This year’s Festival will be officially opened during the Art Exhibition Preview at Marden House. The Preview evening is for Festival Friends, Artists and by Invitation only. 

The Open Art Exhibition will be on display throughout the Festival. Please consult the Festival calendar for opening times.

The Exhibition is kindly sponsored by Bevirs Law and drinks supplied for the opening by LWC Drinks, Calne.

To start Festival week, join us for a FREE family day. There will be a 360-degree immersive Theatre Dome experience, Calne Samba Band, Clare’s Circus, a variety of activities by Calne Wordfest, Music and Art workshops throughout the day, an Art treasure hunt, Stilt walker and more!

Refreshments and light lunches will be available to purchase from our cafe. Children must be supervised at all times.

Kindly sponsored by The Hills Group Limited. 

Enjoy a full evening of folk music with four separate performances.  

Courting Ghosts is an Indie Americana band blending acoustic, folk, with occasional rock and jazz influences. Known for their melodic and versatile sound, they debuted in 2023 and released their critically acclaimed album Falling My Friend in September 2024, earning an 8/10 from Americana UK. Their heartfelt songwriting has been featured in Songwriting Magazine and showcased at major festivals.  

Georgia Browne on fiddle and Tom Payne, voice and piano, will perform traditional music from the British Isles. Georgia Browne, fiddle, and Tom Payne, piano and voice, will perform a set of traditional music from the British Isles.

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Feast of Fools is an a cappella folk quartet that hails from Wiltshire, Bristol, and Stroud. They cover songs from the past that resonate today and more modern folk songs, reflecting and weaving a rich tapestry of social perspectives and emotions

Singers Hilary Malcolm and Maita Robinson together with pianist Clare Toomer present a recital programme celebrating the work of 11 women composers and singers.This will range from Art songs by Pauline Viardot and Clara Schumann to songs originating in American plantations more recently made famous by Florence Price and Nina Simone. Edith Piaf sings of the streets of Paris, Ella Fitzgerald interprets Gershwin with style and wit, Billie Holiday tells us of poverty and heartache.Today, Errolyn Wallen composes for state occasions as Master of the King’s Music and Jocelyn Pook adds to the thrill of the big screen with her film scores.These are just some of the women they will be celebrating and we invite you to join us in a lively and varied afternoon of music.

A Life Drawing session held in the main hall of Marden House surrounded by the Open Art Exhibition. A live model and a variety of lengths of poses with some light 'tuition' if wanted. Please bring your own materials / drawing boards, though some will also be available. This event is for ages 16yrs and older. Art students are particularly welcome.

Choral Evensong is a gem of traditional Anglican worship. In essence it is a service of psalms, canticles, readings and hymns dating back to the 15th century This year Rt.Revd. Andrew Rumsey, Bishop of Ramsbury, will speak on the theme of Festivals. The choir of St. Mary's will be joined by Friends and supporters from across the town to mark the beginning of Festival week.

A lunchtime concert with a French flavour. Debussy: Suite Bergamasque. Franck: Sonata in A Major for flute and piano. Mark has had an illustrious musical career coming latterly to Calne as head of keyboard at St. Mary's via Scotland and Australia. Sarah followed a Choral Scholarship at St. John's, Oxford with a career in education and currently teaches flute and Academic Music at St. Mary's, Calne.

The 'Major Minor' is a community choir bringing together children from primary schools in Calne and the surrounding villages under the direction of Bethan Fryar.

These talented students will perform 2  short plays of 30 minutes each. A modern interpretation of 'Beauty and the Beast' by Ted Hughes and ' The Servant of Two Masters by Goldini.

Calne or Calne: a sense of place. 

It really doesn’t matter how you pronounce it.
It’s how you relate to it that matters.

Each of us relates to the places we occupy individually. Some are more than just places to be, they give us a sense of place, a sense of identity: reactions we may not always recognise but are always there. It may be the feeling of coming home; it may be the recollection of happier times; it may be overwhelming; or it may just be a sense of relief. These readings from members of the Calne Wordfest Writers’ Group reflect a range of reactions to places we know.

Saili Katebe is a writer, performer and workshop facilitator.  Born in Zambia and now based in the South West of England, his work celebrates language and the power of story.  His work has been featured on BBC Arts and BBC Radio Bristol. From commissions to collaboration, he looks for opportunities to explore and express the nuances of moving through the world. He will read from his published poetry ' Katabasis-Forking through Memory' in which he honours the journeys we take on our way to ourselves, and also poems written under the working title 'Prospecting Sense'.

Do you like to draw? Do you like to drink? (non-alcoholic drinks also available...)
Welcome to the Drink and Draw.
There are no rules, no need for talent, just enthusiasm! With still lifes set up and a clock ticking, it's like speed dating art!
This is a sociable creative evening where everyone is welcome.

We once again welcome for this lunchtime concert the talented music scholars of St. Mary's School who will perform, as soloists and in ensembles, in a concert of high quality representing  a wide range of musical styles.

Nick Langston's band The Hipcats, based in and around Wiltshire,  features some of Europe’s finest musicians, including a Grammy award winner, and have entertained across the world from Glastonbury to Singapore. Based around some of the classic 20th century Jazz composers they are currently performing the wonderful work from the Great American Songbook with a particular focus on the legendary Rodgers and Hart – songs that include ‘The Lady is a Tramp’, ‘Have You Met Miss Jones’ and ‘My Funny Valentine’.  Superb jazz and swing from a band who love the music and love sharing it.  “You guys are great” -  Sir Rod Stewart.

