The month of June will bring the sound of music to a range of venues in the village of Cawston, 11 miles north of Norwich. Concerts in the magnificent St Agnes’ church by the Cawston Community Choir, local organist Dr John Carnelly and East Anglian folk artist Georgia Shackleton provide the backbone of the festival, and as well as concerts there will be singalong sessions, special church services, workshops, a disco and a musically-themed quiz night. The amazing medieval church, with its glorious acoustic qualities, will host a number of events and there will also be gatherings at the Village Hall. Check out their website www.cawstonmusic.org.uk to find full details of all the events and venues along with links to buy tickets.
Cawston Vicar, Rev’d Andrew Whitehead, said “Last year’s inaugural music festival was such great fun that we decided to do it all over again! It’s a fantastic opportunity to concentrate our efforts and fill the village with music for a few weeks.”
Headline performers at the month-long festival include the acclaimed Georgia Shackleton, who is touring her new album ‘From the Floorboards’, alongside traditional East Anglian material from ‘Harry’s Seagull’; self-penned and traditional songs and tunes rooted in history, the sea, and storytelling.
Cawston’s Community Choir will also be performing as part of the festival, bringing a mixed programme of music and a range of special guest performers. The Community Choir started after the COVID lockdowns as a way to encourage the return of singing in the community and they rehearse each week in Cawston Parish Church.
Dr John Carnelley was Organist and Head of Academic Music at Dulwich College, London, from 1992 to 2021. John has given recitals and accompanied choirs at most of the leading cathedrals in England and Wales, including Westminster Abbey, King’s College, Cambridge, St Paul’s Cathedral and St George’s Chapel, Windsor.
The Festival is being coordinated by the village church and seeks to raise much needed funds for the groups and venues in the village that take part. Cawston Parish Church is part of the Aylsham and District Team Ministry.
