St. Birinus Festival
Thursday 16 October to Sunday 19 October, 2025
Dorchester Abbey
High Street
Dorchester-on-Thames OX10 7HH
A full weekend of sung liturgy in the ancient Roman Rite, in the beautiful medieval Dorchester Abbey in Oxfordshire.
The Southwell Concert will be conducted by Ryan Wigglesworth and Gareth Wilson, and joined by the Davey Consort and The Western Wyndes (historic brass ensemble). We will sing the main liturgical offices of the Church (Matins, Mass, Vespers, Compline) including Pontifical Mass for the solemnity of St Frideswide, great Saint of the diocese.
The services will be sung in full Gregorian Chant and Polyphony, accompanied by historic instruments, to make the weekend a feast of sacred music of the highest quality. As well as our own pre-reformation music of Byrd and Tallis, we will be celebrating Palestrina’s 500 year anniversary.
Highlights will include the 6 part Victoria Requiem sung within the liturgy for which it was composed, and Soriano’s Missa Papae Marcelli for 8 voices at the Pontifical Mass. The Dominican Rite will be celebrated by Fr. Lawrence Lew, OP, and the 1962 Pontifical Mass and Vespers by Dom Cuthbert Brogan OSB, Abbot of Farnborough.
Learn more about the services and get free admission.
Thursday 16 October, 17:30
Second vespers of St. Hedwig
Dorchester Abbey
Palestrina and the Roman School
Southwell Consort, Davey Consort, Western Wyndes
Thursday 16 October, 21:00
Compline
Dorchester Abbey
Venitian School
Southwell Consort, Davey Consort, Western Wyndes
Friday 17 October, 09:00
Matins of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
Dorchester Abbey
Palestrina and the Roman School
Southwell Consort
Friday 17 October, 11:00
Requiem Mass
Dorchester Abbey
Victoria, Lobo, Croce
Southwell Consort, Davey Consort, Western Wyndes
Friday 17 October, 15:30
First vespers of St. Frideswide
Dorchester Abbey
Palestrina and the Roman School
Southwell Consort, Western Wyndes
Saturday 18 October, 10:30
Pontifical Mass: St. Frideswide
Dorchester Abbey
Soriano, Palestrina and the Roman school
Southwell Consort, Davey Consort, Western Wyndes
Saturday 18 October, 17:00
Second vespers of St. Frideswide
Pre-reformation English School
Dorchester Abbey
Southwell Consort
Support the St. Birinus Festival
The St. Birinus Festival at Dorcester Abbey is a major undertaking for The Southwell Consort. We appreciate your contributions toward helping us present this music of rarely heard liturgies in an extraordinary location.
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