Budleigh Music Festival

19/06/2024

There’s just over a week to go until our Festival begins, so it’s all hands to the deck here in Budleigh!

We open with our fantastic choral community event on June 28 which is followed by a wonderful range of concerts, many with tickets still available.

Details of how to get to Budleigh, whether by car, bus, train or even plane, can be found on our website.

Visit www.budleighmusicfestival.co.uk and tap on the visiting information tab.

17/06/2024

There’s something for everyone at Budleigh Music Festival, from jazz to baroque, world music to piano recitals, poetry to song.

We welcome young and old to all events, and tickets have been flying out the door, with some evening concerts already sold out.

If you haven’t already booked, visit our website and make your plans – tickets for lunchtime concerts are only £5 and tickets for evening concerts start at £10.

www.budleighmusicfestival.co.uk

12/06/2024

Proud to be shortlisted but delighted to congratulate Colin on his well-deserved win. It’s so wonderful to see how much time and care volunteers give to the arts here in East Devon.

🎉 Congratulations to the winner of the inaugural ACED Volunteer of the Year 2024:

🏆Colin Trussell from The Sidmouth Folk Festival

🎉 The announcement was made at the ACED Network summer meeting. Many thanks to The Gateway Theatre Seaton for hosting the event.
🎉The award recognises a volunteer’s outstanding contribution to an arts / heritage organisation or festival and recognises the impact they have made to the East Devon cultural landscape.
🎉 Congratulations to the shortlisted nominees recognised for their invaluable services to culture and heritage across East Devon:
🌟Sherryl Allen – Thelma Hulbert Gallery
🌟Dr Pamela Marino – Budleigh Music Festival
🌟Judith & John Richards – The Gateway Theatre Seaton
🌟Jacky Stockhill – Exmouth Museum & Heritage Centre
🌟Wendy van der Plank – Villages in Action

The beautiful glass award was designed and created by fused contemporary glass artist Susan Purser Hope.

📷 Simon Tutty

12/06/2024

Did you catch us on ITV Westcountry this week? We're so grateful to them for featuring our Festival and the work which we do to make it accessible.

Watch this clip which features two wonderful singers from Exeter School, fabulous British Sign Language interpretation from the amazing Sarah Ankers and Mark Stocks from our friends at the Deaf Academy.

Three of our perfomances will be BSL interpreted this year, including Dame Sarah Connolly. Visit www.budleighmusicfestival.co.uk to book.

11/06/2024

Escape the election with us this July! Cast your vote on July 4 and then head to Budleigh Salterton for some superb live music from the Sacconi Quartet and Salomé Quartet in St Peter’s Church that evening.

These talented musicians will be joining forces to create a very rare opportunity for audiences to hear their performance of Felix Mendelssohn’s wonderful Octet, something which is rarely performed live.

To join us for the stunning concert, visit www.budleighmusicfestival.co.uk and book your ticket.

04/06/2024

This year we’re excited to be bringing internationally-renowned artists to Budleigh Salterton.

Here’s what critic David Karlin from Bachtrack had to say about one of those artists, mezzo-soprano Dame Sarah Connolly in 2021.

“When Connolly sings Purcell, she has such complete control over breath, dynamics and timbre that a single syllable can germinate, bloom and fade in a range of colours that other singers simply cannot achieve.”

Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? Dame Sarah will be performing a recital with Joseph Middleton for us, which will include The History of Thé Dansant by Richard Rodney Bennett (a composer born and raised in Budleigh Salterton) and songs by Kurt Weill, Samuel Barber, Henri Duparc and Erollyn Wallen in addition to Elgar’s Sea Pictures.

The evening promises to be a bewitching range of music for a summer evening not to be missed. The full programme is available here www.budleighmusicfestival.co.uk/event/dame-sarah-connolly/

31/05/2024

It’s the final countdown! We’re looking forward to seeing you at this year’s Festival which begins in just four weeks’ time, on Friday June 28.

Some of our events have already sold out and others are selling very quickly – so snap up your tickets to ensure you don’t miss out on the very special artists who are heading to our wonderful town next month.

