Wells Cathedral hits all the right notes this June with music, art, and even a cheeky cider fest on the horizon

By Laura Linham 3rd Jun 2025

Wells Cathedral offers diverse June events: music, art, and charity, highlighted by Nicolas Chuaqui's "Joyful Noise" and a focus on Amnesty International.
Wells Cathedral offers diverse June events: music, art, and charity, highlighted by Nicolas Chuaqui's "Joyful Noise" and a focus on Amnesty International.

Wells Cathedral is rolling out an all-singing, all-drumming, all-dairy programme this month – and there's something on offer for just about everyone.

From headline organ recitals and choral evensongs, to drumming workshops, refugee art, and a celebration of Somerset cider, the June calendar is looking anything but monastic.

While restoration work on the iconic West Front and a spot of filming might see a few service changes, it's not slowing anything else down. Staff say they're grateful for visitors' patience as the Cathedral juggles electrical upgrades, restricted access and cameras on site.

One of the standout events is a performance of Joyful Noise, a new composition by Nicolas Chuaqui written for Assistant Director of Music Carolyn Craig and premiered last month as part of the Sound of Wells Festival. The piece was created to support the Grand Organ Appeal – and it certainly lives up to its name.

For those interested in social justice, June's charity focus is Amnesty International. Visitors can attend a talk in the Education Room on 22 June, or view the accompanying exhibition in the East Cloister from 17 June. There's also a Refugee Awareness Day on 17 June, hosted in collaboration with Mid-Somerset Oxfam.

Amnesty's presence also feeds into Refugee Week, running 16 to 22 June, with themed exhibitions, a special Evensong on 22 June, and tickets to the awareness day available from the Oxfam shop on the High Street.

Choral highlights include a free Evensong at St Cuthbert's on 5 June, and the Wells Cathedral Oratorio Society's Come & Sing day on 21 June, where singers can join a full day of rehearsal and performance of Matthew Coleridge's Requiem.

Meanwhile, budding percussionists are invited to "just come as you are" for the Sounds Joyful drumming and sound bath session on 20 June. No experience needed, just £5 on the door and a willingness to make some noise.

Art lovers can wander through a rotating programme of exhibitions in the South Cloister, featuring work by Caroline Byrne, the Old Bakery Artists, and a collaborative Refugee Week exhibition by Olive Branch Artists, Amnesty, and Oxfam. Rounding off the visual side of things is Canopies and Cathedrals, which explores the links between Gothic architecture and forest forms.

And for those looking ahead – or just hungry – Wells Cathedral has confirmed the first ever Cider and Cheese Festival, taking place inside the Cathedral on Saturday 27 September. Visitors will be able to sample local cider and cheese beneath the vaulted arches, with all proceeds going to support the Cathedral's work.

As for the music? It doesn't stop. The Wells Cathedral School Symphony Orchestra will return to the Nave on 3 July with a full performance of Mahler's monumental Fifth Symphony, conducted by Alice Farnham. Between now and then, there are lunchtime concerts, musical outreach sessions, and the last Choral Evensong of the school year to look forward to.

More information, full listings, and ticket links can be found at www.wellscathedral.org.uk/whats-on.

     

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