Newbury's international festival with a local feel

The two-week international festival with a local feel, Newbury Spring Festival (May 6-20), has announced its programme, which includes a host of global stars working across many different genres of music.

But it’s not all about bringing performers in from outside Newbury; home-grown talent will be showcased too.

One of the highlights of the festival is always the performance given by Newbury Spring Festival Chorus, which comes together to perform in the opening weekend.

It is open to singers in the area from all walks of life, with weekly rehearsals taking place in Newbury between March and May.

This year’s concert will be a celebration because the King’s Coronation will have taken place the day before.

To keep the party going, NSF Chorus will this year perform Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle, a joyous work, which will really demonstrate this choir’s capabilities.

Newbury’s young performers will also take to the stage in performances including an eventing curated by Hogan Music at the Corn Exchange (May 10), the girls of Downe House school for the free Festival Evensong (May 13), and the students of Razzamataz Theatre School who will give a free performance at Parkway Shopping centre (May 13).

Alongside the many Newbury young performers involved in showcases, local professional composer and music teacher Florence Anna Maunders will be writing a brand new piece of music for the award-winning championship section of Wantage Band (May 18).

Florence’s works have been nominated for a Royal Philharmonic Society Award and performed at Carnegie Hall in New York.

Wantage Band perform all over the country in competitions and even secured a place in the coveted top section Grand Shield at the Blackpool Spring Festival in 2020.

Festival director Mark Eynon said: “While we may be known for bringing world-class musicians and performers to Newbury in May, we also strive to shine a spotlight on the fantastic artistry of the people who call Newbury ‘home’.

“I established the NSF Chorus in 1999 and I’m proud to see the choir going from strength to strength, now under the esteemed directorship of Tom Primrose.”

Visit https://www.newburyspringfestival.org.uk/ for booking details.