60th Bath International Music Festival

The Bath International Music Festival will be celebrating 60 years of success in 2008. This prestigious music festival is set to take place from 21 May to 7 June 2008 in the South West England city of Bath. Musicians and music lovers will be gathering in this popular World Heritage Site city to enjoy the festival program put together by Artistic Director, and accomplished pianist, Joanna MacGregor.

Established in 1948, the Bath International Music Festival has an impressive artistic history and is a significant event in the U.K. cultural calendar, as well as having an excellent international reputation. The program presents a range of orchestral, chamber and contemporary classical music, as well as contemporary jazz, world music and electronica, which are performed in venues throughout the city as well as at outdoor events.

The 60th anniversary of the Bath International Music Festival opens with a performance by the renowned London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of one of the greatest living conductors, Sir Colin Davis. This will be the first time that this celebrated orchestra will be participating in the festival program and audiences can look forward to an unforgettable evening of entertainment, which will include Schubert’s Symphony No. 5 in B flat major and Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7 in E major.

One of the highlights of the program that audiences can look forward to is the Great Voices of Bulgaria. Entering Bath Abbey in a procession, dressed in their long red national costumes and bearing lit candles, the twenty-four voice choir will capture audiences with their performances of traditional Bulgarian folk songs and the mesmerizing chanting of Russian Orthodox Church music.

Regular festival attendees will no doubt remember the Armonico Consort’s outstanding performance of King Arthur in 2007. They will be performing The Marriage of Figaro at the 2008 Bath International Music Festival – an event not to be missed by opera lovers.

On Friday 23 May from 6:30 pm the Bath International Music Festival will host a “Party in the City” to commemorate its 60th anniversary. The evening will start off with dozens of bell ringers across the city and the schools’ procession to Bath Abbey. This will be followed by composer Peter McGarr’s specially commissioned community choir project for 1,000 voices, in which all are encouraged to participate. Free performances will take place throughout the evening in dozens of outdoor spaces and closed venues, culminating in an exhilarating outdoor show and dancing to the beat of Roberto Pla’s Brazilian Orchestra in the heart of the city.

The Bath International Music Festival is an opportunity for music lovers to enjoy music from all over the world, all in one place. So don’t miss out on being entertained by some of the world’s top musicians in one of England’s favorite holiday destinations.