St Birinus Festival

The St Birinus Festival is a celebration of sacred music, in particular from the 16th- and 17th-century Renaissance and early Baroque and Gregorian chant. During four days in July we hold concerts, liturgies, recitals, talks and workshops on early sacred music.

In 635 St Birinus brought Christianity – and Gregorian chant – to Dorchester-on-Thames, where he baptised the king of Wessex. It is fitting that in this glorious abbey church, which was the episcopal seat of St Birinus, we come together to celebrate the feast of St Birinus in all due pomp and ceremony.

The highlight of the 2026 Festival will be Claudio Monteverdi’s Vespro della Beata Vergine (Vespers for the Blessed Virgin) of 1610, a monumental early Baroque masterpiece blending traditional polyphony with innovative operatic styles. It features 13 movements for soloists, choir, and orchestra, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and stands as a pivotal, dramatic, and deeply emotional work of sacred music.

This will be performed by the massed choirs and period instruments of the festival and directed by Sinfonia Smith Square director Simon Over, with soloists Sophie Bevan MBE, Anastasia Bevan and Ana Beard Fernandez.

The overarching musical theme of the festival will be Iberian Renaissance music. The Festival Mass of St Birinus will be celebrated by the Abbot and monks of Farnborough Abbey and will feature a Mass for three choirs by Tomas Luis de Victoria.

Other concerts and recitals will be given by period-instrument ensembles such as the Guerrero Baroque Collective, the Davey Consort directed by Ryan Wigglesworth, and the Southwell Consort directed by Dominic Bevan.

There will be more than 21 musical and cultural events, including workshops on Gregorian Chant and the opportunity to try out historical instruments, for adults and children alike. We very much look forward to seeing you there.