THE third week of Tavistock Festival has seen some wonderful events come together, thanks to the hard work of the organising team and artists taking part.

On the Monday, a scratch choir came together under the very able direction of Dr Sean Sweeney.

They rehearsed all day, then performed six anthems of Jon Rutter to an appreciative audience that evening.

With accompaniment by Mary Mazur-Park, this was a ‘proper’ choir, and it was amazing to think that they had been together for only a few short hours.

The following day, Dr Sweeney gave an organ recital as part of the lunch-time series. He played several varied works, the centrepiece of which was the mighty Prelude and Fugue in B Minor by JS Bach.

By contrast, Humoresque by Pietro Yon is a delightful quiet piece, using only one stop on the organ. Dr Sweeney handled the mighty and the delicate with equal assurance.

Interspersed with the music were two readings, Helena Ancil with a lovely piece by Laurie Lee, and Tim Randell with a poem by Edward Lear.

The parish church was full for ‘Tavistock Sings!’, which showcased several local school choirs. It is a joy to see that music is alive and well among younger people.

The finale, Duke Ellington’s It Don’t Mean a Thing if it ain’t got that Swing, certainly went with a swing, helped by Peter and Matthew Twynam on bass and drums, and Mary Mazur-Park on piano.

Julian Jensen, who had brought the whole thing together and conducted much of it, should be congratulated for his efforts.

David Cotter gave an enjoyable recital in the Bedford Hotel on his classical guitar, joined for duets some of the time by his friend Cameron Livsey.

He began with Bach, but after that the music varied from South American songs to music from Spain, America and Britain.

He has a light but assured touch, bringing familiar and lesser known melodies to life in a subtly different way. Tamacun by Rodrigo y Gabriela, which he played as a duet with Cameron, was lively and very entertaining.

The last of the lunch-time recitals in the church was given by Brian Chapple on the piano. He gave a masterly recital, ranging from works by Bach to his own. Between these he played Scarlatti, Beethoven, Chopin and Debussy, showing in the space of an hour just what he is capable of.

Two choirs shared the stage in the evening: Canticorum and Tapestry.

They sang several numbers separately, exhibiting their different strengths as choirs, with songs as different as Spirituals and Scarborough Fair.

They came together for a final group, which ended with the very lively Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika. This was a fitting end to a very well-presented concert.

Saturday evening saw St Eustachius Church packed for the concert by the North Devon Sinfonia, winners of the 2016 BBC competition All Together: The Great Orchestra Challenge.

They began with a new work by Andrew Wilson, Hartland Point. This very cleverly conjured the north Devon coast with its rocks and boisterous seas — there was even the suggestion of a hornpipe.

For Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue the orchestra was joined by pianist Dominic Carter, who managed a complete tour de force while never dominating the orchestra, who were equal to the occasion.

It was no surprise that he played an encore, more Gershwin.

In the second half, the one work was Holst’s The Planets, which was tremendous.

Each movement was given its mood and its particular dynamics, and the moving of the choir into the vestry at the end of the last movement, showing the music gradually fading away, was inspired.

It was definitely a first to see an orchestra of this size performing in St Eustachius Church, and all wish them well as they prepare to represent the UK in the World Orchestra Festival in Seoul in September.

As the choir had come all the way from north Devon to perform for perhaps three minutes at the end of The Planets, Vocal Accord gave a short pre-concert mini performance. This was a jewel of a concert.

The choir, a capella, gave a gorgeous sound in everything from the thirteenth century Sumer Is Icumen In to the Beatles.

This is a superb choir. It is to be hoped we shall hear much more of them.

Brass music in Tavistock is in safe hands. This was evident when six of the younger members of the Stannary Brass Band opened the second half of their concert in the Wharf with two numbers: a polka and The Bare Necessities.

For the rest of the evening the whole band gave a lively and stimulating concert, with many varied pieces, under the expert leadership of their musical director, Peter Jones. During the festival, Peter received a mayoral award for his contributions to local music.

This has been an inspiring festival, with something for everyone. Long may it continue!

Felicity Luckman

Pictures by James Bird — see more in tomorrow’s edition of the Times.