Tickets for our lunchtime concerts are just £5 and we have a limited number of £10 tickets available for our evening events.

Visit www.budleighmusicfestival.co.uk to book!

30/05/2024

If you are a fan of world music then you are in for a treat at the year’s Budleigh Music Festival.

The musical genius that is Seckou Keita Music will be joining us on July 3. Expect a joyous musical journey across continents from Seckou, who is one of the finest exponents of the historic Senegalese harp, the Kora, a 21-stringed instrument which combines features of the lute and the harp.

Seckou, who has captivated audiences at WOMAD, Hay and Glastonbury, will perform alongside musicians from the Bath Philharmonia in an arrangement of African Rhapsody especially for Budleigh Music Festival.

www.budleighmusicfestival.co.uk/event/an-african-rhapsody

28/05/2024

Part of our mission at Budleigh Music Festival is to promote new and upcoming artists and one way we do that is through our brilliant lunchtime concerts.

These are just £5 and this year we’re excited to be bringing a diverse range of performers to our lovely town.

The concerts begin with rising star accordionist Ryan Corbett on June 29, and end with the Devon Youth Orchestra on July 6. In between there are performances from The Avalon Trio, Exeter School Chamber Orchestra, Sophie Glenny and Magdelenna Krstevska, Wales Guitar Duo and Bethany Partridge who began singing as a chorister at Exeter Cathedral.

Visit our website at www.budleighmusicfestival.co.uk to find out more and book your tickets!

25/05/2024

https://www.facebook.com/100076406225000/posts/437720758784795/?

2024 Festivals including music, art, walking, literature, pirates and more along the South West 660. SAVE THIS POST to refer to later on (Press 3 dots + Save Post)

MAY

Toby's Garden Festival: 3rd to 4th May. Proudly carbon neutral, this festival headed up by Toby Buckland has 150+ exhibitors with plenty of plants, garden and foodie talks, live music and street theatre, crafts, and more.
📍 Powderham Castle, Exeter, Route 4.

The Brixham Pirate Festival: 4th to 6th May. Dressing up encouraged! Enjoy living history re-enactments, live music, shanty market, street entertainment, and general merriment.
📍 Brixham, South Devon, Route 4.

English Riviera Walking Festival: 4th to 19th May. This unique festival offers participants a guided exploration of the areas 22 miles of glorious coastal scenery, in an area that is a UNESCO Global Geopark.
📍 Various areas in South Devon, Route 4.

The Fowey Festival of Arts and Literature.: 10th to 18th May. The event includes an art trail, secret gardens, guided walks and workshops as well as sessions with authors, commentators and musicians.
📍 Fowey, South Cornwall, Route 6.

Dart Music Festival: 17th to 19th May. Over 100 bands and acts across 20+venues around Dartmouth.
📍Dartmouth, South Devon, adjoining Route 4 and 5.

Sidmouth International Jazz & Blues Festival: 23rd to 27th May. Blues, drumming, jazz, incredible headline acts, workshops and more.
📍 Sidmouth, East Devon, Route 3.

Dunster Festival: 24th to 26th May. High-quality live classical chamber music and associated arts events to the beautiful Exmoor market town of Dunster.
📍 Dunster, West Somerset, Route 12

JUNE

The English Riviera Air Show: 1st and 2nd June. There will be spectacular flying displays and an exciting programme of events on the ground.
📍 Paignton, South Devon, Route 4.

Budleigh Music Festival: 28th June - 7th July. Choirs big bands, sopranos, quartets and more, including BSL accessible options.
📍 Budleigh Salterton, East Devon, Route 3.

JULY

Budleigh Music Festival: 28th June - 7th July. Choirs big bands, sopranos, quartets and more, including BSL accessible options.
📍 Budleigh Salterton, East Devon, Route 3.

Exmouth Festival 19th - 21st July. Enjoy music, theatre, art, dance, food and drink and much more with the event spread across several stages in the town.
📍 Exmouth, East Devon, Route 4.

AUGUST

To Be Confirmed...

