A chance to hear one of Wales' renowned male voice choirs in the wonderful setting of Cirencester's St John Baptist Church. Cr Meibion De Cymru (The South Wales Male Choir), will be joined by a composite Military Wives Choir made up from Brize Norton Military Wives Choir and the award-winning Defence Academy Military Wives Choir. Thomas Hawkes, Cirencester's organist, will also be showcasing the fabulous Harrison & Harrison organ. Join us for what promises to be a stirring and memorable evening of music!

An Organ Recital by Stefan Donner. Stefan's programme wil linclude the following: Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 1750): Toccata and Fugue D Minor, BWV 565 Maximilian Kreuz (1953): Nachtmusik II, W.v. 107-02 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 1791): Adagio and Allegro in f, KV 594 Eine kleine Gigue, KV 574 Paul Hertel (1953): from Vier Chorle vom Gral (themes from Elster and Parzifal), op. 75/21aChoral I Flix-Alexandre Guilmant (1837 1911): Sonata Nr 1 in D Minor 1. Introduction et Allegro 2. Pastorale 3. Final The Austrian organist Stefan Donner has made a name for himself as a concert organist and garnered international recognition. This is his first time visiting the Cirencester Organ Festival. In addition to his active concert career, he also teaches at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna and enjoys passing on his knowledge and experience to his students. Stefan Donner's concert will be the first in a series of five concerts by different artists during The Cirencester International Organ Festival. The festival will run for five nights in July and August 2026 at Cirencester Parish Church of St John Baptist, as follows: Friday 31st July - Stefan Donner (Vienna) Saturday 1st August - Organ Festival Chorus Friday 7th August - John Challenger (Salisbury Cathedral) Friday 14th August - Thomas Hawkes (Cirencester) Friday 21st August - Matthias Maierhofer (Freiburg im Breisgau)

An Organ Recital by John Challenger (Salisbury Cathedral). John's programme will include the following: Orb and Sceptre March William Walton (190283) Werde munter, mein Gemte (BWV 147) J. S. Bach (16851750) / arr. Maurice Durufl (190286) Chant donn Hommage Jean Gallon Maurice Durufl (190286) Fantasia and Fugue in C minor (BWV 537) J. S. Bach (16851750) Prelude and Angels Farewell (The Dream of Gerontius) Edward Elgar (18571934) / arr. Herbert Brewer (18651928) Allegretto (Five Short Pieces) Percy Whitlock (190346) Final (Symphonie VI) Charles-Marie Widor (18441937). John Challenger has been Assistant Director of Music at Salisbury Cathedral since September 2012, where he accompanies the Cathedrals liturgy on the great Father Willis Organ. He received his musical education as a chorister at Hereford Cathedral under Dr Roy Massey and Geraint Bowen, and as an Organ Scholar at St Georges Chapel, Windsor, and St Johns College, Cambridge; at St Johns, under the directorship of Andrew Nethsingha, he played the organ for services, concerts, recordings, broadcasts, tours, and four critically-acclaimed recordings on the Chandos label. He studied the organ with David Briggs, Jeremy Filsell, Mark Williams, and the late David Sanger, and obtained his Fellowship of the Royal College of Organists in 2008. In addition to his duties at the Cathedral, John is active as an organ teacher and recitalist. John Challenger's concert will be the third in a series of five concerts by different artists during The Cirencester International Organ Festival. The festival will run for five nights in July and August 2026 at Cirencester Parish Church of St John Baptist, as follows: Friday 31st July - Stefan Donner (Vienna) Saturday 1st August - Organ Festival Chorus Friday 7th August - John Challenger (Salisbury Cathedral) Friday 14th August - Thomas Hawkes (Cirencester) Friday 21st August - Matthias Maierhofer (Freiburg im Breisgau).

