Returning to Budleigh Salterton this summer, from July 9 to 17, is the renowned Budleigh Music Festival.
Sporting an impressive programme of talent, with exciting lunchtime and evening concerts, talks and performances to attend in St Peter’s Church, music fans will be spoilt for choice.
One of Britain’s finest pianists specialising in silent film, Neil Brand, will be bringing his inimitable talent and style to Budleigh for the first time with a close look at the iconic comedy duo Laurel & Hardy in a special visual and musical performance on Friday, July 16.
As well as being one of Britain’s finest pianists specialising in playing for silent film, Neil Brand is also a successful TV presenter on shows such as Sound of Filmmusik, Sound of Musicals and most recently his critically acclaimed Sound of TV, all for BBC4. Neil will be welcomed to Budleigh Music Festival for the first time for a close look at the greatly loved comedy duo of Laurel & Hardy and their early silent films, including live performances of the duo.
From their earliest days on opposite sides of the Atlantic in Music Hall and on the stage, to their individual comedy films, Neil will tell the touching story of this great comedy team.
Fully illustrated with stills, clips and Neil’s superlative piano accompaniment the performance culminates in two of Laurel & Hardy’s best silent short films, Big Business and Liberty. This is a show that promises gales of laughter throughout, as well as getting under the skin of two warm, funny men who continue to make the world laugh when it needs it most.


Film also features, with the brilliant and innovative Brodsky Quartet who will be opening the Festival on Friday 9th July alongside celebrated tenor Daniel Norman and critically acclaimed pianist Sholto Kynoch.
Director Jeremy Hamway-Bidgood, has created a moving film to accompany Brodsky’s performance of Vaughan Williams’ masterpiece, On Wenlock Edge. This emotive film uses shadow puppets and contemporary animation with a backdrop of the beautiful rolling Shropshire countryside and the powerful and evocative words of AE Housman exploring themes of love, loss, isolation and ultimately peace; themes that are resonating today more than ever. Maurice Ravel was Vaughan Williams’ teacher shortly before he completed this song cycle and the rest of the programme includes Ravel’s string quartet and explores Vaughan Williams’ love of early church music and Elizabethan madrigals.
Brodsky Quartet comprises successful musicians in their own right, Daniel Rowland, violin; Ian Belton, violin; Paul Cassidy, viola; and Jacqueline Thomas, cello. Their passion to embrace “all good music” has been the driving force behind their success and has kept their approach fresh and their enthusiasm high for thirty years.
For 2021, the Festival organisers have given careful consideration to the need to provide a COVID secure environment which will be in line with the current advice and guidance as is applicable at the time of the Festival in July. Concerts will be limited in capacity this year, meaning audiences will enjoy the live performances in a more intimate setting than ever before with performances at 5pm and 8pm each day lasting just over an hour with no interval. Full details of the Festival’s COVID policy are available on the website.
Tickets for the festival are now on sale. Prospective concertgoers are advised to book early as there is limited availability and many of the performances are expected to sell out. To secure your tickets, and for more information on the full Festival programme, visit www.budleighmusicfestival.co.uk

COMPETITON
To celebrate the countdown to this year’s festival, we are giving you the chance to win two tickets to see successful TV presenter, silent film pianist and Laurel & Hardy fanatic Neil Brand on Friday 16 July at the festival. To enter, email your name with the subject heading Budleigh Music Festival Competition to info@onevoicemedia.co.uk by Wednesday 30th June.
The winner will be contacted directly by Friday 2nd July.