Cavatina Festival
22-25 September 2026
Festival Welcome
The inaugural Cavatina Festival comes to Frome and Mells this September. The festival
has been created to champion exceptional young musicians at the start of their
professional careers. With their rich history and creative spirit, Frame and Mells provide
a fitting home for a programme exploring the theme of Devotion to Delight in music
from Baroque and Classical through to Contemporary. Alongside the main programme,
there will be talks, a family event, opportunities to meet the artists and open rehearsals.
I warmly invite you to share in the inspiration and excitement of our new venture.
Artistic Director, Max Todes
From Devotion to Delight
Love and the Divine
Tuesday 22 September 2026, 7pm
St Andrew’s Church, Mells
Highlights
J.S. Bach Singet dem Herrn & Komm, Jesus, Komm
Henry Purcell O Sing unto the Lord & My Beloved Spake
Cavatina Choir brings the motets of J.S. Bach and the anthems of Henry Purcell into dialogue with Shakespeare's sonnets, exploring devotion in both sacred and sensual forms. Shakespeare scholar, Clare Asquith gives a pre-concert talk on the sonnets.
Homage and Inspiration
Thursday 24 September 2026, 7pm
Rye Bakery, Whittox Lane, Frome
Highlights
Mozart Symphony No.40
Schubert Symphony No.5
Cavatina Orchestra explores how composers honour, echo, and transform the music of their predecessors. Mozart's dramatic Symphony No.40 is set beside Schubert's radiant Symphony No.5, written just 28 years later and shaped by an affectionate admiration for Mozart's style. In addition, a selection of contemporary works by Caroline Shaw & Edmund Finnis explore how modern composers draw inspiration from the masters.
Devotion to Delight
Friday 25 September 2026, 7pm
St John’s Church, Frome
Highlights
Alma Mahler Sieben Lieder
Beethoven Symphony No.7
Cavatina Orchestra's final programme opens with Alma Mahler's rarely heard Sieben Lieder, revealing the voice of a gifted composer whose creative genius was unfulfilled. The festival closes with Beethoven's Symphony No.7 - a work of unstoppable energy and joy, famously described by Wagner as 'the apotheosis of the dance'.