In 2017, the Stanford Festival formed part of the Canterbury Festival with many Stanford dedicated concerts and talks. On Friday night, following a Stanford evensong, the Very Rev’d Robert Willis curated a concert featuring some of his favourite pieces by Stanford, Parry and Elgar.

Saturday featured talks on Stanford and Vaughan Williams, Stanford and the Great War and included chamber concerts with music by Stanford and his contemporaries. Later on in the day, a choral concert given by visiting Dutch choir, Toonkunstkoor, featured Stanford’s Fairy Day and Songs of the Fleet. The evening featured a concert in Canterbury Cathedral programming Vaughan Williams’ Lark Ascending and Dona Nobis Pacem and Stanford’s Variations for Violin and Orchestra and Song to the Soul.

On Sunday, the Dante Quartet performed a chamber concert at the University of Kent programming Vaughan Williams’ Quartet No. 2 in A minor, the Stanford’s Quartet No. 3 in D minor (Opus 64) and the Brahms Quartet No. 2.in A minor.