Celebrate Voice Returns for 13th Festival

Tickets are now on sale for the 13th Celebrate Voice Festival, and audiences are responding in record numbers, with advance sales already surpassing anything the Salisbury-based festival has seen in its 13-year history.

Running from 21–31 October 2026, this year’s Celebrate Voice brings an extraordinary line-up of internationally celebrated artists to Salisbury, alongside new opera, theatre, choral, folk and musical theatre, participatory events and the Festival’s much-loved community programme.

Opening the Festival at St Thomas’s Church on 21 October is The Sixteen, conducted by Harry Christophers, with An Immortal Legacy – a journey through more than 500 years of British choral music. 

The programme ranges from Tallis and Byrd to Britten, Tippett and Sir James MacMillan.

The line-up continues with viral folk phenomenon The Wellermen; legendary bass-baritone Sir Willard White performing with the Brodsky Quartet; and Liza Pulman and Joe Stilgoe celebrating a century of movie musicals in Hooray for Hollywood.

The Festival closes in intimate style with two of Britain’s most distinguished jazz artists, Norma Winstone and Nikki Iles, bringing their long musical partnership to Salisbury Medieval Hall.

At the heart of the programme is a brand-new Celebrate Voice production of Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld, given an irreverent 1970s sitcom makeover. Featuring leading opera singers in the Festival’s famously intimate style, the production plays four performances at Salisbury Medieval Hall.

The programme also includes twice Edinburgh Fringe First-winning The Horse of Jenin by Alaa Shehada; Edinburgh hit FLOP! – Best Songs from the Worst Musicals; and Voice & Vitality, a day of singing, acting and movement led by internationally renowned composer Bob Chilcott, Robert Gildon and Festival artists.

Families can join Simon Panrucker for the gloriously silly Ridiculous Songs for Kids, while Emerging Voices gives outstanding singers aged 12–20 from across Wiltshire the chance to perform in a professional Festival setting.

But Celebrate Voice has always been about far more than the headline artists. Its community programme sits at the heart of the charity’s work, bringing people together through singing, creativity and shared experience. Celebrate Age, the Festival’s much-loved event for older people, is already fully booked for 2026, while Singing SENDsations welcomes people of all ages with learning disabilities and their caregivers for a joyful day creating original musical theatre alongside professional artists.

Celebrate Voice Founder and Artistic Director Lynsey Docherty said, “There is something very special happening around Celebrate Voice this year.

"Whilst we are fortunate each year to sell out many events, we have never seen tickets move at this pace before, and after 13 years it is wonderful to feel that excitement building so early.

“We have always believed that audiences in Salisbury should be able to experience extraordinary artists right here on their doorstep, in beautiful, intimate venues where you can genuinely feel close to the performance. This year we have some of the most distinguished names in music alongside exciting new artists, young local singers, families and our community participants.

“That combination of world-class artistry and joyful community participation is what Celebrate Voice is all about. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who supports us, and we can’t wait to welcome audiences back this October.”

Founded in Salisbury in 2013, Celebrate Voice has grown into a distinctive multi-genre festival bringing world-class vocal artists together with deep community participation. More than 50 volunteers help make the Festival possible each year, with events taking place across Salisbury Medieval Hall, St Thomas’s Church, Salisbury Arts Centre and Salisbury Methodist Church.

Celebrate Voice’s Principal Sponsor is Wilsons Solicitors, with support from a wide range of local businesses, including NFU Mutual Salisbury & Wareham (for the 12th year), trusts, Friends and individual supporters.

Tickets and full Festival information are available at www.celebratevoice.co.uk