Southwell Music Festival is an annual, top-quality classical music festival taking place each August Bank Holiday to celebrate classical music, to raise the profile of the town and its magnificent medieval Minster, and to inspire local musicians – especially young people. Southwell – a small, historic town in rural Nottinghamshire on the edge of Sherwood Forest – is the ideal place for a festival. Dominating the town is its Minster – seat of the Bishops of Southwell and Nottingham and a centre for high-quality music-making. By kind permission of the Dean and Chapter, Festival performances are centred at the Minster, and in the historic State Chamber of the Archbishop’s Palace which has undergone major refurbishment thanks to a substantial grant from The Heritage Lottery Fund.