Piano Concerto No 2 is a jubilant, humorous work composed for Shostakovich’s son, featuring a lyrical slow movement and a finale full of clownish energy. The Scottish Symphony is a musical journey inspired by Mendelssohn’s visit to Scotland in 1829, capturing its landscapes, folklore, and history. Fauré's Pelléas et Mélisande is a suite of incidental [...]
Acis & Galatea – a charming summer romp from Benson Choral Society Handel’s gem of a mini-opera or masque, Acis and Galatea, is a simple tale of Acis, a shepherd, and Galatea, a sea nymph, whose happy romance is broken by the jealous monster Polyphemus who kills Acis, but Galatea uses her magical powers to [...]
Brahms German Requiem: A Masterpiece of Consolation Experience with Benson Choral Society one of the most powerful and moving choral works ever written: Johannes Brahms's Ein Deutsches Requiem. Unlike traditional Latin requiems, Brahms created a "human requiem" to comfort the living. Driven by the grief of losing his mother and his mentor Robert Schumann, Brahms [...]
Moving Music concerts are offered by the charity Sound Resource, which promotes music for health and wellbeing. Instrumental & song performances by talented young musicians, with sing-along songs led by Hannah Davey. 11.30am: Pate’s Grammar School musicians 2pm: Magdalen College School musicians All are welcome, particularly people living with dementia, their family, friends [...]
Join Thames Valley Air Ambulance at the beautiful Dorchester Abbey for a magical evening of musical performances, traditional lessons, and festive readings on Monday, 15th December at 6:30pm. The concert will feature some truly amazing performances from world renowned soprano, Sophie Bevan MBE, and the wonderful Occasions Singers. The programme will also include some of your [...]
Birinus And All That..! A Musical history of Dorchester Abbey from 635AD to the present day! In the afternoon of Sunday January 11th we will perform Birinus and All That…, a short cantata telling the history of the Abbey, including: the establishment of the Cathedral by St Birinus in the 7th century, the building of [...]
What better way to start the Christmas season than with Benson Choral Society’s performance of J S Bach’s Christmas Oratorio at 7.30pm on Saturday 6 December in Dorchester Abbey? Bach made this compilation from the series of 6 cantatas written in Leipzig for the Christmas feast-days in 1734/5. It’s a powerful account of the Christmas [...]
Join the Band of the Royal Air Force Regiment for an evening of festive music in the magnificent setting of Dorchester Abbey, in support of the RAF Benevolent Fund. The RAF ‘Ben Fund’ supports serving air force personnel, veterans and their families through deployments, bereavements and ongoing support to those injured or disabled. The Band [...]
Musicians of Abingdon School will perform a concert commemorating those lost in conflict. Performance of the Fauré Requiem by the Chapel Choir will be the central item in the programme but the concert will also include further choral items alongside reflective chamber music. All Welcome.
** PLEASE NOTE: THIS EVENT IS NOW SOLD OUT *** YOU CAN JOIN A WAITING LIST VIA THE TICKET LINK * DOORS OPEN 6:30pm / Performance Begins 7:30pm Back in 2020 when actor/musicians Fra Fee and Declan Bennett moved out of London and found themselves in the sleepy little market town of Watlington, they soon [...]
