A week-long Julius Benedict Festival, organised by Music in the Burnhams, is taking place in The Burnhams, North Norfolk from 19 to 24 July 2026.
Presented in collaboration with the Museum of Music History, the festival will begin with an Evensong featuring St Martin’s Voices, the choir of St Martin-in-the-Fields, singing excerpts from Benedict’s cantata The Legend of St Cecilia, to be recorded for future broadcast on BBC Radio 4 as the Daily Service on 22nd November, St Cecilia’s Day.
Every morning from Monday to Thursday Dr Philip Carli, world-renowned Benedict scholar, will give talks on Benedict’s life, charting the journey from his birth in Stuttgart (1804) to his move to London (1836) where he finally settled. During his life he had lessons with Hummel in Weimar (1820) and Weber in Dresden (1821) before meeting Beethoven in Vienna (1823).
Throughout the week lunchtime and evening concerts will take place in ‘Nelson’s Church’, All Saints, Burnham Thorpe, and on Friday the grand orchestral finale will be played by the London Chamber Orchestra conducted by Christopher Warren-Green, with Weber’s overture to Oberon, Benedict’s second piano concerto and Mendelssohn’s Italian Symphony.
For more information and to book, visit the festival website.