Preview: Glasgow Cathedral Festival

Written By Jean Allen

Preview: Glasgow Cathedral Festival 17-20 September 2026

Glasgow Cathedral, Castle Street, Glasgow G4 0QZ

Glasgow Cathedral Festival returns with a special 10th anniversary programme celebrating a decade of music, art, and ideas in Glasgow's oldest building. The 2026 theme ‘Rooted in Discovery’ reflects on the festival’s roots, and what has grown from them, exploring how our inhabitation of places has the power to shape the present and change the future. From site-specific premieres and world-class chamber music to contemplative late-night concerts, silent cinema and a programme of talks and tours inspired by the cathedral and its place in the city's story, the festival unfolds across four days of performances, conversation, and shared discovery.

Highlights include: ‘Echoes in Stone and Brass‘ - an immersive, site-specific premiere led by RSNO Principal Trombone Dávur Juul Magnussen, Scottish Ensemble and the National Youth Choir of Scotland transforming the cathedral into an instrument that resonates with the city’s history; ‘Sculptures’ by Swedish composer and musical artist Ellen Arkbro, whose immersive organ works invite audiences into slowly evolving harmonic landscapes that blur the boundaries between concert, installation and meditation; the pioneering chamber collective Scottish Ensemble joined by singers from the National Youth Choir of Scotland for ‘Bach and Blood’, a programme uniting voices across the centuries in music shaped by ritual, reflection and transcendence; and a screening of the landmark silent film The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) with a live organ soundtrack from Richard Hills.

’10 Talks for 10 Years’ celebrates the festival's first decade with a programme of talks, tours and workshops exploring conservation, local history, food, culture, and community. Free daytime events, £1 community tickets for local residents, and discounted tickets for students and registered unemployed help to widen access to the festival and to Glasgow Cathedral.

Website and tickets: https://www.gcfestival.com/

Image credit: Glasgow Cathedral Festival

‍ ‍

Jean Allen

Jean fell in love with music at her state primary school, where every pupil was encouraged to be in a choir, play a recorder, and learn a stringed instrument. As part of a varied career in librarianship, she was Music Librarian at Nottingham University. She is on the committee of the Friends of St Cecilia’s Hall and Museum.

Next

Hamish Napier’s ‘The Hill’