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The 2028 Mayfield Festival will be held between Sunday 23 April and Sunday 7 May. Dunstan’s and St Leonards-Mayfield School.

The Mayfield Festival was founded in the 1970 by Canon Donald Carter, Vicar of St Dunstan’s, Mayfield’s Parish Church, and Kenneth Pont then Director of Music at St. Its original intention was to raise funds for a new village hall. That never happened; but the vision and scope of the festival gradually expanded and the Festival soon became recognised as one the highlights in the cultural/musical calendar of the South East.

05/11/2026

🎼 Meet the Soloists, Part 2: Francis Melville and Edward Birchinall

From hospital wards to international opera stages, our two male soloists have fascinating musical journeys to share!

🎤 Francis Melville | Tenor

Francis took an unusual route into professional singing. Before pursuing his operatic career, he studied medicine at Imperial College London and worked as a junior doctor at Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital from 2020 to 2022.

He's now studying for an Artist Diploma in Opera at the Royal College of Music where he also completed his master's degree.

His recent roles include Count Almaviva in Rossini's The Barber of Seville and Torquemada in Ravel's L'heure espagnole. He has also appeared as a soloist in major choral works including Handel's Messiah and Verdi's Requiem.

🎤 Edward Birchinall | Bass-baritone

Edward's musical journey began much earlier, as a boy chorister at Ely Cathedral He made his operatic debut as one of the Three Spirits in Mozart's The Magic Flute at English National Opera

A recent graduate of the Royal College of Music International Opera Studio, Edward has performed roles including Figaro in Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro and Leporello in Don Giovanni.

In summer 2025, he made his Swiss debut at the prestigious Verbier Festival appearing alongside Sir Bryn Terfel in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi.

Earlier this year, he also performed Don Alfonso in Mozart's Così fan tutte as an Opera Holland Park Young Artist.

Two very different musical journeys, bringing their voices together for an evening of Mozart and Schubert in Mayfield.

🎼 Francis and Edward join Sofia Kirwan-Baez - Soprano and Aneska Diament, Mayfield Festival Choir and The Ripieno Players conducted by Jeremy Summerly.

📅 Sunday 15 November 2026
⌛ 7.30 pm
📍 St Dunstan's Church, Mayfield

Find out more about the concert:
https://www.mayfieldfestivalchoir.org/concerts

03/11/2026

Getting Our Tongues Around Schubert's German! 🇩🇪

Who knew singing in a choir could involve quite so much tongue-twisting?

At our recent Saturday rehearsal, Simon took on the challenge of guiding Mayfield Festival Choir through the German pronunciation for Schubert's Stabat Mater.

As Jennifer's photographs show, this was no ordinary language lesson! There were plenty of expressive gestures, concentration and probably a few tongues getting tied along the way. 😄

Singing in another language is about much more than getting the notes right. Every vowel and consonant matters, especially when dozens of voices need to sound as one.

Fortunately, Simon was on hand to keep everyone on the right track!

It's all part of the preparation for our concert on Sunday 15 November at St Dunstan's Church, Mayfield, when we'll be performing Schubert's German Stabat Mater alongside Mozart's Great Mass in C Minor.

🎼 Discover more about Mayfield Festival Choir and our forthcoming concert:

https://www.mayfieldfestivalchoir.org/

📸 Photos courtesy of Jennifer Goldsmith.

01/11/2026

Meet Our Soloists, Part 1: Sofia Kirwan-Baez and Aneska Diament

Two singers, two distinctive musical journeys and one concert in Mayfield.

On Sunday 15 November, we're delighted to welcome soprano Sofia Kirwan-Baez - Soprano and mezzo-soprano Aneska Diament to perform with Mayfield Festival Choir.

🎼 Sofia Kirwan-Baez

Anglo-Venezuelan soprano Sofia is a Rising Star of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (2025–27). Her operatic career has taken her to , Opéra National de Bordeaux and Longborough Festival Opera
Sofia has previously performed Haydn's Creation at Mayfield Festival and has also collaborated with The Ripieno Players in Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire.

🎼 Aneska Diament

French-Canadian singer Aneska has studied at the Royal College of Music in London, where her operatic repertoire has included Hänsel und Gretel and Les Indes galantes.
She has also performed as a soloist in the premiere of Geneviève Ackerman's Requiem pour Empédocle at Montreal's Maison Symphonique.

