July Festivals for Every Musical Taste

Britain vies with mainland Europe during July in the quality and quantity of its music and arts festivals. England, Scotland and Wales each host festivals of international calibre. Among a plethora of events in England we see the renowned Cheltenham International Festival of Music. Wales rings to the sound of massed choirs from all over the world at the annual Llangollen Eisteddford and Scotland is host to the Glasow Jazz Festival ending 6 July, and the acclaimed Edinburgh Festival Fringe which starts well before the Edinburgh Festival itself in mid-August.

The Cheltenham Festival which opens on 4 July and runs until 20 July has grown in stature and breadth of programming to rank among the country's top classical music events, drawing top artists such as Jose Carreras and Bryn Terfel who star in concert this year. The breadth of the programming contains the diverse talents of the Seven Saints Chamber Choir from Sofia, Bulgaria; pianist Imogen Cooper; harpist Jemima Phillips; George Piper Dances; the Early Opera Company; the City of London Sinfonia; the BBC Symphony and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestras; and, joy of joys, all nine of Beethoven's symphonies at a marathon single sitting, (free entry). Other featured composers this year are Debussy, Mozart, Haydn, and Handel, who visited Cheltenham in 1751.

As with all self respecting festivals, Cheltenham now boasts a worthy Fringe which includes dance music, popular theatre and children's events, not to mention the plethora of free street entertainment and a dramatic fireworks display.

Cheltenham has shed its onetime image quiet backwater for retired civil servants of a bygone Empire to become a truly festival city, with jazz, science, folk and literature events during the Spring and Autumn months. And Cheltenham's beautiful racecourse is, of course, home to the National Hunt Gold Cup, Britain's most prestigious racin festival under National Hunt rules and favourite race meeting of the late Queen Mother.

I wrote last year about the Llangollen Eisteddford, which runs from 4 - 11 July and features Luciano Pavarotti and Dame Shirley Bassey as guest stars this year, (see The Llangollen Eisteddford). However I made little mention of the quality Fringe Festival that has grown up around it. This year's Fringe complements the Eisteddford proper with varied and international programme of music, dance, comedy, extreme sports, photography, talks and cookery!

Make your way there to hear the Afghan band Ensemble Kaboul, featuring female vocalist Farida Mahwash; the Mabalu from Mozambique, New Zealand's Maori band Wai, and Katia Guerreiro, the famed Portuguese fado singer.

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