Unique St Keverne Band Performance of Art Work for Summer Solstice

Published On: 19 May 2025Last Updated: 19 May 2025By CornishStuff

Solstice performance returns to wildflower meadow in Manaccan

A unique musical art event is set to return to Kestle Barton, Manaccan, this summer solstice, over a decade after its debut. On Saturday 21st June 2025 at 11.30am, visitors can experience Double Brass, a striking live artwork by West Cornwall artist Abigail Reynolds, performed by the award-winning St Keverne Band.

A brass band experience like no other

In Double Brass, two brass bands march in a choreographed formation across the wildflower meadow. As they move apart, the music becomes dissonant, only to harmonise again as they come back together. The performance plays with the shape of sound in the landscape, encouraging audiences to tune into the terrain and listen with heightened awareness.

The work draws on themes in Abigail’s collage-based practice, exploring formal doubling, echoing and weaving through both sound and movement.

Music composed for the solstice

The piece features Troheaul, a composition written specifically for this performance by Cornish bard and composer Gareth Churcher. The word translates from Cornish as “sunturn: such as the druids made and the inhabitants of the western isles still make” (Borlase, 1769), marking the seasonal significance of the summer solstice.

St Keverne Band, based just three miles from Kestle Barton, will perform the piece. The band consists of three groups across different age ranges, with over sixty members in total. The senior band holds 2nd Section national status and has competed at both local and national levels. More about the band can be found at www.stkeverneband.com.

About the artist and venue

Abigail Reynolds works across sculpture, print, collage and live events, often in collaboration with other disciplines. Based in far west Cornwall, her work frequently draws on the county’s landscapes and traditions, including glassmaking from seaweed and beach sand, and reviving ancient customs like beating the bounds. Her full portfolio is available at www.abigailreynolds.com.

The event takes place at Kestle Barton, a converted farmstead turned contemporary gallery set above the Helford River. From April to November each year, the site hosts exhibitions and events in its wildflower meadow and renovated barns. The 2025 season runs from 12th April to 1st November, open Tuesday to Sunday and on Bank Holiday Mondays, 10.30am to 5pm.

Supported by local funding

The project is part-funded by Cornwall Community Foundation through The Goonhilly Wind Farm Community Fund. The Foundation awards small grants to grassroots groups across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly working to tackle disadvantage, exclusion and poverty. More about their work can be found at www.cornwallcommunityfoundation.com.