Musicians Benevolent Fund

Every year, the MBF co-ordinates the Festival of Saint Cecilia and Royal Concert. The Festival is held in London on the Wednesday nearest to St Cecilia's Day, the 22nd November, and the Royal Concert usually takes place one week earlier.

The Festival Service is held in the morning and rotates annually between St Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abbey and Westminster Cathedral. The music is sung by the combined choirs of the three churches and a new anthem is specially commissioned each year.

Last year‘s Festival Service took place at Westminster Abbey on Wednesday 21st November. The Very Reverend John Drury, Chaplain of All Souls College, Oxford gave the sermon and the commissioned anthem ’Aeterna Caeli Gloria' was composed by Gabriel Jackson.

Following the Service, the Festival Luncheon was held at The Banqueting House, Whitehall. The speaker was journalist, broadcaster and writer Matthew Parris.

The 2008 Royal Concert moved this year from its usual November setting and took place on Friday 4th April at Barbican Centre. This special change in the MBF's calendar enabled us to join forces with the National Youth Orchestra who were celebrating their 60th anniversary. The concert was attended by HRH The Duke of Kent.

The NYO performed Stravinsky‘s ’The Rite of Spring‘, Strauss’s ‘Four Last Songs’, with soprano Gabriele Fontana, and the concert also featured the premiere of a piece by BBC Young Musician of the Year Mark Simpson (made possible by the financial support of the MBF).

Details of this year's Festival Service and Lunch will be available later in the year. To be added to the Festival mailing list please email festival@mbf.org.uk or telephone 020 7299 8357.