Music is an integral part of Carlisle Cathedral’s life and worship and there is a varied programme of events taking place throughout the year – from choral and classical, to jazz, folk, rock and pop – providing many opportunities to enjoy live music within a historical, city centre setting.
From 22 June – 5 July 2025, the Cathedral are hosting a fortnight’s celebration of exceptional musical talent, entitled “Midsummer Sounds”, which will incorporate a varied blend of local, national and international musicians.
The Cantate Children’s Choir, a community choir open to all children, will perform at the “Thank you for the Music” concerts on Tuesday 1 and Thursday 3 July, alongside pupils from three local schools – Burgh-by-Sands, Castle Carrock and High Hesket. The concert will feature pop songs, hits from films and well-known numbers from musicals.
On Saturday 5 July, the Cathedral Choirs will join forces with the choirs from Hexham Abbey and Newcastle Cathedral, for the annual Hadrian’s Choirs Festival Concert. This event was last held in Carlisle during the Cathedral’s 900th anniversary year in 2022. This year’s concert will include music by Rutter, Parry and Wesley.
Carlisle Cathedral also welcomes a range of nationally and internationally renowned musicians to perform in the Fratry Hall throughout the year. On Sunday 22 June, pianist Ida Pelliccioli returns to Carlisle following her first performance here in 2024, to play a selection of Bach Transcriptions by Busoni, Liszt, Kempff and Brahms.
On Thursday 26 June, the Cathedral will host Summer Notes: A Musical Almanac, performed by Jack McNeill (clarinet), Eleanor McIntosh (soprano) and Ursula Leveaux (bassoon). This performance sees some of Cumbria’s finest chamber musicians come together to start a new tradition – a musical almanac. You can expect to hear beautiful miniatures, specially commissioned works from leading composers, reworkings by the ensemble of traditional folk music and familiar classics – all with a particular focus on the time of year.
The proceeds from the events above will raise funds for the Cathedral, which is not centrally funded and relies on the financial support of visitors, worshippers, and the public at large. Tickets for all events are available from the Cathedral website: www.carlislecathedral.org.uk/tickets.
The Cathedral also offers a range of events within their Free Live Music Series which will also feature as part of “Midsummer Sounds”. This programme of recitals provides regular opportunities to hear a variety of live music performances, with no entry fee, in the heart of the city.
The guests will include:
- Wendy Long with Sarah Lewis-Briggs and Isabella Briggs – Tuesday 24 June, 2pm.
- “Socrate” performed by David T. Shingler and sopranos, to mark the 100th Anniversary of the death of composer Erik Satie – Tuesday 1 July, 12.30pm
- Phillip Crozier organ recital – Wednesday 2 July, 2pm
- Kenneth Wilson cello recital – Friday 4 July, 2pm
Kenneth Wilson’s cello recital marks the end of an epic pilgrimage. Since 18 May 2025, Kenneth – a Cumbrian cellist and poet – has been cycling between all 42 Cathedrals in England, with his cello on the back of his bike, performing a recital at the majority of these historic landmarks. This event marks the end of 2000 miles of cycling and will include a performance of a specially-written Meditation – a moving evocation of Jesus’s last hours on the cross, combining Kenneth’s short poems with the timeless solo cello music of Bach.
Please join us during this fortnight of musical celebration in the heart of the city.