As wildlife photographers Eddy and Pam have travelled the world, but return to their Quemerford Mill home to capture the remarkable range of creatures available on their doorstep.  This talk features the mammals, birds, waterfowl and insects of Calne, mainly unseen and unrecorded by local residents. With photographs and videos they will show the fascinating lives of our wildlife by day and by night as they evolve through the seasons.

Lydia is an experienced and versatile brass player, born and bred in Wiltshire, who performs regularly in the principal seat with orchestras in Bristol, Bath and the wider area, as well as being a guest soloist in competitions and concerts. She will perform a varied programme of music  which includes Purcell, Handel, Bernstein, Copland, Neruda and McDowell among others.

Mio Takahashi, leader of the Isla Quartet who delighted the Calne audience at last year’s festival, joins cello legend Adrian Brendel, Mark Sandon-Williams, (head of keyboard studies at St Mary’s School) and Brett Dean, (Festival patron and viola player), for an evening of classy chamber music. 
“One, Two, Three & Four”, as the concert’s title suggests, takes us from JS Bach’s ground-breaking music for solo violin via a dramatic duo for cello and piano by German titan Beethoven and Schubert’s lyrical trio movement for three strings through to a romantic-era landmark, the remarkable piano quartet by Robert Schumann, by turns touching and thrilling. 

Once again we are delighted to welcome the Music Scholars of Marlborough College for what is always a concert of very high quality. A number of national and international prize winning musicians will feature in a programme of variety and colour.

The Calne Community Quilt, hanging in the Heritage Centre, was one of the community projects organised in 2024 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Joseph Priestley’s discovery of Oxygen whilst he was living in Calne.  
This project was completed within 6 months and involved over 100 people in the Calne community.
Sue Peskett will talk about the project, how the quilt was constructed, the stories behind some of the ‘squares’ and its unveiling. 

Enjoy glorious live choral music with Calne Choral Society, performing as part of this year’s Calne Music and Arts Festival. With their signature warmth and accomplished sound, the Society promises a memorable concert for all who attend.

There is nothing normal about the Magnificent AKs, the singing men of Ashton Keynes. How do you describe a singing machine made of men of a certain age who offer serious singing combined with profound insights into modern male angst and the rigours of being a new man in the 21st century. Winners of the 2018 Peace Trophy at Cork International Choral Festival for the choir embracing the very best spirit of the Festival, their songs of life and love are original and eclectic, guaranteed to put a smile on your face, the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, and leave you with tears of joy and empathy.

We are delighted to once again welcome Gail Brown, art historian, formerly from Calne, of Tangerine Art Talks, to the Festival. Paris, the City of Lights was an exciting place to be in the last quarter of the 19th century and a major part of that allure was provided by the exhilarating pace and variety of its nightlife. In Gail's  talk this year we will peer through opera glasses at who’s wearing what at the theatre with Renoir and Cassatt. Mingle with the crowd in the cafés with Manet, Degas and Van Gogh.Thrill at the high-kicking antics of the music halls of Montmartre with Toulouse-Lautrec and gaze at the sad circuses with Seurat and Picasso. 

Opera Anywhere is delighted to present a new, vibrant production of Mozart’s classic comedy, Così fan tutte, directed by Tristan Stocks. This hilarious farce, edited and adapted in English, is performed in just two hours, bringing Mozart's timeless story to life with a unique twist. Set in early 20th-century Gibraltar, the plot revolves around a bold bet between Don Alfonso, Ferrando, and Guglielmo. Don Alfonso wagers that he can prove their girlfriends, Fiordiligi and Dorabella, are unfaithful, like "all women." What follows is a comedic exploration of love, fidelity, and deception. Join us for an evening of stunning music, clever wit, and engaging performances that reveal the heart and humour of this beloved opera.

Join us for an intimate and inspiring conversation with local artists Mark Peskett and John Harris, hosted by Genevieve Sioka. In this relaxed and engaging talk, we’ll explore the stories behind the artworks—what brought these two remarkable creatives to Calne, the twists and turns of their artistic journeys, the inspirations that ignite their ideas, and the processes that bring their visions to life.

A rare chance to hear firsthand from two of Calne’s celebrated artists, this session is a celebration of local talent, creative resilience, and the vibrant arts community at the heart of the festival. Come curious, leave inspired.

Join Tango Calor, a Bristol-based collective of talented musicians, for a captivating evening of Argentine tango music. Formed in 2016 by bandoneonist Mirek Salmon, the group features guitar virtuoso Daryl Kellie and sensational vocalist Jimi Can. Mirek has performed with the BBC Orchestras and Welsh National Opera, while Daryl is praised as "truly stunning" by D'Addario strings, and Jimi is a key figure in Bristol's Afro-Cuban and Flamenco scenes. Tango Calor has performed at major festivals across the UK and internationally, including La Linea Festival in London and Glasto Latino, and often collaborates with orchestras to perform works by Astor Piazzolla. Don’t miss this unforgettable journey from Buenos Aires to Paris through the vibrant world of tango!

Join CMAF volunteers, sponsors and Friends in celebrating the end of the festival. Refreshments and bar, with entertainment by Calne Ukulele Band. A limited number of tickets are available at no charge but must be booked in advance.