The St Albans International Organ Festival has announced its 29th programme, a busy schedule of events from 10th to 22nd July across the beautiful city of St Albans and in prestigious venues around London. Tickets are on sale now, with advance Box Office facilities provided by St John’s Smith Square.

The Festival’s rich programme of solo and ensemble music features internationally renowned artists and inspirational stars of the future, performing in magnificent and historic buildings around St Albans. Events series include four late-night performances by candlelight in St Michael’s Church – the most significant surviving Anglo-Saxon building in the country – and Bach Corner, four free lunchtime concerts in St Albans Cathedral.

Renowned pianist Barry Douglas will perform a tour de force recital including Schubert’s D960 Sonata and Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, and ZRI will take inspiration from the most virtuosic of gypsy bands to present the Brahms Clarinet Quintet interspersed among Klezmer melodies and traditional music. Young People’s Puppet Theatre and Beaumont School will present collaborative performances of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Large-scale events at St Albans Cathedral include a Three Choirs concert with the Choirs of St Paul’s Cathedral, Temple Church and St Albans Cathedral performing spectacular music for choir, organ, harp and percussion culminating in Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, and Handel’s Messiah conducted by historical performance specialist Laurence Cummings in the High Sheriff of Hertfordshire’s Charity Concert, performed by London Handel Festival Orchestra and two celebrated St Albans-based choirs with internationally acclaimed vocal soloists.

At the heart of the Festival are the world renowned Organ Competitions, with pre-selected
competitors from all corners of the globe. The distinguished jury members will each also perform over the course of the Festival.

After an intensive series of quarter-final and semi-final rounds, the Organ Competition Finals will start at St Albans Cathedral on Friday 21st July, featuring the Improvisation Final and first part of the Interpretation Final. The Festival will culminate at St John’s Smith Square on Saturday 22nd July, in which three exceptional young organists will perform with the Royal Academy of Music’s orchestral players of the future conducted by Sian Edwards.

The glorious medieval 14th-century Kingsbury Barn hosts the Festival’s eagerly awaited Art Exhibition, with its wide range of mixed media art, ceramics, silverware, sculpture and glasswork. An expanding IOFringe will feature free events across the city centre in the ten days leading up to the Festival – brimming with fun, activity and music for all tastes and all ages. The theme this year is Popular Music Icons – Heroes in homage to David Bowie.

You can browse the complete programme and book tickets now at www.organfestival.com