HOT ON the heels of the village’s Jubilee celebrations, Cerne Abbas Music Festival comes of age this weekend.

It is 21 years since the first weekend-long musical event was first held as a celebration of chamber music curated and performed by the world-renowned Gaudier Ensemble.

For each event performers take up residence in the village, staying in private houses between performances. They have become so fond of the village over the years that they now call it their ‘spiritual home’.

The Gaudier Ensemble is a group of European musicians who perform and record the chamber music repertoire for wind, strings and piano.

Its members have distinguished themselves as soloists, chamber musicians, and orchestral principals now working with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, English Chamber Orchestra, The Philharmonia and Nordeutsche Rundfunk Orchestra.

Festival spokesman Peter Neal said: “I think the festival is a success for two reasons. It is very popular with the musicians themselves because they come to Cerne Abbas and are part of the community, staying with villagers, having a nice get-together and meeting their audience.

“From the perspective of the audience, they get to hear some of the best musicians in their field in Europe. They are top musicians from top orchestras and are top chamber musicians and will be giving an excellent performance.”

He added: “The audience will also hear an interesting programme of works and this year the programme includes several pieces that are not played very often so people will get to hear new things and learn different works.”

This year’s four-day event in Dorset, which began last night with a concert of music by Taylor Coleridge, Dvorak and Hurlstone, runs until June 10 and performances include a family concert and an instrumental masterclass.

Tickets are selling well – most concerts already have a capacity of more than 80 per cent – and performances run from tonight until Sunday.

Details about the differeent concerts and booking forms for them can be found at Dorchester TIC in Antelope Walk. Alternatively call 01300 341518 or visit cerneabbas musicfestival.co.uk