PAST and present members of the Edington Music Festival will be remembered later this month as the event celebrates its 60th running.

Festival administrator Peter Roberts said: “The idea of this year is not to make it radically different from the previous years but there are a few things we have changed.

“We will have former people coming back from over the years and also 60 faces dotted around the church of former people of the festival who have gone on to great things and a little biography on them.

“The event is fairly unique as although there is the Three Choirs Festival which has been going much longer, they move venue whereas ours has just been in Edington Priory Church.

“We still get a fairly good mix of people, from people who keep in touch with singing but don’t do it that often and young professionals which is another reason what makes it so unique I think.”

First held in 1956, the festival was founded by the Rev Ralph Dudley and David Calcutt in response to concerns that church choirs were being cut to save on money and in a bid to keep the tradition of choral singing alive.

Since then the festival has become one of the oldest annual events of church music in the world.

Taking place from August 23-30, the festival will witness 26 services all of which are free and unticketed with up to 500 people expected to attend during the week.

Music this year includes polyphony from Tallis, Byrd and Buxtehude, through to 20th century with music from Pärt, MacMillan and Messaien, via Mozart, Haydn, Samuel Wesley and Stanford.

August 26 will witness Choral Evensong which will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3, and the service on August 28 will be a Solemn Requiem to commemorate those who have contributed to previous festivals but have passed away.

Mr Roberts added: “There’s something very important about tradition even though the world is changing and it would be a very bold claim to say that choral music doesn’t have a power.

"There’s still something about it which lets people find a moments peace and I think people value that an awful lot.”