SEPTEMBER

Swanage Folk Festival: 6th to 8th September. Concerts, dance, music & dance workshops, children’s activities, sessions and ceilidh.
📍 Swanage, Dorset, Route 1.

Appledore Book Festival: 13th to 22nd September. One of the biggest cultural festivals in Devon, the Appledore Book Festival attracts world-class authors, speakers and performers to celebrate literature and arts by the sea.
📍 Appledore, North Devon, Route 11

St Ives September Festival: 14th to 28th September. A 15-day festival of music and arts at various locations around St Ives. Listen to music, visit artists’ open studios, watch films, attend workshops, or take a guided walk.
📍 St Ives, South West Cornwall, adjoining Route 8 and 9.

Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival: 18th to 22nd September. Different events and writers to choose from, including fiction, biography, history, travel, nature writing, and science, with lively panel events and workshops for writers and crafters.
📍 Budleigh Salterton, East Devon, Route 3.

21/05/2024

🎉 We're finalists! We're so excited to tell you that Budleigh Music Festival has been shortlisted in Shop Budleigh’s first ever Business Awards in the Best Charity or Community Organisation category.

Thank you to all of our volunteers, trustees, sponsors and the many people and organisations who help us stage a fantastic Festival every year. Winners are announced on July 4 - so keep your fingers crossed for us!

To find out about this year's Festival, visit www.budleighmusicfestival.co.uk

17/05/2024

Tickets are selling fast for this year’s Festival, which begins in just under six weeks! Some of our concerts are already sold out, so don’t leave it to the last minute to book.

Visit our website to take a look at the wonderful array of diverse musicians who will heading to Budleigh Salterton. From a performance of African Rhapsody from Seckou Keita, to a stunning programme from mezzo-soprano Dame Sarah Connolly, we’ve got something for all music tastes.

Already bought your tickets? Tell us in the comments who you’re looking forward to seeing!

www.budleighmusicfestival.co.uk

13/05/2024

Dive into the world of Budleigh Music Festival with our newsletter.

Be the first to know about upcoming performances, artist spotlights, and all the latest news from the Festival team. Don't miss a beat – sign up today to stay tuned!

You can sign up by visiting our website - www.budleighmusicfestival.co.uk

10/05/2024

Today we’re shining the spotlight on internationally acclaimed pianist Benjamin Grosvenor, who will be performing for us in Budleigh Salterton on July 5 at 7:30pm.

Excitingly, you’ll get a chance to see him before he appears at the BBC Proms later this year when he performs music by Brahms, Liszt and Chopin in the wonderful acoustic surroundings of St Peter’s Church.

Tickets for the Festival are selling fast, so buy now to secure your place!

www.budleighmusicfestival.co.uk

03/05/2024

Did you know that tickets for our evening concerts start at just £10?

We believe that quality classical music should be accessible to everyone, so we have introduced a number of low priced tickets for all our evening performances.

By offering these tickets we've opened up the Festival so that people can enjoy performances by internationally renowned artists and musicians such as Dame Sarah Connolly, Benjamin Grosvenor and the BBC Big Band at a very affordable price.

To ensure we have enough to go around we have limited them to two per booking.

Visit www.budleighmusicfestival.co.uk to snap up these tickets before they disappear!

29/04/2024

🎻 Come and immerse yourself in the world of the Mendelssohns at this year’s festival.

Brother and sister Felix and F***y Mendelssohn were both prodigious talents who, because of the times they were born into, took very different directions in their musical careers. We’ll be celebrating both on July 4.

During the afternoon we’ll be welcoming filmmaker Shelia Hayman, who is the great, great, great granddaughter of F***y Mendelssohn.
A screening of Sheila’s acclaimed 2023 BBC film ‘F***y: The Other Mendelssohn’ will be followed by a Q&A.

In the evening there will be a rare opportunity to hear Felix Mendelssohn’s Octet in E-flat Opus 20, written when he was only 16 years old. It will be performed for us by members of two leading string quartets, The Sacconi and Salomé.

The concert will also include works by F***y Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky.

