Free classical music festival launches in Gloucester today

A new and completely free Classical music festival launches this week in Gloucester as part of the SoMAC festival.

The inaugural performance will take place later with a lunchtime recital from 12.30 at St John’s Northgate by tenor Magnus Walker and pianist Sam Mitchell performing pieces by Schumann.

The purpose of this new festival is to allow people from all backgrounds and communities to be able to freely access and experience world class music in the places they live, work and study. And the organisers are encouraging both those with a love of classical music and those who might be new to live classical music to come along.

The festival is part of a greater programme by different city agencies to ensure that culture is at the heart of the city with the aim of Gloucester bidding to be capital of culture in 2025.

Festival directors, former Mayor of Gloucester Sebastian Field and Vicki Field said: ‘We are delighted to be organising the first Gloucester Classical Music Festival. We have a fantastic array of artists lined up, with lunchtime recitals, community choirs, a lute workshop, works by Gloucester composers Ivor Gurney and Gerald Finzi, and much more. All the events are completely free, and this makes the festival very inclusive and community-orientated. We look forward to welcoming everyone to the festival’.

This inaugural festival will have thirteen different performances at different locations with lunchtime and evening performances.

Jason Smith, Chief Executive of Marketing Gloucester who have coordinated the SoMAC festival commented “The programme put together by the organisers of the classical music festival is of extraordinary quality and really demonstrates that Gloucester is becoming a real force to reckon with in cultural engagement and the quality of events. We especially want to thank Ecclesiastical insurance for their specific support of this event which has enabled the whole festival to be free to enter. Gloucester is rapidly developing the reputation for being a festival city”

Details of all the events at Gloucester’s inaugural classical music festival are available from the Gloucester tourist information office on Southgate Street and through the what’s on section of the SoMAC website ww.SoMAC.org.uk

Gloucester News Centre – http://gloucesternewscentre.co.uk