Barnes Music Festival in South West London is an annual celebration of music-making which includes choral, instrumental, orchestral, opera, jazz and film events featuring international stars, and local groups and schools performing at venues across Barnes. The Festival celebrates music-making of the highest standard in conjunction with established and emerging stars. The Barnes Music Festival’s Youth Programme is now an integral part of the festival and our ‘Under 12 Free Entry’ scheme encourages parents to bring their children to festival events.
Festival History
The inaugural Festival took place in March 2013, with the theme Holst & the English Tradition celebrating the centenary of Gustav Holst’s residency in Barnes. In 2014, the Festival celebrated Three Greats: Elgar, Delius, Holst, marking the 80th anniversary of these prolific composers. For 2015, the Festival took as its theme, The Magna Carta, Music & Freedom, celebrating the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta and its link with Barnes, specifically St Mary’s Church, one of the main venues for the Music Festival performances. For 2016, the theme was Handel & Composers of Barnes, which focused on the rich variety of composers who have lived and worked in Barnes, including Handel, Holst and Howells; and more recently, Howard Goodall and Roxanna Panufnik. Music & Place, the theme for 2017, celebrated the way in which music can enhance our appreciation of spaces and landscapes.