To see full details and to book, visit www.budleighmusicfestival.co.uk

26/04/2024

📣 📣 Breaking news! We’re very excited to announce the programme which will be performed by this year’s legend, acclaimed mezzo-soprano Dame Sarah Connolly.

The thrilling set will include works from composers as varied as Samuel Barber, Richard Rodney Bennett, Henri Duparc and Kurt Weill, and will conclude with Elgar’s Sea Pictures.

We think you’ll agree, this will sound absolutely wonderful in St Peter’s Church. This performance will also be BSL interpreted.

To see the full programme and to book, visit www.budleighmusicfestival.co.uk

25/04/2024

This year's diverse BBC Proms programme in many ways reflects the direction we have chosen for Budleigh Music Festival, as we aim to encourage new audiences to develop a love of classical music.

The exciting Proms 2024 line up features a number of artists who have performed in Budleigh in the past, including the King's Singers, Voces8, Sheku Kanneh-Mason and Jess Gillam.

Among this year's Proms' performers is star pianist Benjamin Grosvenor and we're delighted to say that you can catch him first in Budleigh on Friday July 5 when he will be performing music by Brahms, Liszt and Chopin.

Visit www.budleighmusicfestival.co.uk to book.

21/04/2024

Today, we’d like to give a huge shout out to all of our Festival volunteers.

Since it was established, local people have supported the Festival through donating their time and expertise and it’s that ongoing commitment of our volunteers and trustees that ensures our success year-on-year.

So, here’s a huge thank you to our willing volunteers, generous Friends and dedicated committee – we couldn’t do it without you!

For more information visit www.budleighmusicfestival.co.uk

17/04/2024

Part of our ethos at Budleigh Music Festival is to showcase new and upcoming artists and to make music as accessible to as many people as possible.

One way that we do these things are through our lunchtime concerts. And this year is no different, we’ve got a great variety for you, and they’re all priced at just £5.

This year we’re looking forward to welcoming solo performers, duos, trios and local orchestras, performing a variety of works from Bach and Scarlatti to Mozart and Vivaldi.

Visit our website to find out more and come and join us for a lunchtime or two in beautiful Budleigh!

13/04/2024

Today we’d like to take the opportunity to thank our sponsors.

Their commitment to Budleigh Music Festival enables us to bring world class artists to our town, and importantly fulfil our aims of making classical, jazz and world music more accessible and creating opportunities for young perfomers.

Particular thanks go to David Rhys & Co. of Budleigh Salterton, Meredith Morgan Taylor of Exmouth, and Budleigh Salterton Arts Society whose support enables us to make the festival as accessible and affordable as possible.

If you would like to sponsor a lunchtime concert by a local up-and-coming musician, a masterclass from one of our performers for a group of students, or simply have a presence at the Festival, contact [email protected]. – We’d love to tell you all about the benefits of sponsorship!

09/04/2024

Here’s a quick reminder of just a few of the amazing artists who will be heading to Budleigh Salterton for our Festival, which begins on June 28.

Have you got your tickets yet?

• Expect an enchanting performance from Tenebrae - known as one of the finest choirs in the world.
• This year’s legend - Mezzo soprano Dame Sarah Connolly.
• Playing the kora – or Sengalese harp - Seckou Keita with members of Bath Philharmonia.
• Internationally acclaimed pianist Benjamin Grosvenor.
• The BBC Big Band featuring legendary jazz singer Elaine Delmar.
• A family concert, in a collaboration with the Budleigh Literary Festival, bringing Michael Morpurgo and musicians together in his version of The Carnival of the Animals.

These are just a few of the artists who will be performing for us this year.
Visit our website at www.budleighmusicfestival.co.uk to find out more about them and the other performers visiting our town this summer.

05/04/2024

Go! Go! Go! Today’s the day! Tickets for our fantastic Festival where you can hear the very best music in a wonderful setting are now on general sale!

