WOWFest: Wells Orchestral Weekend

WOWFest: Wells Orchestral Weekend WOWFest: Wells Orchestral Weekend, International Festival for youth performing ensembles

Meet the next WOWFest 2026 musicians: 🎻 Irish Chamber Orchestra Youth (Irish Chamber Orchestra Education)! 🎻We're deligh...
25/06/2026

Meet the next WOWFest 2026 musicians: 🎻 Irish Chamber Orchestra Youth (Irish Chamber Orchestra Education)! 🎻

We're delighted to introduce the next WOWFest2026 ensemble. Under the direction of conductor Tamasine Anna Plowman the Irish Chamber Orchestra's Youth Orchestra will give two performances as part of WOWFest 2026. Don’t miss your chance to hear them!

📅 Saturday 11 July, 2pm
📍 St Cuthbert's Church Wells
🎟️ FREE entrance with retiring donations

📅 Sunday 12 July, 3.30pm
📍 The Bishop's Palace & Gardens
🎟️ FREE entrance for concerts after 3pm

Part of an afternoon of music, also featuring Orquestra Jovem das Gerais (Brazil) at 12pm in the Café Courtyard and Haydn Youth String Orchestra (USA) at 4.30pm in the Palace Gardens.

Alongside their own performances, ICO Youth will also feature in the WOWFest Opening Ceremony at Cedars Hall.

ICO Youth is the Irish Chamber Orchestra's fully funded access programme for young musicians aged 11–24, offering high-quality orchestral training with an ethos of belonging and inclusivity brought together through ensemble music making.

Based in Limerick, Ireland, the orchestra consists of players from Limerick City and the surrounding counties, many beginning their musical journey through ICO Schools, a primary school education programme which has provided fully funded music education in Limerick's inner city since 2008.

In 2025, ICO Youth represented Ireland at the 11th World Orchestra Festival in Vienna, performing at prestigious venues including the Golden Hall of the Musikverein and receiving three awards.

Follow for updates as we introduce more of the ensembles and WOWFest 2026 concert details.

🎟️ If you can't wait, the full festival programme is now available via our Facebook events tab.

Concerts are FREE with retiring donations unless otherwise stated.

✨ WOWFest Fringe 2026 is underway! ✨Last weekend saw the start of this year's WOWFest Fringe programme, with two visitin...
24/06/2026

✨ WOWFest Fringe 2026 is underway! ✨

Last weekend saw the start of this year's WOWFest Fringe programme, with two visiting ensembles from the USA performing in Wells ahead of WOWFest 2026.

The Preucil School String Orchestra from Iowa City (pictured) delighted audiences at Wells Town Hall, and the University of Arkansas Children's Choir joined the Senior Choristers for a well-received lunchtime recital in Wells Cathedral.

The WOWFest Fringe continues over the coming weeks, bringing performances to venues across Somerset. The next two concerts ahead of our main festival (10th to 12 July) are:

📅 Wednesday 8th July 7pm
📍 Holy Trinity Church Frome (Frome Festival)
🎻 Haydn Youth String Orchestra (Netherlands)
🎟️ Admission applies
https://fromefestival.co.uk/event/haydn-jeugd-strijk-orkest/

📅 Thursday 9th July 7pm
📍 St Mary Magdalene, Wookey Hole
🎻 Haydn Youth String Orchestra (Netherlands)
🎟️ FREE entrance
https://www.facebook.com/events/2373125959835637

Follow for updates as we count down to WOWFest 2026 and introduce more of the ensembles taking part.

🎟️ The full festival and Fringe programme is available via on Facebook events tab.

🎹 Introducing the Leon Fleisher Academy (Maryland, USA) 🎹We're delighted to welcome eight talented young pianists from t...
19/06/2026

🎹 Introducing the Leon Fleisher Academy (Maryland, USA) 🎹

We're delighted to welcome eight talented young pianists from the Leon Fleisher Academy to WOWFest 2026.

Leon Fleisher Academy is rooted in a distinguished artistic lineage stretching from Beethoven to Leon Fleisher and continues a tradition that places emphasis on intellectual depth, structural understanding and artistic integrity. Founded by pianists Tian Lu and Yury Shadrin, it provides a platform for young musicians to grow through real artistic experiences, international performances, festivals and collaborations.

There are two main chances to hear these young pianists over the festival weekend!

📅 Friday 10 July, 1.05pm (WOWFest Fringe)
📍 Wells Cathedral
🎟️ Concert included in Cathedral admission.
Use of the Cathedral is by kind permission of the Chapter of Wells Cathedral.

📅 Sunday 12 July, 2pm
📍 St Thomas's Church Wells
🎟️ FREE entrance with retiring donations

Swipe through to meet the individual musicians and discover their repertoire.

Alongside their own recitals, the young musicians will also feature in the WOWFest Opening Ceremony on Friday and Saturday evening's performance in Wells Cathedral of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana.

Follow for updates as we introduce more of the ensembles and WOWFest 2026 concert details.

