Festival Art Exhibition

​Details TBC
Curated by Trent Art

Throughout the festival
Penkhull Village Hall ST4 5JB

Details will appear here soon.

Solo Guitar Recital

​Peter Black - guitar

Thursday 24th September, 7.30pm
St Thomas's Church, Penkhull ST4 5DW

Peter Black is a virtuoso guitarist, songwriter, composer, arranger, performer, entertainer and teacher. He fell in love with the classical guitar in his late teens, hearing the wide range of beautiful sound worlds created by different composers from different countries and different times in history. This inspired a journey of learning, practice and dedication that continues to this day. After wowing the Penkhull audience in 2022, Peter returns with his trademark virtuosity and easy manner. Expect fireworks and finesse from this outstanding musician as he takes you on a musical and emotional journey of guitar music from around the world.

​Full programme details coming soon.

Lunchtime Recital

Pupils of Newcastle-under-Lyme School

Friday 25th September, 1.00pm
St Thomas's Church, Penkhull ST4 5DW

Talented music scholars from Newcastle-under-Lyme School present their popular lunchtime recital, which is always a highlight of the Festival. An important part of our education and outreach work, the concert is attended by around 150 pupils from local primary schools. Members of the public are also able to attend.

Admission is free; donations are welcomed.

Schubert by Candlelight &
A Poet's Echo

Ailish Tynan - soprano
Abi Hyde-Smith - cello
Jocelyn Freeman - piano

Friday 25th September, 7.30pm
St Thomas's Church, Penkhull ST4 5DW

Pianist, curator, and festival favourite Jocelyn Freeman returns to Penkhull to give a very special 'two-concerts-in-one' recital with some of the finest of her musical collaborators. She is lauded for her artistry, programming and powers of communication. Artist-in-Residence at the 2025 St Davids Cathedral Festival, she is an advocate for diversity in a range of artistic endeavours and has curated extensive concert and recording projects to wide critical acclaim. Her love of the Lied genre led her to establish SongEasel in 2018, a charity for Song in South East London.

The first half of the concert will feature some of Schubert's finest lieder, ending with Britten's 'A Poet's Echo' in Jocelyn's arrangement for voice, piano and cello, marking the 50th anniversary of the composer's death. The second half comprises Shostakovich's ravishingly beautiful sonata for cello and piano - one of the finest compositions in the repertoire.

Full programme details coming soon.

Saturday Lunchtime Concert

Bedford Girls' Choir

Saturday 26th September, 1.00pm
St Thomas's Church, Penkhull ST4 5DW

Programme details coming soon.

Proceeds of the concert will support Penkhull Festival.

Around the World in 80 Minutes:
A Musical Journey

​The Choir of Royal Holloway
Rupert Gough - musical director

Saturday 26th September, 7.30pm
St Thomas's Church, Penkhull ST4 5DW

The Choir of Royal Holloway  is considered to be one of the finest university choirs in Britain. The choir was created at the time of the foundation of Royal Holloway College in 1886. The group, comprising 20 choral scholars and an organ scholar, is directed by Rupert Gough and undertakes a busy schedule of weekly services and concerts, international tours, recordings and live broadcasts.

As part of the choir’s 50+ concerts a year, they regularly collaborate with and perform alongside many famous ensembles. These have included the King’s Singers, the BBC Singers, Britten Sinfonia, London Mozart Players, Onyx Brass, Fretwork and the jazz-trio Acoustic Triangle, with whom they broadcast live on BBC radio. The group also celebrates the work of living composers, and have commissioned works from Sir James MacMillan, Gabriel Jackson, Richard Rodney Bennett, Cecilia McDowall and Paul Mealor. 

Programme

William Byrd - Laudibus in sanctis
Thomas Tallis - In manus tuas
John Farmer - Fair Phyllis
Maurice Ravel, arr. Gough - Requiem aeternam (Pavane)
Tomas Luis de Victoria - O quam gloriosum
Claudio Monteverdi - Christe, adoramus te
J.S. Bach - Wir glauben allein Gott
Joannes Brahms - Geistliches Lied

- Interval -

Vytautus Miskinis - Cantate Domino
Sergei Rachmaninoff - Bogorodiste Devo
Shaker tune, arr. Bob Chilcott - The gift to be simple
Dan Locklair - O light of light
Spiritual, arr. Michael Tippett
Go down, Moses
David Briggs - Ubi caritas
Charles Wood - Nunc Dimittis
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