We’re thrilled with the programme put together by our artistic director Jason Thornton. There’s so much choice, from family events, to choral music, virtuoso pianists, a performance on the Sengalese harp – the kora, and Michael Morpurgo…yes you heard that right! The former Children’s Laureate will be visiting Budleigh in collaboration with the Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival to read from Carnival of the Animals with musical accompaniment. Definitely one for the whole family!

Visit our website at www.budleighmusicfestival.co.uk for the full listings. Let us know in the comments who you’re looking forward to seeing this summer!

04/04/2024

A huge thank you to all of our Festival Friends who have already bought tickets. We’re so grateful for your support and we’re looking forward to staging a brilliant Festival for you!

And if you’re not yet a Festival Friend, make sure you set those alarms as tickets go on general sale tomorrow - Friday 5th April.

Visit www.budleighmusicfestival.co.uk to secure your seats at what promises to be a wonderful week of classical music!

02/04/2024

Did you know that April is Jazz Appreciation Month? Here at Budleigh Music Festival we’re big fans of jazz and we’ve had many incredible performers over the years, including Jess Gillam and Jacqui Dankworth at last year’s event.

This summer we’ll be getting our jazz fix thanks to the BBC Big Band, featuring legendary jazz singer Elaine Delmar.

Expect a celebration of feel-good classics and jazz music, which will include tributes to George and Ira Gershwin, as well as music by Leonard Bernstein.

Tickets are now on sale to Festival Friends and on general sale from Friday 5th April– so snap one up while you can!

Visit www.budleighmusicfestival.co.uk to book.

31/03/2024

Today, we’d like to tell you a little bit about Seckou Keita, who will be joining us in Budleigh Salterton on July 3.

Expect a joyous musical journey across continents from Seckou, who is one of the finest exponents of the historic Senegalese harp, the Kora, a 21-stringed instrument which combines features of the lute and the harp.

He is celebrated for his inventiveness and virtuosity and has captivated audiences at WOMAD, Hay and Glastonbury, to name a few.

Seckou will perform alongside musicians from from the Bath Philharmonia in an arrangement of African Rhapsody especially for Budleigh Music Festival.

www.budleighmusicfestival.co.uk/event/an-african-rhapsody

27/03/2024

It’s ticket day for our Festival Friends!

If you are a Festival Friend you can buy tickets from today for any of the performances you would like to see, more than a week before they go on general sale.

Take your pick from a varied and inspiring selection of concerts, which include evening performances by Tenebrae and Dame Sarah Connolly and lunchtime concerts, which include the Wales Guitar Duo and the Avalon Trio.

Don’t forget the tickets for our choral day with Bob Chilcott are already on general sale!

Visit www.budleighmusicfestival.co.uk to book or to sign up to become a Festival Friend.

23/03/2024

Set your alarms – booking for Festival Friends opens on Wednesday!

There’s still time to become a Festival Friend and ensure you secure the best seats in the house for this year’s wonderful performances.

As well as priority tickets, your contribution supports our work in the community. For more information visit www.budleighmusicfestival.co.uk

20/03/2024

Inclusivity and accessibility are things which are very important to us here at Budleigh Music Festival.

As in previous years, this July we will be having performances interpreted into British Sign Language by Sarah Ankers.

The performances we have selected for BSL interpretation are The Carnival of the Animals, which features author Michael Morpurgo reading from his book with musical interludes from cellist Clare O’Connell; Mezzo soprano Dame Sarah Connolly who is this year’s Festival Legend; and Bethany Partridge who began her singing career as a chorister at Exeter Cathedral.

Tickets for all of these, as well as our other concerts, are available to book for Festival Friends from March 27 and on general sale from April 5.

www.budleighmusicfestival.co.uk

17/03/2024

Thanks to everyone who has booked to take part in our choral workshop and performance with composer and director Bob Chilcott – we’ve still got a few places left, so hurry and snap up you place before it’s too late!

Perfect for choir members, you’ll spend the day singing, then come together for a performance, joined by singers from local schools. It’s going to be a truly uplifting way to launch our Festival on June 28.

For more information, visit www.budleighmusicfestival.co.uk/event/choral-workshop-with-bob-chilcott