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25 Years of Classical Music in Weymouth

The new season of Chamber Music Weymouth is a particularly special one. Not only will the 2026/27 Season mark the bicentenary of the death of Ludwig van Beethoven, and the centenary of the birth of composer John Joubert, it is the concert series’ 25th anniversary.

Founded in 2002 by concert pianist and long-time Weymouth resident Duncan Honeybourne, Chamber Music Weymouth – formerly Weymouth Lunchtime Chamber Concerts – has become one of Dorset’s most successful and popular classical music series. Created with the simple aim of bringing first-class live chamber music to the heart of Weymouth, the series has remained true to its founding principles: supporting outstanding young musicians alongside distinguished established artists, presenting imaginative programmes that combine familiar masterpieces with lesser-known or rarely-performed repertoire, and offering audiences a friendly, welcoming atmosphere.

The concerts take place at St Mary’s Church in the heart of Weymouth, where its fine acoustics and excellent Yamaha grand piano create an ideal setting for chamber music. The monthly lunchtime concerts have earned a loyal following while maintaining affordable ticket prices and an informal atmosphere in which performers introduce their music and engage directly with listeners.

The series has welcomed many leading musicians during its history while also giving countless young artists invaluable opportunities. In 2024, the organisation adopted the new name Chamber Music Weymouth, reflecting an expanded vision that includes a Sunday afternoon series and Young Artist Showcase events to provide young musicians with valuable performance experience.

The 2026/27 season marks a particularly significant milestone: the 25th anniversary season of the concert series. Twenty-five years after Duncan Honeybourne gave the inaugural concert at Weymouth Arts Centre, Chamber Music Weymouth continues to flourish, bringing internationally acclaimed performers and emerging talent to the Jurassic Coast. The anniversary celebrates not only a quarter of a century of exceptional music-making but also the dedication of the artists, volunteers, supporters and audiences who have helped establish the series as an important part of Dorset’s cultural life. In 2026 the organisation’s contribution was further recognised with the Weymouth Civic Society Arts Award, underlining its lasting impact on the region’s musical landscape.

Pianist and Artistic Director Duncan Honeybourne says, “When I launched Chamber Music Weymouth in the summer of 2002, I couldn’t have imagined the vibrant, enjoyable and life-affirming journey it would take me on, nor that it would be flourishing and going from strength to strength a quarter of a century later! I’m immensely proud that this concert series has built a loyal regular audience, attracted some very distinguished performers to South Dorset and promoted innumerable young artists at an early stage in their careers. Far from resting on our laurels, we are bursting with future plans and exciting ventures, and I can’t wait to take our loyal and lovely audience along on the enriching and stimulating ride.”

Concerts Manager Frances Wilson says, “I have been involved with Chamber Music Weymouth since 2019. It is such a pleasure to bring high-quality live music and remarkable musicians to our stretch of the Jurassic Coast, and we are looking forward to the next 25 years (!) with great enthusiasm, with a number of exciting developments planned to extend our musical activities beyond the lunchtime series.”

The new season of Chamber Music Weymouth concerts opens on Wednesday 23rd September with a recital by Duncan Honeybourne. Tickets are available online in advance or on the door – a bargain at just £5 for world-class classical music in the heart of Weymouth.

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A new piano competition for emerging professional musicians is being launched in Weymouth, Dorset, with its inaugural Final taking place on Saturday 13 February 2027.

The Weymouth International Piano Competition (WIPC) is open to pianists aged 18 to 35 and has been established to provide talented young musicians at the beginning of their professional careers with a valuable platform for performance, recognition and artistic development.

At a time when opportunities for young classical musicians are increasingly competitive, WIPC aims to offer a supportive but professionally rigorous environment in which pianists can present themselves and their chosen repertoire. Rather than prescribing a particular style or period of music, the competition places the emphasis on musical personality, communication and individuality.

Entrants will be selected for the live Final through a preliminary recorded round. The finalists will then travel to Weymouth to perform before a panel of professional musicians and a live audience on 13 February 2027.

The winner will receive a First Prize of £500. More broadly, the competition aims to give its finalists the experience and exposure that come from preparing for and taking part in a public professional event. The competition is adjudicated by renowned pianists Margaret Fingerhut and Duncan Honeybourne.

Margaret Fingerhut
Duncan Honeybourne

Based on Dorset’s Jurassic Coast, the competition also reflects Weymouth’s growing profile as a centre for high-quality classical music-making. Its creation builds on the success of Chamber Music Weymouth, formerly Weymouth Lunchtime Chamber Concerts, which celebrates its 25th anniversary season in 2026/27 and has a long-standing commitment to presenting established performers alongside outstanding musicians of the younger generation.

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The competition is hosted by Chamber Music Weymouth (formerly Weymouth Lunchtime Chamber Concerts), a popular and successful concert series founded by Duncan Honeybourne in 2002, which presents some of the best young and established artists in varied and imaginative programmes, mixing well-known works and classical favourites with lesser-known repertoire and composers. In 2026 the series was recognised with an award from Weymouth Civic Society for its continuing commitment to making high-quality live music accessible to everyone and for its contribution to arts and culture in and around Weymouth.

