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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260509T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260510T170000
DTSTAMP:20261014T174913
CREATED:20260320T104810Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260320T140451Z
UID:5297-1778320800-1778432400@dorchesterfestival.com
SUMMARY:Live Music on the Cloister Stage
DESCRIPTION:On the second Festival weekend we’ll have FREE live music on the Cloister Stage in the Cloister Garden behind Dorchester Abbey \nEverything from choirs to bands\, singer songwriters to cover bands – it’ll all be there surrounded by lovely food and drink stalls!  So just turn up\, buy a pint or a coffee and some gorgeous lunch or snacks and sit and enjoy the fun and chilled vibes! \nSaturday 9th May \n10.30am Rock Choir\n11am The Greenway Project\n12noon Rock Choir\n12.45 Wally Ukes\n2pm Merlin Bateman-Paris\n3pm Only The Brave \nSunday 10th May \n12noon Aled Bath\n1pm Jody Prewett\n2pm Pandemonium\n3pm Oxford Gospel Choir \nDidcot Rock Choir\nOur local Didcot Rock Choir is run by singing teacher Krisha Kaye and performs at local Oxfordshire music\, food and fireworks festivals and joins other Rock Choirs for national and regional events\, giving members unrivalled performance opportunities and experiences beyond compare\, ranging from appearing at Wembley Stadium to singing at the Rugby!  It’s new friends\, performance achievements\, socials\, an incredible choir leader Krisha and above all – singing beautiful pop song arrangements! \n  \n  \nThe Greenway Project\nThe Greenway Project are a local 5-piece covers band\, featuring sax\, duelling guitars\, bass and their eponymous drummer (you may even spot the Curate!). They play a wide mix of genres\, including rock\, soft rock\, hard rock and sing-along rock. Think Abba to AC/DC. You can judge them by their covers. \nWally Ukes\nWally Ukes is a super friendly local group with a songbook spanning the last 60 years. They play everything from timeless classics to modern hits\, offering something for everyone. With bass\, percussion\, harmonica and more alongside our ukes\, join us for an upbeat session of great songs!  \n  \n  \n  \n Merlin Bateman-Paris\nNow performing solo following his time with The Bartenders covers band\, Merlin Bateman-Paris @mbparismusic plays guitar and harmonica while singing mesmerising songs inspired by folk\, gypsy jazz\, and the blues. \n \nOnly The Brave\nOnly The Brave are a six-piece band from South Oxfordshire. Formed in 2024 the band plays self-penned songs that tell stories of longing and dog-legged lives. Influences range from classic artists like Stephen Stills to the contemporary Jamestown Revival\, Midlake and Waxahatchee. We hope our music dwells with you like an old friend offering bittersweet vignettes for life’s unpredictable path.\nIan Salisbury\, Steve Eyre\, Tara Eyre\, James Arbuckle\, Ian Wild and Chris Baines. Photo: Chris Baines \n  \n \n  \nAled Bath\nThe Still Cans is the solo project of Dorchester-based singer-songwriter Aled Bath\, whose acoustic and electric songs explore life’s universal experiences through the lens of nature and human connection. With memorable hooks and thoughtful lyricism\, his music draws comparisons to Bruce Springsteen\, Tom Petty\, Damien Rice\, and Glen Hansard.\nIn this intimate acoustic performance\, Aled will perform original songs from his forthcoming album “50:50”\, including singles ‘The Ocean In Between Us’\, ‘Amy’\, and ‘Edge of the River’\, alongside fan favourites from his repertoire. Mixing acoustic guitar with lush layered live loops to build rich soundscapes\, he creates a dynamic solo performance that brings depth and texture to each song.\nLinks to songs:Amy – release date 6th March 2026  The Ocean In Between Us – release date 6th February 2026\nYouTube: Edge of the River (live @ The Snug in September 2025) \nJody Prewett \nAs the former lead singer and guitarist of the critically acclaimed band Trophy Wife\, Jody has a varied and rich musical background.\n​The band’s single “Microlite\,” released on Moshi Moshi Records\, became a cult favourite; championed by Zane Lowe\, Mark Riley and Tom Ravenscroft amongst others. Extensive touring followed alongside heavyweights such as Bombay Bicycle Club\, Foals\, Two Door Cinema Club and No Age at venues such as Brixton Academy\,  The Troxy\, Amsterdam Paradiso\, London Koko and Kentish Town Forum. The band also appeared at many prodigious festivals including Pukkelpop Belgium\, Lowlands Holland\, Dockville in Hamburg\, Latitude and Bestival\, promoted a debut album release in Japan and  landed a slot opening for Ed Sheeran in Paris.\n​After this whirlwind of success and the bands demise\, Jody took a wholly necessary step back from the music industry\, pursuing his other passion for working in education\, a field he has worked in for many years. Jody is now a well established and in demand music educator.\n​However\, his creative impulses never evaporated and his recent album of guitar instrumentals\, inspired by time spent in nature\, entitled “Trails\,” showcased his fledgling brand of cinematic folk. A set of intricately arranged neo-classical and folk pieces that unfold “like the evolving landscape of a walk” (Joyzine).  \nHis most recent release\, River Songs\, is a collection of intimate\, imagistic folk ballads that draw upon his love for artists such as John Martyn\, James Taylor and Sufjan Stevens. The album has a nostalgic\, fantasy-tinged sense of romance that “brings to mind a minstrel traversing the fields of Albion” (​No Transmission).  \n​Both releases have at their core a deep love for being in nature and finding solace and peace through feeling connected and indebted to the wild.\n2026 is set be a busy year as Jody releases a new album called ‘Places Beyond’. The 10-songs are see Jody exploring a more expansive sound with greater depth of textures\, ambience and more detailed instrumentation than previous releases. The album could be described as ‘sci-fi folk’; a narrative of unexplained phenomena runs throughout\, from crop circles and UFO’s to clairvoyants and standing stones. With the album approaching the final stages of completion\, more details will follow soon. \nPandemonium \nPandemonium is a versatile music group based in Wantage\, Oxfordshire\, who sing and play a variety of instruments\, including: melodeon\, recorder\, English concertina\, bodhran (Irish hand drum)\, guitar\, bass\, violin\, piccolo\, Irish banjo and mandolin. Their repertoire includes tunes\, monologues\, recitations\, and poetry – serious and light-hearted – and they sing popular songs with an emphasis on fun and informality. \nThe Oxford Gospel Choir \nThe Oxford Gospel Choir\, now celebrating its 21st year\, is a vibrant community choir where everyone is welcome to join in singing an uplifting repertoire of Gospel and popular music that inspires and uplifts. In 2024\, they celebrated our 20th year.   A friendly and diverse group of singers from Oxfordshire\, embracing all beliefs\, ages\, and abilities with rehearsals as much about community and fun as they are about music\, coming together each week to share in the joy of singing. \nThey follow traditional Gospel teaching methods\, learning by listening and copying rather than using music scores. This approach allows the songs to become part of them\, so they can sing from memory\, freeing them to dance\, groove\, and fully express the joy in the music.  They are joint holders of the Guinness World Record for the largest-ever Gospel choir performance\, singing alongside 1\,200 other voices. They’ve also twice been finalists in the BBC Songs of Praise Gospel Choir of the Year competition. \n​ \n  \nShare this:\n				Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)\n				Facebook\n			\n				Share on X (Opens in new window)\n				X
URL:https://dorchesterfestival.com/event/live-music-on-the-cloister-stage/
LOCATION:Dorchester Abbey\, High Street\, Dorchester-on-Thames\, Oxfordshire\, OX10 7HH\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Free!,Music,Other
ORGANIZER;CN="Dorchester Festival":MAILTO:festival@dorchester-abbey.org.uk
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260509T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260509T213000
DTSTAMP:20261014T174913
CREATED:20220106T112926Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260215T092344Z
UID:3922-1778355000-1778362200@dorchesterfestival.com
SUMMARY:Symphonic Abba - The Thames Valley Festival Orchestra
DESCRIPTION:Tickets £30/£25/£20\nChildren 16 and under half price\nThere will be a section of seats reserved at the very front of the nave for Festival Friends at this concert.  Festival Friend privileges include early booking and the best seats in the house!  Do consider becoming a Friend – find out more about it here. \nThe Thames Valley Festival Orchestra returns to Dorchester Abbey with their 65 piece symphony orchestra and a brand new programme: ‘An Evening of Symphonic ABBA’.  This follows their sold out performances of ‘An Evening of Symphonic Prog Rock’ in September 2025 and ‘A Symphonic Tribute to Queen’ in April 2024.  They fill the Abbey with the sounds of these amazing orchestral arrangements by Louis Clark of the most popular music of the legendary band\, ABBA. \nTo celebrate 52 years since ABBA won the Eurovision Song Contest in the UK\, the orchestra will perform perennial favourites such as SOS\, Mamma Mia\, I Have a Dream\, Money Money Money\, Chiquitita\, Dancing Queen\, Super Trouper and many more. \nLouis Clark was legendary for his work as keyboard player and string arranger with The Electric Light Orchestra\, ELO Part II and The Orchestra and for creating the Hooked on Classics series of recordings.  These superb arrangements show off the orchestra in its full range of colour and sound. \nConductor: Stephen Ellery                            Leader: Guy Haskell \nIf you need disabled parking or access do contact us here with your requirements – we’d love to help you! \n  \nShare this:\n				Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)\n				Facebook\n			\n				Share on X (Opens in new window)\n				X
URL:https://dorchesterfestival.com/event/tvfo/
LOCATION:Dorchester Abbey\, High Street\, Dorchester-on-Thames\, Oxfordshire\, OX10 7HH\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Music,Other
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