The Windsor Festival 2016 takes place from 18 September – 2 October. Priority booking is available for Festival Ambassadors and Benefactors from Friday 24 June, and will be available for Windsor Festival Friends from Friday 1 July. General Booking will open on Monday 11 July. Tickets via:
| Online: | Book online 24 hours a day (debit/credit card) www.windsorfestival.com |
| By phone: | 01753 743585 10am – 5pm Monday to Friday, 10am – 4pm Saturday and Sunday (debit/credit card) |
| In person: | At Royal Windsor Information Centre 10am – 4pm Monday to Sunday (debit/credit card, cash, cheque): |
Royal Windsor Information Centre
The Old Booking Hall
Windsor Royal Shopping
Thames Street
Windsor
20 September 2016 at 7.30pm
The work of William Shakespeare has stimulated composers throughout the last 400 years. In the magnificent surroundings of St George’s Chapel, the exceptionally talented orchestra Orpheus Sinfonia will bring their own abundant enthusiasm and energy to this fabulous programme, featuring some of the foremost examples of his legacy. Drawing inspiration from Much Ado About Nothing, expect a blaze of colour from Berlioz’s sparkling Overture to Béatrice et Bénédict, followed by the grandeur of Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet. Delius will offer an opportunity for contemplation with The Walk to the Paradise Garden, whilst Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story, with their fiery rhythms, will bring the evening to a close with a modern and dramatic retelling of Romeo and Juliet. Duration: 2 hours.
Performers:
| Orpheus Sinfonia | |
| Thomas Carroll (Conductor) |
Programme:
| Berlioz | Overture to Béatrice et Bénédict, H 138 |
| Prokofiev | Romeo and Juliet, Suite No. 1, Op. 64bis |
| Delius | The Walk to the Paradise Garden |
| Bernstein | Symphonic Dances from West Side Story |
21 September 2016 at 7pm
The Lay Stewards have been assisting at services in St George’s Chapel since October 1966. Apart from their presence at Sunday Mattins, they have also been present at some of the great events that have taken place there– including royal weddings and funerals, the celebration of milestone birthdays, and the annual Garter ceremony, not to mention magnificent concerts staged with Yehudi Menuhin in the early years of Windsor Festival. Hugo Vickers, their Captain, will look at the significant events of the last 50 years, bringing these to life in the Quire and Nave of this stunning building in an evening which combines words and music.
| Ben Bloor | Organ |
| Tim Carleston | Trumpet |
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes. Includes a glass of wine.
23 September 2016 at 7.30pm
Enjoy a performance of music from the age of Shakespeare given by students from the Royal College of Music.
An ensemble of soprano, viol and lute will play a delightful programme introduced by Professor Ashley Solomon, Chair of Historical Performance at the Royal College of Music, in conversation with Desmond Shawe-Taylor, Surveyor of The Queen’s Pictures.
26 September 2016 at 7.30pm
This special concert to celebrate Her Majesty’s 90th Birthday sees a return to the Festival of this unique gathering of choirs, all with special links to The Queen, with a popular programme of music inspired by and featured in Her Majesty’s life.
| Performers: |
| The Children and Gentlemen of Her Majesty’s Chapel Royal |
| The Choir of St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle |
| The Choir of The Chapel Royal, Hampton Court Palace |
| The Choir of The Queen’s Chapel of the Savoy |
Programme:
| Zadok The Priest | Handel |
| Thou Wilt Keep Him | Wesley |
| Te Deum in F | Vaughan Williams |
| This is the Day | Rutter |
| Praise Him with Trumpets | Weir |
| I Love All Beauteous Things | Weir |
| Vast Ocean of Light | Dove |
| Let thy Hand be Strengthened | Handel |
| Greater Love | Ireland |
| The Great Silence* | Bordoli |
| Ave Virgo Sanctissimi | Skempton |
| The Hills | Ireland |
| White-Flowering Days | Finzi |
| I Was Glad | Parry |
*The Great Silence is a specially commissioned piece commemorating former Choristers who lost their lives in the First World War. This performance will be its premiere.
Thursday, 29 September 2016 at 7pm
Critically acclaimed writer and director Gareth Somers performs his new one-man play, which portrays William Shakespeare in the last year of his life. Looking back over his life and loves, friends and adversaries, this intelligent, fast-paced production is both a moving and a humorous tribute to the man behind the cultural icon. The performance will take place in the historic setting of the medieval Vicars’ Hall.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Details of Windsor Festival concerts, talks and other events not at St George’s can be found at www.windsorfestival.com