Purbeck Art Weeks Festival 2025

Start: Saturday, May 24, 2025 10:00AM
End: Sunday, June 8, 2025 5:00PM

From stunning visual arts to world-class music performances, PAW continues to celebrate the rich cultural landscape of Purbeck. At the heart of the festival is our vibrant Rollington Barn exhibition, showcasing works from emerging and established artists, alongside the Purbeck Young Artists exhibition, which highlights wonderful creations by local schoolchildren. Visitors can also explore Open Studios, where artists invite the public into their creative spaces, offering a unique insight into their work. Music lovers can look forward to an extraordinary lineup of concerts and other events, bringing internationally acclaimed musicians and performers to stunning venues across the region. The festival also features engaging talks, poetry nights, workshops, and a special outdoor picnic performance at Careys Secret Garden. 2025 Programme Highlights: PAW 2025 promises a rich and varied line-up, bringing internationally acclaimed musicians and performers to stunning venues across the region. Highlights include: ?? Saturday 24 May, 6pm – Lady St Mary Church, Wareham Concert: Apollo’s Cabinet: A fascinating exploration of 18th-century baroque theatre music. ??Sunday 25 May, lunchtime – St Peter Church, Church Knowle Concert: Ayres Extemporae & Hannah Ely, ‘Bach and His Roots’: A journey through the influences that shaped Bach, featuring music by Schein, Buxtehude, and Erlebach, with the winners of the 2024 York International Young Artists Competition at the National Centre for Early Music. ?? Wednesday 28 May, 10.30am - 11.30am - The Mowlem, Swanage Storytelling workshop for children (4 - 8 years) with acclaimed travel writer Nick Jubber. Also a Mini-Festival weekend: ?? Friday 30 May, 6pm – Lady St Mary Church, Wareham Concert: Stile Antico, ‘Palestrina 500’: A tribute to one of the greatest Renaissance composers, marking 500 years since his birth from this Grammy award-winning group. ?? Saturday 31 May, 10:30am-12:30pm - Lady St Mary Church, Wareham Workshop for Singers – A fantastic opportunity for singers of all levels to refine their skills led by singers from Stile Antico. ?? Saturday 31 May, 1:45pm - Lady St Mary Church, Wareham (Concert & Talk) A talk on Handel’s Art Collection followed by a 2:30pm concert, Augelletti Ensemble with Alex Chance (BBC New Generation Baroque Ensemble). ?? Saturday 31 May, 5:30pm - Lady St Mary Church, Wareham Concert: Sarabande (with Sam Boden, Hilary Cronin, Katie Bray), ‘Love After the Storm’: French cantatas from the salons of Rameau and his contemporaries. ?? Saturday 31 May, 9:30pm - Lady St Mary Church, Wareham Concert: Ensemble Gamut & Aino Peltomaa A musical exploration of Finnish mythology mixing medieval sounds with electronics. ?? Sunday 1 June, 2pm - St Edward Church, Corfe Castle Concert: Toby Carr, Liz Kenny & Nicholas Mulroy, ‘Cubaroque’: A fusion of early and modern Argentinian sounds. — ??Monday 2 June, 7.30pm - Royal British Legion, Swanage Poetry open mic night with Martin Hobdell ?? Wednesday 4 June, 6pm – 7pm - The Mowlem, Swanage Writing workshop for adults with acclaimed travel writer Nick Jubber ?? Friday 6 June, 7pm - The Mowlem, Swanage Talk by acclaimed travel writer Nick Jubber ?? Saturday 7 June, 4pm – Careys Secret Garden, Wareham Echoing Air - ‘The Fairy Queen’: picnic performance, featuring local primary school students. Stay tuned for more! For the latest updates, concert details, and ways to get involved, visit www.purbeckartweeksfestival.co.uk or follow us on social media @purbeckartweeks