Windsor holds Spring Festival

As Easter falls early this year, the Windsor Festival Spring Weekend, Thursday 6 - Sunday 9 March, sponsored by Honda, will explore some wonderful music on the theme of the Passion of Christ.

The Festival programme will also include a performance by talented young musicians from Chetham’s School of Music, a visit by Dame Jacqueline Wilson, a literary lunch with presentations and book signings from well known figures, guided walks and children’s theatrical events.

The Spring Weekend begins with a Thursday afternoon tour of the Chapel and Founder’s building at Royal Holloway College and a rare opportunity to see Virginia Park, the former Holloway Sanatorium. A cream tea is included.

On the first evening a Festival highlight will be the performance of ‘Passiontide Reflections’ in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle by the Lay Clerks of the Chapel with solo organ by Timothy Byram-Wigfield, directed by Roger Judd. Their performance will feature Olivier Messiaen’s Les Corps Glorieux (The Glorious Body, 1939), which also marks the centenary of the French composer’s birth. Movements of this meditation will be interspersed with settings of Lamentations by English Tudor composers such as Tallis, Byrd and Parsley.

Other special concerts include the Saturday evening performance of Mendelssohn’s oratorio, Elijah, in St George’s Chapel by the Chetham’s School of Music with Paul McCreesh, Artistic Director of the Gabrieli Consort, a quartet of international soloists and massed choirs. This is the first visit for this great music school to Windsor Castle. Another musical highlight will be the Festival finale, a performance of Bach’s St John Passion at St Michael’s Church, Bray with the Pepys Ensemble and the Church Choir conducted by Oliver Gooch.

Literary Series
The weekend’s literary series starts with a lunch on the Friday at Sir Christopher Wren’s House Hotel, Windsor with presentations and book signings by former Fleet Street journalist Katharine Whitehorn and Sir Jeremy Isaacs, legendary television documentary producer who became the first CEO of Channel 4.

Other literary events include a lively sounding debate on Saturday morning discussing the four ‘Great English Monarchs’ with historians Justin Pollard for Alfred the Great; Alison Weir for Henry VIII; Sarah Gristwood for Elizabeth I and Kate williams for Queen Victoria. There will be an opportunity for audience participation followed by a book signing.

Children’s Events
There will also be a children’s literary event on Saturday afternoon at Windsor’s Theatre Royal with popular author and former Children’s Laureate Dame Jacqueline Wilson talking about her life as a writer and introducing her new book My Sister Jodie. Dame Jacqueline is a former Children’s Laureate and is the most-borrowed author from Britain’s libraries. Recommend for children aged eight years and over.

The children’s programme includes several performances of The Gruffalo returning to the Theatre Royal on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday in association with the Windsor Festival. This hugely successful children’s show is a lot of scary fun for children of three and upwards – and their parents too!

Guided Walks and After Dinner Talks
On Friday and Saturday mornings there will be an opportunity to join guided walks in the Crown Estate and Windsor Great Park led by with Bill Cathcart, Superintendent of Parks.

The Festival has also linked with the Windsor & Eton Society for their annual black tie dinner at Dorney Lake Club House on Saturday evening, 7 March when the guest speaker will be politician and academic Baroness Williams of Crosby.

Booking Information
To book, write to Windsor Festival Society, 3 Park Street, Windsor, Berkshire SL4 1LU or visit Windsorfestival.com. A box office will also be open at the Information Centre in the Old Booking Hall, Windsor Royal Shopping (opposite Windsor Castle) every day 10am-4pm.