St Francis Music Festival 2026
Sun May 3, 08:30 - Sat May 9, 20:00
St Francis of Assisi Church
ABOUT
Under the directorship of Johannesburg music impressario Tim Roberts, the sounds of beautiful music will once again be heard at the St Francis Music Festival 2026 in early May. From the thrilling voices of the Chanticleer Singers to the dulcet tones of the Apple Green Orchestra, St Francis of Assisi Church in Parkview will host the annual festival from Sunday 3 May to Saturday 9 May. Other festival favourites will be the Johannesburg Bach Choir, the African Renaissance Ensemble, and the Gauteng Guitar Quartet. Music to be featured will range from the Renaissance to the modern, with everything in between. The programme will kick off with a Festival Chorus on Sunday morning and a Choral Evensong on Sunday evening which will feature a new composition by composer Owen Franklin.
And in a new development, a discount will apply to concert goers who book two or more tickets! This promises to be a popular feature for concert goers who would like to attend as many of these fabulous concerts as possible.
CHORAL EVENSONG @ SFMF (3 MAY 2026)
Choral Evensong of St Francis Music Festival will be led by Owen Franklin – now in his 80th year – who will conduct the choir of St Thomas’s, Linden, on Sunday, 3rd May, in St Francis’ Church, Parkview, at 3 pm. Matthew Vlok, organist and choirmaster of St Thomas’s, will be at the organ. The service will be conducted by Fr Thapelo Moselane, chaplain of St John’s College.
The service will celebrate St Cecilia, patron saint of music and musicians, and the hymn ‘For all the saints’ will include verses honouring St Cecilia, written by Owen Franklin. Two other hymns by him will also be sung and the anthem is his “Jesus our Lord, be now adored”, dedicated to festival director, Tim Roberts.
The versicles and responses will be those by William Byrd and the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis are E flat by Sir Herbert Brewer, organist and choirmaster of Gloucester Cathedral.
There is no charge for admission: a retiring collection will help defray costs.
Refreshments will be served in the hall after the service.
AFRICAN RENAISSANCE ENSEMBLE @ SFMF (5 MAY 2026)
The court of Carlos V will come to the St Francis Music Festival when the African Renaissance Ensemble presents some of the most exciting music from this Renaissance period. The programme will also introduce some new additions.
While many think of Renaissance music as being purely European, the conquest of South America resulted in a cross-pollination of cultures with Spanish composers influenced by the real and imagined rhythms, sounds, and languages of South America and West Africa.
Book your ticket now for this exciting concert on Tuesday 5 May 2026 @ St Francis Music Festival.
APPLE GREEN ORCHESTRA @ SFMF (6 MAY 2026)
Two soloists – Anna Maria Vermeulen on flute and Eugene Joubert on piano – will feature in the performance by the Apple Green Orchestra on Wednesday 6 May. The concert will be part of the St Francis Musical Festival 2026 and will be held in the St Francis Anglican Church, Parkview, Johannesburg from 7.00 pm
The music of composers as diverse as Antonio Vivaldi, American Philip Glass, and Argentinian Astor Piazzola will also be on the programme.
The concert will be conducted by festival director Tim Roberts and well-known cellist Carel Henn.
JOHANNESBURG BACH CHOIR @ SFMF (7 MAY 2026)
Johannesburg Bach Choir, a leading South African choir of music enthusiasts, will entertain concert goers at the St Francis Music Festival in May 2026. The well-known choir will perform a range of music, from that of its signature composer, Johann Sebastian Bach, to popular South Africa songs in various languages. A central feature will be choral music celebrating the floral kingdom - including famous composers' works about roses to the 'katbos' of the Karoo as depicted in 'Karoonag'.
The Johannesburg Bach Choir will sing at the St Francis Festival on Thursday 7 May at 19h00. Book your tickets now.
CHANTICLEER SINGERS @ SFMF (8 MAY 2026)
The glorious music of the greatest of Baroque composers, Johann Sebastian Bach, will feature prominently in the concert featuring Chanticleer Singers at the St Francis Music Festival. The programme, ‘Penitence and Praise: a collection of sacred works’, will also bring the music of Baroque composers Zelenka and Telemann to its audience. The 20th century will be represented by Benjamin Britten’s ‘Hymn to the Virgin’.
Founded in 1980, the Chanticleer Singers has built a reputation for excellence in chamber choral music, and May’s programme at the St Francis Music Festival promises to live up to their name.
GAUTENG GUITAR QUARTET @ SFMF (9 MAY 2026)
The Gauteng Guitar Quartet is South Africa's only professional performing guitar quartet, comprised of Jonathan Moolman, Nathalie Roue, Ryan Kirsten and Dillon Davie. The GGQ has performed across the Gauteng province in 2024 and 2025 and will be performing across the whole country in 2026.
‘Echoes and Origins’ will be made up of old inspirations and new expressions for four guitars. It will combine old and new, with music reaching back to the great JS Bach, along with brand new music written for guitar quartet, as well as new arrangements and re-imaginings of familiar music.
The programme will feature music by Antonio Ruiz-Pipo, Andrew York, Johann Pachelbel and contemporary South African composer Neo Muyanga.