🎟️ If you can’t wait, the full festival programme is now available in our Facebook events tab.

Concerts are FREE with retiring donations unless otherwise stated!

17/06/2026

🎶 WOWFest Fringe Concert 🎶

We're kicking off the WOWFest Fringe this weekend with a FREE concert by The Preucil School String Orchestra from Iowa, USA!

We're delighted to welcome this distinguished youth ensemble to Wells Town Hall.

Comprised of talented young musicians aged 13 to 19, this acclaimed ensemble presents a varied programme of Baroque, Classical and modern works, celebrating music as a universal language.

📍 Wells Town Hall, Market Place, Wells BA5 2RB
📅 Saturday 20 June 2026
🕔 5.00pm
🎟️ FREE ENTRY with retiring donations

The Preucil School of Music is a non-profit community music school based in Iowa City. The Preucil School String Orchestra is its most advanced ensemble, known for its high level of artistry and professionalism. The orchestra has performed widely across the United States and internationally, appearing at major conferences, festivals and on television. Its international tours span over ten countries, earning accolades including First Prize at the Vienna International Festival for Music and Youth.

Full event details at https://www.facebook.com/events/1733877351317401

Other opportunities to see this ensemble, during their UK tour:

📅 Thursday 18 June, 1.00pm
📍 The Actors Church, Covent Garden, London

📅 Sunday 21 June, 4.30pm
📍 St George's Bristol (Make Music Day UK 2026)

📅 Monday 22 June, 1.00pm
📍 Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon

Follow for updates on other upcoming WOWFest Fringe events and the main festival, taking place from 10–13 July.

🎟️ If you can’t wait, the full festival and fringe programme is now available on our Facebook events tab.

If you’re discovering us for the first time, we’re delighted to share what WOWFest (Wells Orchestral Weekend) is all abo...
13/06/2026

If you’re discovering us for the first time, we’re delighted to share what WOWFest (Wells Orchestral Weekend) is all about.

Launched in 2018 by The International Music Exchange under the patronage of conductor Charles Hazlewood, we’re a biennial festival bringing music and musicians to the beautiful medieval streets of Wells, providing superb concert opportunities and an unforgettable cultural experience for performers and audiences alike.

We welcome youth ensembles from all corners of the globe to England’s smallest city for an intense weekend of workshops, concerts and fun social activities. Eighteen ensembles from all corners of the globe have taken part so far, ranging from symphony orchestras to jazz collectives, choirs and concert bands. They perform joint and solo concerts in iconic venues including the beautiful 12th-century Wells Cathedral, the moated The Bishop's Palace & Gardens and the state-of-the-art Cedars Hall. Participating musicians also have the chance to explore nearby cities and heritage sites and take part in an English Ceilidh and barbecue on the final evening.

WOWFest 2026 takes place from Friday 10th to Monday 13th July, kicking off with a stunning Opening Ceremony at Cedars Hall on Friday at 3pm.

This year, we’re welcoming 150 young people from Brazil, the Netherlands, Ireland and the USA. On Saturday evening they’ll be joined by a further 150 local musicians and singers for a spectacular performance in Wells Cathedral of Carl Orff’s CARMINA BURANA.

Follow for updates as we introduce the ensembles and share more about what’s coming this summer, plus details of WOWFest Fringe concerts taking place across Somerset in June and July.

🎟️ If you can’t wait, the full festival programme is now available on our website and here on Facebook. Check out our events section. Concerts are free with retiring donations unless otherwise stated on the event.

WOWFest posters ready to go! 🌻Look out for FREE concerts across six fabulous venues in Wells, plus our FRINGE events in ...
27/05/2026

WOWFest posters ready to go! 🌻

Look out for FREE concerts across six fabulous venues in Wells, plus our FRINGE events in Bath, Wookey Hole, Priddy and Frome for a total of 14 concerts (and 300+ musicians)!!

Full schedule can be seen here:

https://www.wellsyouthmusicfest.co.uk/2026-Chiltern Arts Festival

St Cuthbert's Church Wells St Thomas's Church Wells Cedars Hall Bishop's Palace & Gardens Visit Wells Visit Wells Somerset Wells City Council

Thank you to Cllr Louis Agabani and to everyone who came to hear the Missouri Baptist University Chorale at St Cuthbert'...
14/05/2026

Thank you to Cllr Louis Agabani and to everyone who came to hear the Missouri Baptist University Chorale at St Cuthbert's Church on Monday night - a fabulous concert, a full house and a fantastic £530 raised for the Skate Park! Thank you so much for your generosity and support! 🥰

Address

The International Music Exchange, 36 Chamberlain Street
Wells
BA52PJ

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 3pm
Tuesday 9am - 3pm
Wednesday 9am - 3pm
Thursday 9am - 3pm
Friday 9am - 3pm

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when WOWFest: Wells Orchestral Weekend posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Establishment

Send a message to WOWFest: Wells Orchestral Weekend:

Shortcuts

Share

Category