Barnes Music Festival is a truly local festival and not just a music festival. It offers literary and film features as well! The Festival started in 2013, celebrating the centenary of Gustav Holst’s residency in Barnes, and has gone from strength to strength since then. It is led by a committee of volunteers, all with a passion for music, chaired by Andrew Summers. The Artistic Director is James Day, Director of Tiffin Boys’ Choir, Director of Music of the Pimlico Musical Foundation, and Musical Director of Fulham Camerata.

2025 sees BMF’s first Artist-in-Residence, Ben Goldscheider, a rising star who plays the horn. Ben will judge the Barnes Young Musician of the Year competition, as well as playing himself on 18 March at All Saints Church, Putney.

Award-winning composer Howard Goodall is one of the four patrons who support and encourage the Festival. He is joined by Lord Patten of Barnes, the famous – and local – composer Roxanna Panufnik. The fourth Gyles Brandreth will be exploring Shakespeare’s Music with Stefan Bednarczyk on 16^th March.

The 2025 Festival opens on 15^th March with Come and Sing – Dido & Aeneas, at St Michael’s Church, 11.30 am, followed in the evening by a concert at St Mary’s, with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields. For those who cannot wait, Roxanna Panufnik hosts a pre-Festival evening at St Mary’s on 13 March at 7.30 pm – Antonio Pappano, the celebrated Music Director of the Royal Opera House, will discuss My Life in Music¸ his memoir exploring classical music, its restorative qualities and wider cultural influence. Books will be available for sale – and for signing.

Festival venues are Wathen Hall, St Paul’s, Kitson Hall, Olympic Studios, St Mary’s Church Barnes, All Saints Church Putney, St Michael’s Church Barnes, and the OSO Arts Centre. The programme usefully has a map featuring all venues.

Programmes are available at all venues and around Barnes and Sheen. It can also be accessed online at http://www.barnesmusicfestival.com

Contributed by L Hopkins