Purbeck Art Weeks Festival

The Purbeck Arts Week Festival (PAW) 2026 brings together music, visual art, and poetry in a vibrant programme of nine concerts, alongside an illustrated talk, a children’s storytelling workshop, a vocal workshop and our annual open mic poetry evening.

Festival favourites I Fagiolini open with a characteristically bold programme, We’re Not Dead Yet, celebrating 40 years of their existence. Rising stars Parnassus Ensemble perform cantatas by Bach, Kuhnau, and Pachelbel, with artist Jérémie Queyras painting live in response.

Central to our festival events is a specially curated festival weekend running from 29–31 May with five concerts. We begin with leading medieval specialist Grace Newcombe and her trio, reimagining songs from the South West through medieval folk fusion. Grace also leads a vocal workshop exploring the sound world of Middle England, and performs an intimate duo programme of medieval songs with Elizabeth Sommers. Violinist Lizzie Ball and accordionist Miloš Milivojević bring to life the creative and passionate relationship between Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky, while Fieri Consort explores the remarkable female voices of 16th-century Italy. In a late-night concert, lutenist Toby Carr launches his solo album Softest Thunder.

For the final weekend, The Whispering Dome unites professional musicians with local singers and children in traditional music from Morocco, The Gambia, and Europe, tracing the nightingale’s migratory path. The festival closes with tenor Guy Cutting and a stellar period-instrument ensemble in a glorious programme of Handel opera and oratorio.