STROUD SACRED MUSIC FESTIVAL 2023
“Music from the Dawn of Time”
SATURDAY 1 July
St Laurence Church: Stroud Centre for Peace & the Arts
An Uplifting Festival
Reviewed by Katie Lloyd-Nunn
The 8th annual Stroud Sacred Music Festival took place on Saturday 1st July at St Laurence’s Church: Stroud Centre for Peace and the Arts. The theme of “Music from the Dawn of Time” presented music and singing from the folk and indigenous traditions of India, the British Isles, the Artic Circle and the Sahara.
“Our aim is to create peace and harmony by taking festival goers back to the origins of music, beyond separation and conflict, to celebrate unity and peace.,” says Rev Simon Howell, creator of the Festival. “World music is always popular at our Festival, and this year we added an extended gong bath with cello to complete the evening.”
The day began at 8.00am with a dawn raga, played on the sitar by rising star Michael Griska from the United States whose teacher K. Sridhar lives locally. A dedicated chant space including a variety of traditions ran from mid morning to lunchtime, while the main event of an evening concert attracted a full house in the town centre church.
Top level sound and light systems and delicious vegan food, teas and cakes made for a top quality event that was uplifting and inspiring for the audience of nearly 300 people.