A two-day May/June prelude (including a cello concert by Julian Lloyd Webber) provides a taster for the Festival proper in July, with a rich line-up of world-renowned musicians and performers gracing a variety of venues including St Mary’s Church, Leconfield Hall, and Petworth House. Participants include blues guitarist Martin Harley, harpist Heather Brooks, Jazz man Jay Rayner, pianist Boris Giltburg, baritone Simon Keenlyside, Fleetwood Mac tribute band The Transatlantic Ensemble, comedian Marcel Lucont, cellist Abel Selaocoe, world/roots duo Gonora Sound, raconteur Luke Wright, soprano Claire Booth, and classical brass ensemble Connaught Brass, to name but a few. The event ends with the Gershwin-inspired A Rhapsody in Light Blue, featuring Ronnie Scott’s Artistic Director, the pianist James Pearson, with a top team from the iconic London venue, including violinist singer and arranger Lizzie Ball.