping Norton Town Hall (Friday 21st June), Desert Island Discs at St Nicholas Church, Chadlington, The Carducci String Quartet in Church Enstone (both Saturday), and the finale Gala Picnic Concert held at the wonderful private estate of Merriscourt in Sarsden, The Gallery Barn is usually an exclusive wedding venue. The Gala Picnic Concert is at 5pm on Sunday 23rd June.
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Longborough Festival Opera is a remarkable story and runs a programme of events from June to August
This year the opera presents Wagner’s epic Der Ring des Nibelungen, taking place in three cycles: Cycle 1 (16-22 June); Cycle 2 (25-30 June); Cycle 3 (4-9 July).
Then, from 27 July to 6 August the opera presents Puccini’s La Boheme, a timeless masterpiece of unforgettable music.
There are many more events put on at Longborough Festival Opera – do look at their website for more details.
Martin and Lizzie Graham started promoting opera in the grounds of their home in Longborough in 1991. Longborough Festival Opera has since grown into an established opera company, situated in the heart of the Cotswolds, with an annual season taking place in a purpose-built opera house seating 500.
Throughout Longborough’s history, Martin and Lizzie have achieved what some might have said to be impossible: in 2013 they presented a full-length production of Wagner’s Ring Cycle with minimal budgets but to great critical acclaim, establishing the Festival as a destination for Wagnerians in the UK and abroad. The company has now embarked on a new Ring, with Das Rheingold in 2019 and culminating in the full cycle, this year, in 2024.
Longborough Festival Opera remains a family affair: Martin and Lizzie’s daughter, the acclaimed opera director Polly Graham, was appointed as Artistic Director in 2018. A privately funded opera company, the charity relies on ticket sales and the generosity of members and audience.