WOWFest: Wells Orchestral Weekend

24/07/2026

🎶 Beyond the concert stage 🎶

While WOWFest is about great concerts and inspiring performance opportunities for young musicians, some of the most meaningful moments happen away from the spotlight.

The 2026 festival wasn't just about making music, it was about making connections. Over the festival period participants shared meals, shared the stage, made music together and danced and sang together, creating friendships and memories that will last a lifetime.

The weekend came to a joyful close with a samba party and an English ceilidh in the Bishop's Barn and a private Closing Ceremony at St Cuthbert's Church where the visiting ensembles performed for one another; the finale was filled with music, dancing, laughter and reflection.

These experiences are every bit as important as the concerts themselves. They are where confidence grows, friendships are formed, cultures are shared, and young musicians discover just how much more of the world is accessible through music.

If you came to WOWFest 2026, we'd love to hear your favourite memories.

22/07/2026

🎶 From 10–13 July 2026, music filled Wells 🎶

From the grandeur of Wells Cathedral to the lively The Bishop's Palace & Gardens Café Courtyard, from the state-of-the-art Cedars Hall to the city's historic churches, audiences gathered to hear over 250 musicians from around the world perform at WOWFest 2026.

Throughout the weekend, local residents, families, tourists and faithful festival supporters enjoyed performances by the Leon Fleisher Academy (USA), Irish Chamber Orchestra Youth (Irish Chamber Orchestra Education), Haydn Jeugd Strijkorkest (Netherlands) and Orquestra Jovem Gerais (Brazil), plus Bristol Classical Players and the WOWFest Community Chorus!

Thank you, Wells, for being such a warm and welcoming audience.

A heartfelt thank you, too, to all our concert venues for opening their doors and providing such inspiring spaces for WOWFest young musicians to perform. Each venue helped create a unique atmosphere and played an important part in making WOWFest such a special weekend.

For our visiting musicians, listening to and supporting one another was also an important part of the WOWFest experience. Whether at the Opening and Closing Ceremonies or in each other's public concerts, they championed each other with the same enthusiasm they brought to the stage themselves.

✨ What was your WOWFest 2026 highlight? We'd love to hear your favourite memories in the comments.

17/07/2026

First round of pics from WOWFest 2026! 🥰☀️🎶

Thank you so much to all of our fantastic musicians, you were an absolute joy to host and Wells misses you!! Please come back soon 😊

More pictures and videos to follow next week!

Haydn Jeugd Strijkorkest Orquestra Jovem Gerais Irish Chamber Orchestra Education Leon Fleisher Academy Bristol Classical Players

16/07/2026

Wow, what a few days it has been at WOWFest 2026! 🎶

We were honoured to welcome more than 100 young musicians from around the world to England's smallest city, Wells, for an unforgettable weekend of music, collaboration, friendship and fun.

Joining us this year were the Leon Fleisher Academy (Maryland, USA), Irish Chamber Orchestra Youth (Limerick, Ireland), Haydn Youth String Orchestra (Groningen, Netherlands) and Orquestra Jovem Gerais (Minas Gerais, Brazil). They performed across Wells' iconic venues, took part in workshops and masterclasses with local experts, explored the historic sights of the city and built friendships that reached far beyond the concert stage.

From the festival's official opening by the Mayor of Wells, Councillor Denise Denis, in Cedars Hall, to Saturday night's epic performance of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana in a packed Wells Cathedral, featuring more than 200 local musicians and singers, to the closing celebrations with a samba party and English ceilidh, there were far too many memorable moments to capture in a single post.

For now, we'll leave the final words to one of our visiting musicians. Keep following over the coming weeks as we'll look back on more highlights, reflections and memories from an unforgettable festival.

"Through music we are not simply travelling around the world. We're learning to connect with different cultures, different audiences and most importantly, one another."

A huge thank you to the many people who made WOWFest 2026 possible including staff, volunteers, partners, venues and local businesses. 🎶

15/07/2026

14/07/2026

A UK-Brazil farewell to Orquestra Jovem Gerais thanks to Wells' Samba Do Bispo. on Sunday night - what an epic way to end their time here in Wells!
You have taken the local audiences and community by storm - it has been an absolute pleasure to host you. Enjoy the rest of your UK tour! 🥁💃🎻

12/07/2026

FINAL CHANCE to see the Haydn Youth String Orchestra and Orquestra Jovem das Gerais in action at the WOWFest Closing Ceremony, St Cuthbert’s church tomorrow at 10am- limited places available!

12/07/2026

A huge congratulations to Qinkai Zhao and Yuchen Guo from the Leon Fleisher Academy (USA), who performed with Bristol Classical Players, the WOWFest Community Chorus and Wells Cathedral Youth Choir & Song Squad in last night's unforgettable performance of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana in Wells Cathedral.

Pictured here outside the Cathedral following the concert with the Academy's founder Tian Lu, fellow young pianists from the Academy and friends and family joining them on their UK tour.