Sound of Wells Festival 2025

As if Wells were not already teeming with music, May’s Sounds of Wells Festival amplified everything that is already going on in the School and Cathedral with a wonderful celebration of music-making. 

The Festival launched on Wednesday 14th May with a Composers’ Concert in the Cathedral’s North Transept featuring new works by current pupils QQ J (Lower Sixth), Blyth C (Year 10), Esther L (Lower Sixth) and Archie B (Upper Sixth), all performed by our pupils. That evening our Brass players, led by our inimitable Head of Brass Ross Brown, teamed up with the Cathedral’s Assistant Director of Music at the organ for an evening of atmospheric organ music, raising funds for the Cathedral’s organ appeal. 

On Thursday we hosted the Festival in Quilter Hall featuring four of our specialist musician soloists, and then at Evensong the Cathedral Choir performed Ernest C (Year 11)’s new composition ‘An Easter flower gift‘.

Typical of Wells, Saturday night saw simultaneous concerts! Whilst old Wellensians Bridget Yee and Fergus McCready performed to a packed Quilter Hall, the Cathedral Choir gave a stunning rendition of English choral masterpieces by Parry, Stanford, Finzi and Holst.

The Cathedral’s Sunday morning Eucharist service included the world premiere of a new piece by OW Owain Park (2012), sung by the Choristers and Vicars Choral alongside the Cathedral’s Chamber Choir. Owain then generously gave up his time to give a masterclass in Cedars Hall with School Composition pupils and shared his insight into the compositional process, how to develop as a composer and gave really helpful suggestions for how each pupil could improve their work. Thanks to Owain and also to our brilliant composition teacher Paul Whitmarsh.

An avalanche of music! Huge thanks to Timothy Parsons, Carolyn Craig and for allowing us to collaborate so closely on the Festival and congratulations to all the pupils involved.

To find out more about Specialist Music at Wells, click here.

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