Songs of Nature: An evening of words and music Michael Morpurgo and Clare O’Connell
Event details
PLEASE NOTE: The performance will end at 7pm, not 7.35pm as previously advertised.
Join one of Britain’s favourite storytellers, Michael Morpurgo, for a spellbinding evening of words and music exploring our deep connection to the natural world.
Through a journey across land and sea, Michael celebrates the vibrant beauty of our planet and our shared responsibility to protect it. Featuring readings from the Carnival of the Animals, A Song of Gladness and Driftwood, his evocative stories and poems are beautifully interwoven with music by cellist Clare O’Connell.
Full of humour, energy and emotion, the acclaimed writer’s inspiring performances are always a highlight of the Festival programme. Come along and rediscover the wonder of the wild with Michael, our Festival Patron, at this very special family concert.
Suitable for ages 8+.
Please note: Parking on the University campus will be free from 5pm for this event. It is recommended you park in one of the Campus South car parks. What3words: ///spring.cope.love and ///fails.flames.table
Book sales
You can buy copies of many of our speakers’ books from Fox Lane Books, a local independent bookseller and Festival partner. In some cases, author signed bookplates are available too.
Image credits: Portrait photo Steve Hatton; illustrations Michael Foreman
About the performers
Michael Morpurgo OBE is one of Britain’s best loved writers for children with sales of over 35 million copies. He has written over 150 books and won many prizes, including the Smarties Prize and the Whitbread Award. In 2005, he won the Blue Peter Book Award for his novel Private Peaceful, which was also adapted into an acclaimed stage play. His subsequent book, The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips, spent an astonishing 20 weeks in the bestseller charts. His many other loved works include The Butterfly Lion, Kensuke’s Kingdom, Why the Whales Came, The Mozart Question, Shadow, War Horse and Born to Run. Michael was Children’s Laureate from 2003 to 2005. The charity Farms for City Children, which he founded 50 years ago with his wife Clare, has now enabled over 60,000 children to spend a week living and working down on the farm. He was knighted in 2018 for services to literature and charity.
Clare O’Connell is a cellist and curator dedicated to developing contemporary repertoire through close collaboration with composers and imaginative concert programming. Her work explores the expressive range and emotional versatility of the cello across solo, chamber, and cross-genre contexts. Her recordings include The Isolated Cellist, a collection of ancient and contemporary works for solo cello, and Light Flowing released by NMC Recordings. These projects reflect her ongoing commitment to championing new music and expanding the cello repertoire. Clare is the founder and artistic director of the concert series Behind the Mirror, which presents innovative chamber programmes that bring together new commissions and existing repertoire in thoughtful and unexpected ways. Through performance, recording, and collaboration, she seeks to create spaces where audiences can encounter contemporary music as a vivid and engaging artistic experience.
Partners