Hear Sofia and Aneska alongside Mayfield Festival Choir, The Ripieno Players and conductor Jeremy Summerly.

🎵 Mozart's Great Mass in C Minor
🎵 Schubert's German Stabat Mater

📅 Sunday 15 November 2026, 7.30 pm
📍 St Dunstan's Church, Mayfield

🎟️ Book tickets:
https://www.ticketsource.com/mayfieldfestivalchoir/mozarts-mass-in-c-minor/e-evdxbq

31/10/2026

🎼 There's Always Time for a Joke! 😄

Mozart may be serious business, but that doesn't mean we have to be serious all the time!

Between rehearsing the notes, getting our German pronunciation right and keeping up with Jeremy's conducting, there's always time for a cup of tea, a biscuit and a good laugh.

As Jennifer's photographs show, some of the best moments at Mayfield Festival Choir happen when we're not actually singing!

It's the friendships, shared jokes and conversations over tea that make rehearsals such an enjoyable part of the week.

Of course, when the break is over, it's back to Mozart and Schubert as we prepare for our concert at St Dunstan's Church on Sunday 15 November.

But first, another biscuit, perhaps? 🍪😄

🎼 Find out more about Mayfield Festival Choir:
https://www.mayfieldfestivalchoir.org/

📸 Photos courtesy of Jennifer Goldsmith.

30/10/2026

25 or under? Experience live classical music for just £5!

The Mayfield Festival Choir believes that great live music should be accessible to the next generation of concertgoers.

If you're aged 25 or under, you can choose ANY available seat for just £5 at our forthcoming Mozart and Schubert concert.

Whether you already enjoy classical music or have never attended a choral concert before, this is an opportunity to experience something special.

On Sunday 15 November, Mayfield Festival Choir will perform two remarkable works in the beautiful surroundings of St Dunstan's Church, Mayfield.

Mozart's Great Mass in C Minor is one of his most ambitious sacred compositions, filled with dramatic choral writing, soaring solo passages and moments of extraordinary beauty.

Alongside it, Schubert's German Stabat Mater offers a contrasting musical experience, combining expressive melodies with the richness of choir and orchestra.

The concert brings together Mayfield Festival Choir, conductor Jeremy Summerly, The Ripieno Players and four professional soloists:

🎼 Sofia Kirwan-Baez - Soprano
🎼 Aneska Diament, soprano
🎼 Francis Melville, tenor
🎼 Edward Birchinall, bass

There is something quite different about hearing music performed live. The sound of voices and instruments filling a church, the energy of the performers and the atmosphere shared with the audience simply cannot be recreated through a recording.

Concert details:

📅 Sunday 15 November 2026
🕢 7.30 pm
📍 St Dunstan's Church, High Street, Mayfield, TN20 6AQ
🎟️ 25 and under: £5 for ANY available seat

Come and discover what live choral music has to offer. You don't need to know Mozart or Schubert to enjoy the experience.

Tickets available now from TicketSource:
https://www.ticketsource.com/mayfieldfestivalchoir/mozarts-mass-in-c-minor/e-evdxbq

Know someone aged 25 or under who might enjoy this concert? Please share this post with them.

29/10/2026

🎻 Meet The Ripieno Players

Did you know that The Ripieno Players have been performing in Mayfield since 2019?

Founded in 2016 and based predominantly in Birmingham, this young professional orchestra has built a reputation for imaginative performances, from contemporary commissions to theatrical collaborations.

Their musical partnerships have included acclaimed performers such as cellist Laura van der Heijden saxophonist Jess Gillam and jazz musician Xhosa Cole.

More recently, they toured Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire with soprano Sofia Kirwan-Baez - Soprano who will also be joining us as a soloist in November!

The Ripieno Players have enjoyed a close musical relationship with Mayfield Festival Choir over several years and we're delighted to welcome them back.

On Sunday 15 November, they'll join the Choir under Jeremy Summerly's direction for two remarkable works:

🎼 Mozart's Great Mass in C Minor
🎼 Schubert's German Stabat Mater

The combination of choir, orchestra and soloists promises an evening of rich musical contrasts in the setting of St Dunstan's Church.

📅 Sunday 15 November 2026, 7.30 pm
📍 St Dunstan's Church, Mayfield

🎟️ Book tickets:
https://www.ticketsource.com/mayfieldfestivalchoir/mozarts-mass-in-c-minor/e-evdxbq

25/10/2026

🎼 Meet Jeremy Summerly, Our Music Director

What connects Mayfield with Oxford, Cambridge and some of the world's leading choral ensembles?

