Leading chamber musicians and orchestral principals will be coming from across Europe to perform in a Dorset village.

Cerne Abbas Music Festival takes place from Thursday July 26 to Sunday, July 29 at St Mary's Church in Cerne Abbas.

They are leaders or principals of orchestras including The Rotterdam Philharmonic, Covent Garden Opera House, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Salzburg Camerata and The Chamber Orchestra of Europe.

This year there will be a very special late night concert on Friday, July 27 featuring Debussy's ever popular Claire de Lune and Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. Schoenberg’s wonderfully romantic Transfigured Night will close the concert. This work was written before he adopted the 12 tone techniques and shows him at his most eloquent and approachable.

The following morning the coffee concert will showcases all the musicians’ talents with works by Billy Mayerl, Dvořák, Gershwin, Beethoven and others. The musicians will introduce the concert and the informal atmosphere of the concert will entice anyone with an interest in chamber music.

Concerts on Saturday and Sunday include Brahms glorious Piano Quintet, a Mozart piano concerto with one of the country's leading pianists, Susan Tomes. a Dvorak String Sextet and Ravel's glittering Introduction and Allegro for solo Harp and ensemble. Lucy Wakeford from The Royal Opera and Nash Ensemble is the soloist.

There will be a festival talk on Thursday, July 26 at 4.30pm. Robert Philip, a leading lecturer and broadcaster, will discuss the festival programme and this will be illuminated with performances by Royal College of Music students with Susan Tomes

Tickets are still available for these concerts. See cerneabbasmusicfestival.org.uk for more information or call the festival office on 07527 528673.