In celebration of the Calne Music & Arts Festival's 50th anniversary, a retrospective of the festival on display at the Heritage Centre is on display for the duration of October, alongside a selection of the pigs from Calne's "Pig Parade".

The Pig Parade has been a community art project that not only celebrates the Festival anniversary but is also in recognition of it being 40 years since the Harris Factory that was at the heart of town, was demolished.

For exhibition opening times, please visit the Heritage Centre website.

With thanks to Calne Town Council, Calne Heritage Centre and Wessington Cabins for their kind support.

This year’s Festival will be officially opened during the Art Exhibition Preview at Marden House. The Preview evening is for Festival Friends, Artists and by Invitation only. 

The Open Art Exhibition will be on display throughout the Festival. Please consult the Festival calendar for opening times.

The Exhibition is kindly sponsored by Bevirs Law and drinks supplied for the opening by LWC Drinks, Calne.

To start Festival week, join us for a FREE family day. There will be a 360-degree immersive Theatre Dome experience, Calne Samba Band, Clare’s Circus, a variety of activities by Calne Wordfest, Music and Art workshops throughout the day, an Art treasure hunt, Stilt walker and more!

Refreshments and light lunches will be available to purchase from our cafe. Children must be supervised at all times.

Kindly sponsored by The Hills Group Limited. 

Irish Soprano Michelle Sheridan Grant and Scottish Bass-Baritone Peter Grant bring you an eclectic musical evening. From the highlands of Scotland, the valleys of Wales, and the peat bogs of Ireland to Broadway and the wonderful world of operas. These former residents of Calne are sure to have a little of something for everyone.

A Gala concert which will be followed by tea, included in ticket price. 'Walk in Beauty' is an exploration of humanity's relationship with nature as seen through the eyes of musicians and writers, a varied programme ranging from the early 19th Century right up to the present day. Music written in previous generations is complemented by the response of several contemporary composers to the crisis in nature, including the premiere of a work commissioned by the Festival to mark the 50th anniversary year, from Cardiff based Ella Roberts who grew up in Calne and is a former CMAF Bursary winner. Other contemporary composers represented include Sally Beamish and Peter Fender, who setting of a Navajo meditation gives its name to the whole programme.

A Life Drawing session held in the main hall of Marden House surrounded by the Open Art Exhibition. A live model and a variety of lengths of poses with some light 'tuition' if wanted.Please bring your own materials/drawing boards some will also be available.This event is for ages 16yrs and older. Art students are particularly welcome. There will be a short break for tea and biscuits.

Choral Evensong is a gem of traditional Anglican worship. In essence it is a service of psalms,canticles,readings and hymns dating back to the 15th Century. This year the Rt. Revd. Robert Atwell, former Bishop of Exeter, will speak on the theme of celebrating anniversaries.The choir of St. Mary's will be joined by Friends and supporters from across the town to mark the beginning of Festival week.

Thanks to an Everyday Heritage grant from English Heritage, 'Yesterday's Story CIC' (community interest company' has been able to record people's memories of work life at the C&T Harris factory in Calne. In this talk, with aural history interviews, Founder and Creative Director, Emily Malcolm will share some of the stories that have been discovered as part of the project and talk about plans for making them accessible to the whole community.

Accomplished soloist, passionate chamber musician and repetiteur for Opera Ddraig, George will perform Beethoven's Sonata Op.109, Chopin's Ballade No 4 and the Bach-Busoni Chaconne in D Minor. A concert not to be missed.

The 'Major Minors' is a community choir bringing together children from primary schools in Calne and surrounding villages under the direction of Bethan Fryer. They will joined by Cherhill Youth Theatre and the school choir of Heddington school.

Celebrating its 20th Anniversary this year the students will perform 'Between Mouthfuls', a short one act play by Alan Ayckbourn based on a fraught dinner encounter. The play is part of ' Confusions', a set of 5 interlinked one act plays.

Dr.Priestley, I presume.
Calne Wordfest Writers’ group joins the celebration of Priestley 250. We are pleased to present a selection of readings prompted by thoughts of Priestley, Calne, oxygen and all things science. The writings are extracts from the anthology compiled to celebrate the discovery of oxygen here in 1774. Some of them are fact, others are definitely fiction. Come along and find out which is which.

Do you like to draw? Do yuou like to drink? Welcome to the popular Drink and Draw. There are no rules,no need for talent, just enthusiasm! With still lives set up and a clock ticking, it's like speed dating art! Some materials will be provided but bring your favourites just in case.

With thanks to the Lansdowne Strand Hotel for their kind support.

