Welcome to the programme for Hexham Abbey Festival 2026 – a glorious long weekend of live music in the heart of Hexham!
Tickets for events taking place in the Abbey go on sale at 10am, Friday 19 June from the Queen’s Hall Box Office, Hexham.
Wednesday 23 September; 6.30pm
Festival Choral Evensong
The combined choirs of Hexham Abbey Matthew Kelley, Assistant Director of Music
No Ticket Required
Thursday 24 September; 1pm
Lunchtime Guitar Recital:
Ian Watt
Guitarist Ian Watt fills Hexham Abbey’s lovely North Transept with solo guitar music including Agustin Barrios Mangoré’s classic, La Catedral.
Thursday 24 September; 7.30pm
Danny Driver (piano): Goldberg Variations
A dazzling performance that opens and closes with one of the most beautiful melodies ever written, with 32 stunning variations in between.
Sponsored by: Nick Rossiter
Friday 25 September; 1pm
Singing Truth to Power with Oskar Cox-Jensen, Vic Gammon & Nancy Kerr
Delve into our shared history and celebrate songs that have given voice to protest and dissent in the North East and beyond.
Sponsored by: Martyn Farrer & Gill Turner
Friday 25 September; 7.30pm
Candlelight Concert: APOLLO5
These fantastic singers return to Hexham Abbey with a choral journey, The Crossing, along the pilgrim way from Canterbury to Rome.
Sponsored by: Chris & Jennifer Britton
Saturday 26 September; 7.30pm
Hexham Abbey Festival Chorus & Orchestra: Beethoven 1807
The programme features a top line-up of vocal soloists performing Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy and Mass in C, as well as a solo performance of Appassionata by distinguished pianist Martin Roscoe. Conducted by David Murray.
Sponsored by: Parmley Graham Ltd
Sunday 27 September; 10am
Festival Choral Eucharist
The combined choirs of Hexham Abbey
Matthew Kelley, Assistant Director of Music
No ticket required
Sunday 27 September; 2pm
Silent Movie – South:
Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Glorious Epic of the Antarctic
A record of one of the greatest survival stories in the history of exploration, now considered the world’s first documentary feature. With live music – and popcorn!
Sunday 27 September; 7.30pm
The Ayoub Sisters Quartet
The Scottish/Egyptian duo bring together folk melodies from Lebanon, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria and Scotland.
Sponsored by: Hexham Violin Shop Ltd; Robert & Christine Hull; Hexham Rotary Club