Music for Midwinter
The much-anticipated Music For Midwinter festival is on its way and tickets are flying out the door. The festival is being put on by Sounds St Leonards, an organisation set up by Holly Harman to bring world-class music, from all manner of diverse traditions, to this town.
Opening the three-night festival, on Thursday 29 January, are Lisa Knapp and Gerry Diver, who bring their twisty esoteric folk sounds to Studio 27, White Rock Theatre and tell tales of fiery spirits and the wyrdlands to set the mood for Imbolc, the Celtic Festival of Brigid. Included on both The Guardian’s Top Ten Folk Albums of 2025 and Best Songs of 2025 lists, Lisa and Gerry will be playing music from their plaudit-winning album, Hinterland,beginning around 8pm.
The second night of the Festival, Friday 30 January, sees a triple-bill of folk artists at The Crown House: Mikey Kenney bringing us his whimsical music and songs from the Northwest and Ireland; oud player Tarek Elazhary with maqams and melodies from the Arabic World; and Anna Rheingans with Occitan and European folk tunes and fiddle songs. Doors open at 7pm, with music beginning around 7:30pm.
Making medieval cool again are the renowned Idrîsî Ensemble on Saturday 31 January, with their new programme, Trinity and Quadrivium, in an atmospheric candlelit concert the night before Candlemas at Christ Church, St Leonards. Singing music by Hildegard von Bingen alongside ancient Corsican and Occitan hymns, this really is one not to be missed.
If you are feeling a little of the January blues, this may just be the midwinter boost you need.
Tickets, including an access-all pass, are available via sounds-stleonards.co.uk/music-for-midwinter
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