Concert kicks off Freemantle Music Festival (From Daily Echo)

Concert kicks off Freemantle Music Festival

8:00am Saturday 16th June 2012 in News By Melanie Adams, Health Reporter

MUSIC will be filling the aisles of a Southampton church for the next seven days as the first ever Freemantle Music and Arts Festival is launched today.

Performers from professional and amateur backgrounds will be coming from as far afield as Sheffield for daily concerts and exhibitions at Christ Church in Freemantle to raise money for charity.

The Reverend Brian Cox and Craig Lawton have organised the artistic extravaganza to make the most of the beautiful city church while bringing the community together.

It will kick-start with a concert tonight, followed by 40-minute lunchtime concerts throughout the week, evening ensembles and ending with a summer fete with the local schools next Saturday.

Craig said: “It is about opening the church up and engaging with the community. A lot of the time the church sits empty but it has a big and adaptable space that we want to start making the most of.

“It really is a great way of making music and having the church open and hopefully people will come and join in.”