Orpheus Day: a celebration of music, art, and community

It’s a canvas waiting to be painted with figures and colour, a stage waiting to be filled with sound and performance. This is the historic Abbey Grounds in Cirencester. Today it is lush green, set against a perfect cloudless blue sky, with individuals and couples enjoying a serene moment. A carved wooden bishop points his finger to these grounds as if he knows something special is about to happen. And he is right. It is.

Orpheus Day to be precise, on Saturday, August 23: a unique celebration when modern Cirencester brings to life a mythical figure in mosaic art from the Roman Empire depicted on a masterpiece discovered in the town 200 years ago.

The Orpheus mosaic was found at Barton Farm, just outside Cirencester, in 1824/25. Shown in the central medallion playing his lyre, Orpheus was such a skilled musician that wild beasts, animals and even rocks and stones were drawn to him and soothed by his music. And it is this musicianship which has inspired Project Orpheus, which culminates in Orpheus Day.

The Human Poppy credit The Barn Theatre ‘This year marks a special moment for our town with the 200th anniversary of the discovery of the Orpheus Mosaic, we’re using it as a jumping-off point to celebrate everything that makes Cirencester so unique — through the lenses of nature, history, music, art, and, most importantly, community,’ explains Iwan Lewis, CEO & Artistic Director at the Barn Theatre.

This is where you need to imagine these words in multi-sensory fashion. So, as you read on, picture a giant puppet of Orpheus, being paraded around the abbey grounds along with various animal characters, and let your ears hear a beautiful cacophony of sound as voices join in harmony to celebrate this popular mosaic art figure who had the musical ability to charm beasts with his lyre.

While this amazing event takes place in Cirencester, it involves the whole nation. From the wild and wonderful minds behind The Human Poppy in 2018, Orpheus Day has invited choirs, singing groups, and passionate vocalists from across Cirencester and beyond to come together for a musical celebration.

Howard Goodall and Stuart Price credit Alex Tibrizi They’ll be performing A Song for Orpheus, with music composed by the legendary Howard Goodall—Brit, BAFTA and Emmy award winner, and the genius behind the theme music to The Vicar of Dibley and Blackadder—and lyrics by the acclaimed Irish poet Theo Dorgan. It promises to be a truly magical, spine-tingling moment of harmony, where voices unite in an unforgettable, otherworldly musical experience.

Orpheus Day will open the start of an already successful popular event in Cirencester’s social calendar – The Pheonix Festival, a weekend of community music, arts, dance and family fun in the Abbey Grounds. But the concept behind this special day is far greater. It’s more than just a day. It is a commitment to make this project long-lasting. It comes under the umbrella of Project Orpheus, a partnership and collaboration with this volunteer festival, and the town’s three powerhouses: The Barn Theatre, Corinium Museum and New Brewery Arts. Funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, support has also been given by local organisations, namely The Summerfield Charitable Trust, Cirencester Town Council and Gloucestershire Community Foundation and Cirencester Wildlife Group (Wild Ciren).

The Romans knew how to build and build well. In fact, it is thought that the site where the Orpheus Mosaic was found was in fact a mosaic school, whereby those learning the craft would place the edge pieces, while the masters of the craft would create the intricate works of art, such as the birds and animals.

Brickus Orpheus Lego Trail Orpheus credit Alex Tibrizi The Romans knew their craft. So, it is not surprising that this project has a strong structure and recognises that there are five pillars to Project Orpheus.

History and Heritage – which recognises that the need to honour the past to shape a bright future. Project Orpheus kicked off in April at the Corinium Museum with Brickus Orpheus, a mythical adventure trail made entirely from LEGO® bricks, which will run until Sunday, November 2.

Music and Connection – bringing voices, harmonious melodies and the felt-experience of sound and melody together to create something special. Singing workshops for Song for Orpheus started in June and have continued, ready for the performance on Orpheus Day, where audience participation is welcome.

WildCiren team with Roz Savage MP and Stuart Price, leader of Project Orpheus credit Alex Tibrizi Nature and Humanity – being inspired by the land, our biology and the earth which taps in to how Orpheus charmed animals with his music. In May, Wild Ciren launched the ‘Bring Life to Your Garden 2025’ competition, inviting Cirencester individuals, schools, businesses and community groups to share their wildlife-gardening stories about how they have helped nurture and enhance local wildlife. ‘It’s not just about the actions that people have implemented for wildlife in their garden or green space, but the inspirations behind them,’ says Melanie Dodd from Wild Ciren. These can range from planting pollinator-friendly flowers to creating hedgehog highways or simply appreciating nature in an urban setting. The contest runs until Tuesday, September 30.

Community and Education is the pillar that recognises that every person is valued. Throughout July and August, New Brewery Arts will be hosting puppet making workshops leading up to Orpheus’s Parade of Puppets on Orpheus Day.

Art and Creativity runs through the veins of the whole project, but from July 19 to October 4, Orpheus Exhibition, which celebrates its connection to this mythical creature through song, community, mosaic and exhibits, will be held at New Brewery Arts.

Carved wooden statue of a Canon points to the Abbey Grounds credit Tracy Spiers Of course, the five pillars all come together on August 23 for Orpheus Day. One of the main spectacles is Orpheus’s Parade of Puppets led by a 12ft Orpheus, made by Chester-based puppeteer and sculpture Russell Kirk, who has a wealth of experience in large-scale projects and events such as arts festivals, outdoor theatre, parades and theatrical productions. The other major showstopper is Cirencester’s Big Orpheus Choir, singing A Song for Orpheus.

‘Our mission at the Barn, alongside our incredible partners, is to create something truly remarkable here in Cirencester. We are thrilled Howard Goodall and Theo Dorgan have written us such a beautiful choral piece that is both contemporary and poetic – it is truly something special,’ says Stuart Matthew Price, Project Orpheus Producer.

‘We have been spreading the message wide to ask for all singers, choirs, and enthusiastic vocalists of all ages to come together and join in with our Song for Orpheus to build Cirencester’s Big Orpheus Choir.’

Orpheus Mosaic credit Corinium Museum ‘We have called singers and choirs from all over the UK to join us on August 23 and we have shared with them music and learning materials in advance. It is going to be amazing to make history and feel the power of voices united in harmony.’

Orpheus Day is like a major stage production in all its glorious spectacle. It’s got music, singing, visual imagery, colour, wonder, performance, excitement and the sense of everyone coming together in one place, at one time to celebrate something significant to their town.

Like the Orpheus Mosaic that inspired it, it will bring all the fantastic aspects that make Cirencester special – its artistic, creative, historic, social and natural beauty – all in one masterpiece.

But perhaps the most important feature is the fun and memories it will generate. Not just for Orpheus Day but for the future events already planned for the rest of the year and 2026. The legacy of Orpheus has only just begun.

www.project-orpheus.com

www.barntheatre.org.uk

www.newbreweryarts.org.uk

www.coriniummuseum.org

https://www.phoenix-festival.co.uk/