Orchestral, Choral, Instrumental, Jazz and Film Events from International Artists and Local Groups
Barnes Music Festival in South West London is an annual celebration of music-making which includes choral, instrumental, orchestral, opera, jazz and film events with international stars and local groups and schools performing at venues across Barnes.
The Festival celebrates music-making of the highest standard in conjunction with established and emerging stars.
The Barnes Music Festival’s Youth Programme is now established as an integral part of the festival. With the ‘Under 12 Free Entry’ scheme we like to encourage parents to bring their children to festival events.
James Day, Artistic Director
In 2018 we welcomed James Day as our new Artistic Director. James is Director of Music of the Pimlico Musical Foundation and Director of Tiffin Boys’ Choir. A prize-winning Choral Conductor at the Royal Academy of Music James has worked with conductors Gustavo Dudamel, Bernard Haitink, Jakub Hruša, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Vladimir Jurowski and Simon Halsey and has prepared choruses for the London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonia, London Philharmonic Orchestra and Los Angeles Philharmonic. He has been broadcast on BBC, ITV, Channel4 and ClassicFM.
Festival Committee
The Festival Committee brings together representatives from the Barnes Music Society, Barnes Choir, Barnes Community Association, St Michael's Barnes, The Friends of St Mary’s Barnes and local music lovers and professionals who volunteer their expertise.
Andrew Summers, Chairman; James Day, Artistic Director; Jane Bennett-Powell, St Michael's Barnes; Eleanor Davison, Young Artist Soirées, Angela Hoggarth, Barnes Choir; Charles Law , Barnes Music Society; Katherine Passerieu, PR & Media; Gary Smith, Barnes Community Association; Christine Thornton, Community Coordinator; Orsi Torjak, Festival Administrator
Festival History
The inaugural Festival took place in March 2013 with the theme Holst & the English Tradition celebrating the centenary of Gustav Holst living in Barnes. The Festival returned in 2014 concentrating on Three Greats: Elgar, Delius, Holst marking the 80th anniversary of these landmark composers. For 2015 the Festival took as its theme The Magna Carta, Music & Freedom celebrating the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta and its links with Barnes. For 2016, the theme was Handel & Composers of Barnes focusing on the rich variety of composers who have lived and worked in Barnes from Handel to Holst, Howells to Howard Goodall and Roxanna Panufnik. Music & Place, the theme for 2017, celebrated the way in which music enhances our appreciation of spaces and landscapes. The 2018 theme Peace & Harmonies was all about the ability of how creativity and artistry can overcome chaos and face adversity, focussing on the positive power of music to inspire and unite. In 2019 Leonardo da Vinci’s 500th anniversary had inspired us to choose Music & Invention as our theme. 2020 our Musical Journeys - a Voyage of Discoveries were sadly cut short by the Corona virus. Our 2021 festival was all about Music&Theatre. Having changed the dates to May we managed to offer two fabulous weeks of music making, and with two 1 hour concerts per evening we kept it safe for everyone involved.
Archive
The Festival will follow the latest available Covid-19 Government guidelines to ensure all venues, rehearsals and concerts will be covid secure. We will continue to review and manage potential risks, particularly in response to any changing guidance from the government, and will communicate such changes to our audience, musicians and volunteers.
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