Leith Hill Music Festival - Day 1

BONUS ITEM: Pre-concert talk (6:30pm–7:10pm) included in your ticket price.

Join Festival Conductor Neil Ferris, composer Cecilia McDowall, solo violinist Igor Yuzefovich and broadcaster & journalist Andrew Green for an illuminating pre-concert talk exploring the links between the Festival and The Lark Ascending (this year is the 100th anniversary of the first performance at the Festival), with fascinating insights into the genesis of this iconic piece. Find out more about Cecilia McDowall's own connections with the Festival, how she was inspired by the writings of Da Vinci, and how her piece has some Vaughan Williams links of its own.


The Friday night of the 2-day Festival sees five local choirs combine forces to perform classics of the past and a classic of the future.

In celebration of Vaughan Williams, the Festival’s original conductor, we present his Five Mystical Songs and the much-loved Lark Ascending. The main work of the evening, Cecilia McDowall's Da Vinci Requiem, is an imaginative and beguiling setting of extracts from Da Vinci's Notebooks and the Latin Requiem Mass. With the added treat of Doreen Carwithen's lively and beautiful Suffolk Suite there is something for everyone in this carefully curated programme.

Tickets: £20-£25