The answer is Jeremy Summerly.

Jeremy has been Music Director of Mayfield Festival Choir and Artistic Director of Mayfield Festival since 2012, bringing his considerable experience and passion for choral music to our community.

He founded the internationally acclaimed Oxford Camerata in 1984 and has conducted more than 60 commercial recordings covering a thousand years of music.

Alongside his conducting career, Jeremy is Director of Studies in Music at Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge and a familiar voice to BBC Radio 3 and BBC Radio 4 listeners.

His musical career has taken him around the world, but Mayfield remains an important part of his work.

On Sunday 15 November, Jeremy will conduct Mayfield Festival Choir in two remarkable works:

🎵Mozart's Great Mass in C Minor
🎵 Schubert's German Stabat Mater

The Mayfield Festival Choir will be joined by The Ripieno Players and four vocal soloists for an evening of live music at St Dunstan's Church, Mayfield

📅 Sunday 15 November 2026, 7.30 pm
📍 St Dunstan's Church, Mayfield

🎟️ Book your tickets:
https://www.mayfieldfestivalchoir.org/concerts

23/10/2026

🎼 A Musical Masterpiece Before His 20th Birthday

What were you doing at 19?

In 1816, Franz Schubert was already composing music of extraordinary maturity, including his German Stabat Mater.
Still in his teens, Schubert was studying under Antonio Salieri, a respected composer and teacher who recognised and encouraged his remarkable talent.
Schubert dedicated the work to his brother Ferdinand, giving this powerful and deeply expressive composition a personal connection.

As our conductor Jeremy Summerly observes, Schubert was achieving astonishing things before his 20th birthday.

Hear Schubert's German Stabat Mater performed live in Mayfield.

On Sunday 15 November, Mayfield Festival Choir, conducted by Jeremy Summerly, will perform this moving work alongside Mozart's magnificent Great Mass in C Minor.

Accompanied by The Ripieno Players and four outstanding soloists:

🎶 Sofia Kirwan-Baez - Soprano
🎶 Aneska Diament, mezzo-soprano
🎶 Francis Melville, tenor
🎶 Ed Birchinall, baritone

📅 Sunday 15 November 2026, 7.30 pm
📍 St Dunstan's Church, Mayfield

🎟️ Book tickets:
https://www.ticketsource.com/mayfieldfestivalchoir/mozart-mass-in-c-minor-amp-schubert-stabat-mater/e-evdxbq

20/10/2026

⌛ From 1978 to Today: Meet David and Heather

What brings people to Mayfield Festival Choir? Sometimes it's a chance conversation in the pub. Sometimes it's a Google search!

🎤 David is our longest-serving member, having joined in 1978 after meeting Kenneth Pont, founder of the Mayfield Festival, at the Middle House.

Kenneth initially wanted David to join his chamber choir, the Gibbons Singers, as a male alto.
“I said, ‘I'm a second bass!’ And Kenneth said, ‘Second basses have very fine falsettos!’”

David went on to enjoy many memorable performances with the Choir, including a concert in Rouen and singing at Notre Dame in Paris.

At the other end of the membership timeline is Heather, who joined just last month.

🎤 Heather writes and records her own music, plays piano, flute and guitar and sings at open mic nights. She was looking for a classical choir when she discovered Mayfield Festival Choir online.

Although she mostly learns music by ear, she decided to give it a try, especially as she already knew fellow singer Keith Wilson from the local music scene.

“Everybody has been so friendly. People have been really welcoming and they've helped me. We've had a bit of a laugh.”
And, as Heather puts it, “If we all get to the ‘Amen’ together... it's a win!” 😄

Two very different journeys into the same Choir, nearly five decades apart.

David and Heather are now rehearsing alongside their fellow singers for our concert of Mozart's Great Mass in C Minor and Schubert's German Stabat Mater at St Dunstan's Church, Mayfield, on Sunday 15 November.

Find out more about Mayfield Festival Choir:
https://www.mayfieldfestivalchoir.org/about-us

📸 Photos and interviews courtesy of Jennifer Goldsmith.

Address

Mayfield
TN206AQ

Telephone

+447767331204

Website

http://www.mayfieldfestival.co.uk/, https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/mayfieldfestivalchoir

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