Music scholars work very hard at St. Mary’s, as soloists, in ensembles and as academic musicians. Here they present their first solo concert of the year, and this is a wonderful opportunity to hear their progress and support them. Do come along for a lovely lunchtime of music representing a very wide range of musical styles chosen and performed by our dedicated students.

Leon Hunt, reputed to be the best banjo player in the country, leads this virtuoso trio. Banjo bands and orchestras became 'quite the thing' in the latter and earlier parts of the 19th and 20th centuries. The Leon Hunt Trio exists largely to celebrate all things banjo, playing music ranging from early blues and jazz to old time country music and bluegrass. A performance completely new to the festival and not to be missed.

For more on Leon Hunt visit: www.leonhunt.com

Gail Brown, art historian, formerly from Calne, of Tangerine Art Talks returns to the festival this year with a specially written talk on art in the local landscape. She will explore how artists from the last 200 years have responded sensitively and eloquently to this part of the country. Sometimes seeking solace and comfort, sometimes expressing the deep heritage and history still alive in the landscape.

For more on Gail Brown visit: www.tangerinearttalks.co.uk

To celebrate the life of Joseph Priestley in Calne in the 18th Century, the talented Isla Quartet from the Royal Academy of Music, under the mentorship of Brett Dean, will perform music from the time of Priestley’s groundbreaking discoveries in the 1770’s. This will include Mozart's String Quintet in B flat, his Church Sonata in D and Haydn’s Quartet in D. Homage will also be paid to former Derry Hill resident, Sir Michael Tippett (1905-1998), with the beautiful slow movement from his 3rd Quartet.

We welcome the music scholars of Marlborough College for what is always a concert of very high quality. A number of musicians will feature in a programme of variety and colour with performances from soloists and chamber groups.

Daphna Sadeh on double bass, Ali Elmubarak on vocals and Knud Stuwe on oud will delight us with soulful songs from Sudan, Middle Eastern rhythms and magical Eastern Strings in one great evening of inspired music making.

Local clarinettist Simon Parker returns to our Festival with a fascinating programme focusing on sounds of human activity, nature, and geophony (waves, earthquakes, or rain). "SoundScapes" is an immersive recital for solo clarinet and electronics, which will take you on a journey from birdsong to high-energy wind and waves. Programme to include works by Jenni Brandon and Damiem Deshayes, Charles Camilleri and Olivier Messiaen.

Opera Anywhere have delighted audiences in the intimate setting of Marden House for several years. 'Patience' is one of the first of the Gilbert and Sullivan Operas to be performed with electric light - an infrequently performed little masterpiece that playfully pits the strict morals of the Victorian era against the
passionate indulgences of the 1880s Aesthetic Movement.
The Opera is a high-spirited tale full of misplaced desires. Complete with willowy poets, sighing maidens, hearty milkmaids and burly officers, every tune is whistleable, every word worth hearing, and the humour is as fresh as it was at the first performance.

Brett and Heather, both Austalian, have recently made their home in Calne. Brett, composer, violist and conductor, spent 14 years in the Berlin Philharmonic before coming to England where he is now guest lecturer in composition at the Royal Academy of Music. Heather, who studied viola at the Sydney Conservatorium, is now a visual artist. Many of her paintings are inspired by opera or dramatic musical composition. Brett and Heather will be in conversation with Genevieve Sioka, the Festival Art Director.

Spanish singer and percussionist Jaime Cantera and Scottish virtuoso Flamenco guitarist Jamie Cuthbertson will join with dancers to conjure up the intense and ancient theatre of Flamenco and expose the hidden passions which reside in the human soul. Cuffie was born in Glasgow, lives in Bristol and has his heart in Spain.He studied under Tito Heredia, Pacco Serrano and Gerardo Nunez and has acquired an extraordinary level of technique. He tours internationally as well as playing with Flamenco Loco. Tapas sharing plates will be available for purchase at the bar.

Our programme reflects the changing styles of music across centuries. The distinctive Baroque sound reflected the instruments of the 18th century and evolved in Europe, often for Church use as sponsors. Antonio Vivaldi reflected this in his huge library of secular, sacred and operatic works. The “Gloria”, composed around 1715, is one of these. By the 20 th Century, not only had instruments evolved, but Gustav Holst was one of the composers who succeeded in establishing an English composing style. The “Cloud Messenger” brings much of this together. In Holst’s 150th anniversary year we present this work, which is gaining increasing acceptance as a pivotal point in the development of the romantic English style.
 

Join us for the grand finale party celebrating the 50th Calne Music & Arts Festival! Enjoy a lively event with a delicious buffet and live music as we toast to half a century of creativity and community.

The event is free for Festival Friends (each account admits one) and our dedicated volunteers, with guest tickets available for just £5.

Don't miss this festive wrap-up to an unforgettable festival!