A VILLAGE festival should prove to be an educational and enlightening affair this summer.

Bledington Music Festival returns to St Leonard’s Church for the 13th year from Tuesday to Thursday, June 4-6 and once again offers a growing educational programme for local youngsters.

Each afternoon, children from Bledington Primary School will be treated to a short concert or workshop by the performing artists and the school’s choir will sing with the Cann Twins in the first concert.

Piano duo Antoinette and Claire will play a programme of well-known classical works including three movements from Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake” Suite, Gershwin’s ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ and three movements from Bizet’s ‘Carmen Suite’.

The Pavao Quartet, who performed in 2009, return to celebrate the centenary of Benjamin Britten with his Simple Symphony among other works.

Festival president and City of Birmingham organist, Thomas Trotter, stars on the final evening with Celia Craig, the principal oboe player of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra.

For more information, go to bledingtonmusicfestival.co.uk.