Musical marvels at Newbury Spring Festival

Karen Neville

Tickets are available now for the 46th Newbury Spring Festival, May 10th-24th, showcasing rising talent alongside world-class stars at venues across west Berkshire

Newbury Spring Festival is one of the most popular and successful music festivals in the south of England.  

Over the last 40 years the festival has grown in size and quality building up a reputation of international status. The very best young stars appear alongside some of the world’s most distinguished and famous names. 

One of the festival’s most anticipated events will be the return of young superstar cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason with the Castalian Quartet on 15th at the Corn Exchange. This year’s festival will also showcase a spectacular array of more young stars within the Saturday night orchestral programme at St Nicolas Church. The English Chamber Orchestra opens the festival on 10th featuring celebrated Bulgarian pianist Emanuil Ivanov, winner of the Festival’s own 2023 Sheepdrove Piano Competition. Audiences can also look forward to a performance by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under Martyn Brabbins on 17th, featuring Swedish superstar violinist Johan Dalene. The festival will conclude on 24th with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Newbury Spring Festival Chorus performing Beethoven’s monumental Missa Solemnis. 

Choral music lovers can also look forward to several standout performances. Ex Cathedra makes a triumphant return with a stirring rendition of Rachmaninov’s Vespers on 23rd at Douai Abbey, and making their festival debut on 13th, The Gesualdo Six will perform at St Martin’s Church in East Woodhay with consort pieces from the Renaissance to the present day. Young British star baritone James Newby takes centre stage at St Mary’s Church, Shaw, on 20th, with a vocal highlight. The Corn Exchange programme opens with a tribute to Nat ‘King’ Cole, and develops this theme of American popular song with shows devoted to Leonard Bernstein, Kurt Weill, Stephen Sondheim and Joséphine Baker, whose talents and career will be brought to life by young singer actress and writer Cassiopeia Berkeley-Agyepong.  Another brilliant solo performance comes from writer and actor Tama Mattheson who returns to Englefield House, with his play A Vision of Beethoven. 

The festival’s diverse programming ensures there is something for everyone. On 10th, Metronomes Steel Orchestra will fill the Corn Exchange while Northern SoulTrain brings their big soul shakedown party on 17th. For families, Groove Onto the Moon offers a musical sci-fi adventure for children aged 3 to 7 on 17th, while legendary folk singer-songwriter Seth Lakeman will captivate audiences on 23rd. Comedy and classical music blend seamlessly in Alistair McGowan’s Piano Show and the festival also celebrates the rich traditions of Indian music with internationally acclaimed artists, Debasmita Bhattacharya and Kousic Sen. 

There’s so much more to discover too!