Wymondham Music Festival Fortnight Norfolk - 21 June to 6 July

Wymondham's Music Festival Fortnight returns from Saturday 21 June to Sunday 6 July, with more than 30 events, some organised by other groups, many of them free, in venues across this histroic Norfolk market town.

Enjoy performances by national, regional and local musicians with everything from Schumann, Debussy, Beethoven and JS Bach to Americana, English folk, swing, jazz, flamenco, bluegrass, African, Balkan, Gypsy and Indian music and contemporary composers and singer-songwriters.

Sokoshumba - Glynnis Masuku and Anna Mudeka

Festival Fortnight kicks off at 10am on June 21 with Around the World Through Music and Dance, a new free family event in Wymondham Abbey and churchyard. Enjoy Moxy Garbanzo playing Eastern European tunes and Sokoshumba performing colourful African music on mbira, hosho and djembe. There’ll be Bollywood and Indian classical dancing and Strictly Flamenco, along with Adrian Palka’s Sound Table.

Other Abbey events include the vibrant Bella Tromba – jazz, classical and early English music (June 21); Joy and James Lisney (June 26), cello and piano featuring Schumann, Debussy and Beethoven; Collegium (June 28), a new Baroque ensemble performing Telemann and Bach and The Goldman Ensemble (July 2) recreating their 2008 piano recital at St Martin-in-the-Fields, which they presented without their pianist who was stuck in traffic.  Enjoy an evening full of comedy, theatre and music from Bach to Joplin.

The Goldman Ensemble

There’s also a programme of lunchtime recitals at the Abbey and a special performance by Matthew Schellhorn of Ian Wilson’s new piano masterpiece, ‘Stations’ (June 29), to celebrate the Abbey’s new icons of the Stations of the Cross.

And on July 3 at the Abbey, it’s ‘Of Night And Light And The Half Light’ with John Law piano and Iain Ballamy saxophone, exploring the ground hovering between classical and jazz using contemporary groove-based rhythms and contemplative music.

The annual Midsummer Jazz Picnic returns to Becketswell (June 23) with Simon Nelson’s Dixie Mix, fresh from supporting Rod Stewart’s UK tour and Is u Iz – Ali Huiellebecq, saxophone and Hugh Stanners, accordion.

Dixie Mix at the 2013 Jazz Picnic

Central Hall has a great line up beginning with Norwich newgrass string band Feral Mouth (June 24) performing their ‘raucous irresistible bluegrass with rock n roll flair’ – Louise Rodgers, Americana UK.  Then the world famous Pasadena Roof Orchestra is in town on June 27, followed by singer-songwriter Edwina Hayes (July 4), ‘the sweetest voice in England’.  Arhai and Musica Planina (July 5) complete the Central Hall series with a lively evening of Balkan folk music – a great Saturday night party.

Edwina Hayes

Head to the Market Place for Brother Pit’s Acoustic Americana (June 28) and Klezmerized! playing lively danceable music with Middle Eastern, Gypsy and Balkan influences (July 5).

The annual Teddy Bears’ Picnic is at Kings Head Meadow on June 29, with gentle musical fun for the under-fives from Charlotte Arculus and Hayley Moyses. And Norwich favourites The He Hews wrap up Festival Fortnight with the Family Finale at the Baptist Church (July 6), an afternoon of ‘sophisticated silliness’ from flapper to disco with a New Orleans twist.

The He Hews

For full Festival Fortnight programme details go to www.wymfestival.org.uk.  Buy tickets now online here.

 Tickets are also on sale at Puff’s Toyshop Wymondham Market Place from 10 May.