An Organ Recital by Thomas Hawkes. Thomas was born in Paderborn, Germany, where he had his first organ lessons with Ulrich Schneider and Andreas Konrad as well as his first organist role at St Christophers Garrison Church. He then spent two years learning the organ with Jonathan Lilley at Ely Cathedral before going to the University of York where he completed his Music BA and Postgraduate Diploma in 2017. Following this, Thomas held posts at St Edmundsbury Cathedral, King Edwards School, Witley, and St Davids Cathedral (where he was the acting Assistant Director of Music). He subsequently spent a year studying Church Music at the Hochschule fr Musik in Freiburg im Breisgau, where he studied organ with Matthias Maierhofer and David Franke, as well as choral conducting with Frank Markowitsch. From September 2023, Thomas was Chapel Organist at Stowe School in Buckinghamshire. In July 2024 he was appointed Organist and Choir Master at Cirencester Parish Church. Thomas has performed on television and radio for BBC Wales and is featured on the St Davids Cathedral choir 2022 Christmas CD. Thomas frequently works as a choral conductor and accompanist, and has worked with ensembles including Leeds Festival Chorus, Stowmarket Chorale and the University of York Choir. Thomas is also a regular accompanist for the Freiburger Mnster choirs. Outside of music, he enjoys reading about history and watching Doctor Who. Thomas Hawkes' concert will be the fourth in a series of five concerts by different artists during The Cirencester International Organ Festival. The festival will run for five nights in July and August 2026 at Cirencester Parish Church of St John Baptist, as follows: Friday 31st July - Stefan Donner (Vienna) Saturday 1st August - Organ Festival Chorus Friday 7th August - John Challenger (Salisbury Cathedral) Friday 14th August - Thomas Hawkes (Cirencester) Friday 21st August - Matthias Maierhofer (Freiburg im Breisgau).

An Organ Recital by Matthias Maierhofer. In 2007, Matthias Maierhofer was the winner of one of the most renowned international organ competitions: the Pachelbel Competition in Nuremberg. He was also a prize winner at the International Franz Schmidt Organ Competition in Kitzbhel in 2008, at the International Bach Competition in Arnstadt in 2007, at the International Organ Concours in Nijmegen in 2006 and at the International Organ Competition M.K.Ciurlionis in Vilnius in 2003. Since then, regular concert activities have taken him to important concert venues and festivals in Europe, the USA, Russia, Japan and South Korea. As a soloist and continuo player, Matthias Maierhofer has performed with ensembles such as the Dresdner Kreuzchor, the Thomanerchor Leipzig, the Staatskapelle Dresden and the Staatskapelle Halle. At the Freiburger Mnster he performs weekly with the Domsingknaben, the girls' choir, the cathedral Domkapelle and the cathedral choir. He was involved in CD productions and publications by Edition Helbling, recordings are available for various radio stations and through the labels Ambitus, Ambiente and Spektral. Matthias Maierhofer has been a professor of organ at the Musikhochschule in Freiburg since 2016 and also works as cathedral organist at the Mnster Unserer Lieben Frau in Freiburg. As artistic director of the Freiburg Cathedral organ concerts, he is responsible for one of the leading international organ concert series. His teaching activities as a guest professor and lecturer at international masterclasses are linked to the Kitzbhel Organ Academy in Austria and have recently taken him to Yale University (USA), the Korean National University of the Arts (South Korea) and the Paderewski Academy in Poland, among others. Matthias Maierhofer's concert will be the last in a series of five concerts by different artists during The Cirencester International Organ Festival. The festival will run for five nights in July and August 2026 at Cirencester Parish Church of St John Baptist, as follows: Friday 31st July - Stefan Donner (Vienna) Saturday 1st August - Organ Festival Chorus Friday 7th August - John Challenger (Salisbury Cathedral) Friday 14th August - Thomas Hawkes (Cirencester) Friday 21st August - Matthias Maierhofer (Freiburg im Breisgau).

The Organ Festival Chorus in Concert. The choir will be assembled specifically for this concert and the programme will include Stanford: Te Deum in Bb, Mozart: Coronation Mass and Vierne: Messe Solennelle. The Soloists performing will be: Conductor: Thomas Hawkes Organist: James Grainger Soprano: Emma Rae Ward Alto: Abigail Blake Tenor: Timothy Selman Bass: Ben Charles

JoinDame Fiona Reynolds, President of the Cirencester History Festival and now High Sheriff of Gloucestershire, for a special midsummer evening celebrating Gloucestershires rich musical and literary life in the beautiful surroundings of Cirencester Parish Church. Enjoy performances from acclaimed concert pianist Clare Hammond and the Cheltenham-based Oriel Singers, alongside readings from the Dymock Poets including Rupert Brooke and Robert Frost by renowned historian and broadcasterJonathan Dimbleby. Through music and words, the evening will evoke landscape, season and a shared love of the countryside, while raising funds for the High Sheriffs Fund. There will be no interval, but all ticket holders are invited to a post-concert drinks reception at which the High Sheriff awards will be presented.