VIDEO: Some of the highlights you can expect at this year's Festival of Chichester

This year’s Festival launch will be on the Cathedral Green on Saturday, June 10, 1.30pm. Special guests will declare the festival open while a series of performers offer tasters that set the tone for the month of fun and celebration ahead. The Andrew Bernardi Music Group will be there to give a teaser for the concert you can hear in full later that evening in the Cathedral. Music elements in the festival will include a Cathedral lunchtime concert from the Plaegan Piano Trio; Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in the Cathedral with Midsummer Melody; Chichester Music Society hosting the Endymion Ensemble; and Voices Of Greece: Zabetas from Plastikes Karekles in St Paul’s Church, Chichester. There will also be a Last Night Of The Proms concert by The Royal Marines Association Concert Band in St Paul’s Church plus The Chichester Singers’ 70th anniversary concert in Chichester Cathedral. Lynden Cranham will offer Bach’s Cello Suites And Tea while La Folie Consort will visit Bognor Regis Music Club at The Regis School of Music, Bognor Regis. Poetry & Jazz Cafe in The Assembly Room will feature award-winning poet and novelist Penelope Shuttle plus jazz saxophonist Jo Fooks. Maestra: 900 Years Of Choral Music By Female Composers will bring Sonare to St Peter’s Place, Fishbourne; Chichester Jazz Club will welcome The Re-Birth Octet; and Midsummer Sounds In Brass will come from Chichester City Band, St Paul’s Church, Chichester. Ensemble Reza and the St Richard Singers also appear.

In the spoken word section, Steven Frank, child survivor of The Holocaust will share his story. There will also be a homecoming event from author Isabel Ashdown. Greg Mosse will offer a day-long course at West Dean College entitled How To Write A Mystery Novel; author Simon Brett talks about his life and work; and Cicestrian and international best-selling author Kate Mosse offers the exclusive Festival of Chichester launch of her new breath-taking novel The Ghost Ship. Chichester Fringe is back from Thursday, June 1 to Sunday, June 18; and New Theatre Productions return to West Dean Gardens: June 24, 28, 30, July 6 and July 8, 7.30pm with Habeas Corpus and June 27, 29, July 1, 5 and 7, 7.30pm with Outside Edge. Chichester Cabaret Club and All That Malarkey return. New festival co-ordinator Mark Elliott is delighted with the line-up: “The first tickets I plan to book are for Alan Green’s walking tour of Georgian Chichester (event WT3) – every year they sell out before I can get one so I’ll endeavour to hurry this time. I’m fascinated to find out what Amanda Waring means by the ‘magic of bardic alchemy’ but will find out when she launches her Medicine Stories in Bosham (event SW16). I adore the Bishop Palace Gardens which this year will host intriguing Art in the Park sessions (event A5) and an outdoor big sing (event M40).

“The very first time I remember hearing live classical music was a magical performance of Dvorak’s From the New World symphony in a moodily half-lit Chichester Cathedral, nearly half a century ago. So I am very excited to discover that the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra will be bringing their rendition to the cathedral for this year’s festival (event M8). Similarly exciting will be the Andrew Bernardi Group’s imaginative pairing of Holst’s Planets with a much newer interstellar composition for electric viola (event M3). And always delightful are outdoor picnic events at Halnaker Park Cottage (TM10, TM14).”

Book your tickets. Online: www.thenovium.org/boxoffice; email: [email protected]; phone: 01243 816525 or 775888; in person: The Novium, Tower Street, Chichester, PO19 1QH.

For phone and in-person bookings the box office is open Tuesday to Friday 10am-4.30pm & Saturday 10am-5pm.

If anyone can help distribute brochures, please contact [email protected]