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Chamber Music Weymouth (formerly Weymouth Lunchtime Chamber Concerts) has received the Arts award from Weymouth Civic Society in recognition of the contribution the concert series makes to the cultural life of Weymouth and Portland. The award was presented at a special event at Nothe Fort in Weymouth, attended by the Mayors of Weymouth and Portland, and by members of the civic society and other award winners (find full details here.

Founded in 2002 by concert pianist, pedagogue and Weymouth resident Duncan Honeybourne, the series presents monthly lunchtime concerts in the attractive, historic church of St Mary’s in the heart of Weymouth. Over the years, the series has attracted leading musicians, including pianists Margaret Fingerhut, Joseph Tong, piano duo John Humphreys and Allan Schiller, Penelope Roskell, James Lisney, and most recently Graham Caskie (who gave a spellbinding performance of the Bach-Busoni Chaconne at the June concert); cellist Joseph Spooner; violinist Catrin Win Morgan; and bass-baritone Timothy Dickinson. In keeping with the series’ mission to support and nurture young talent, recent seasons have seen performances by the Woolf String Quartet, pianists Lewis Kingsley Peart, Nina Savicevic, and Siqian Li, violinists Leora Cohen and Rose Gosney, and cellist Hoda Jahanpour. During the 25/26 season in addition to a wide variety of chamber music, the series also presented a special concert exploring the music Jane Austen would have known and played, performed by soprano Penelope Appleyard and pianist Jonathan Delbridge (playing an Austen-era square piano) to coincide with the author’s bicentenary in 2025.

CMW Concert at St Mary’s Church (photo by Jon Jacob)

The Weymouth Civic Society award comes at a significant moment as the series celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2027. This is also the bicentenary of the birth of Beethoven and the centenary of the birth of composer John Joubert, whom Duncan Honeybourne knew. These anniversaries will be reflected in the programming for the series.

Despite the challenge of Covid and the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021, the series goes from strength to strength, enjoying record audiences, who praise the series for its variety of repertoire and artists, and for the low ticket price. Another important aspect to the series’ popularity is the pre-concert refreshments, served by a duo of loyal volunteers. Alongside this, both Duncan Honeybourne and concerts manager Frances Wilson (AKA The Cross-Eyed Pianist) strive to ensure the concerts are friendly and welcoming, while presenting world-class classical music in the heart of Weymouth.

The 2026/27 25th Anniversary season of Chamber Music Weymouth begins on Wednesday 23rd September, with a solo performance by Duncan Honeybourne.

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Frances Wilson (Concerts Manager) & Duncan Honeybourne (CMW Artistic Director)
St Mary’s Church, Weymouth

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Woolf String Quartet & Duncan Honeybourne, Chamber Music Weymouth lunchtime concert, Wednesday 25 February 2026

Woolf Quartet are: Zosia Herlihy-O’Brien (violin), Emily Harrison (violin), Beatrice Slocumbe (viola) and Hoda Jahanpour (cello)

When the audience comes out of a concert with words like “incredible!”, “brilliant” and “that was absolutely superb”, you know the musicians, and the music, has touched them. And that is what happened on Wednesday, 25 February, when the Woolf Quartet returned to Weymouth to impress the lunchtime concert audience once again. This London-based string quartet was formed at the Royal Academy of Music, and they take their name from author Virginia Woolf, as they often rehearse in Bloomsbury, close to where she lived.

They made their Chamber Music Weymouth debut in 2025 and wowed the audience with an engaging programme that featured Debussy and a piece by the quartet’s cellist, Hoda Jahanpour. This time they were joined by pianist and CMW Artistic Director Duncan Honeybourne to perform just one piece – Brahms’ Piano Quintet in f minor. A big-boned work of symphonic textures and narrative breadth, it has the expansiveness of Schubert in its four movements, and is one of the most challenging and important works in the chamber music repertoire. It asks of all the musicians virtuosity, stamina and cohesion, and an ability to navigate many modulations, complex rhythmic shifts, and fugal passages. It’s a monumental work, emotionally intense and physically demanding, and a challenge for any ensemble – and one which the Woolf Quartet rose to with commitment, maturity and musical insight.

It’s rare to feel a thread of concentrated energy through an entire concert – not an easy feat for musicians to achieve – but the Woolf Quartet, with Duncan Honeybourne, succeeded in doing just this. It’s a credit to them – and a mark of the infectiousness of their concentration – that the audience was almost completely silent for the entirety of the concert, listening intently to Brahms’ shifting soundworld and the emotions it suggests.

The Woolf Quartet, both individually and together, brought much colour and nuance to the music. Brahms’ writing gives each player a chance to shine. The ensemble playing was precise and committed, amply matched by Duncan Honeybourne, who made light of Brahms’ rather unforgiving piano textures. Most engaging, though, was that the musicians clearly enjoyed themselves. It’s always a pleasure to see performers truly immerse themselves in music that they love.

Catch the Woolf Quartet if you can – you won’t regret it! They will be at London’s Wigmore Hall on Saturday, 2 May, where, I’m told, they will be performing a piece they have written together, as well as music by Shostakovich.

Chamber Music Weymouth’s lunchtime series continues on Wednesday 11 March with a recital by distinguished pianist Margarat Fingerhut. Find out more