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About Music on the Mount
A rare chance to enjoy five world-class artists
A breathtaking performance line up of award-winning ensembles and Britain’s most exciting emerging artists, ‘Music on the Mount’ is a rare opportunity to experience five consecutive, world-class classical music concerts in Exeter’s stunning venue of St Michael’s, Mount Dinham.
From winners of the prestigious Royal Overseas League Prize (Elmore Quartet) to seven-time BBC Proms pianist (Martin Roscoe), 2026 is your year to relish in the most emotive, relaxing and inspiring classical music, right here in Exeter.
Experience Exeter's Victorian Gothic masterpiece
Few buildings in Exeter reward a first visit quite like St Michael & All Angels on Mount Dinham. Soaring 230 feet above the city – the highest spire west of Salisbury – this Grade I listed Victorian Gothic masterpiece was conceived from the outset with music at its heart.
The lofty 65-foot nave, cruciform layout and narrow passage aisles were designed to draw the eye and the ear forward, creating acoustics that elevate the natural human voice and every kind of instrument. The result is an exquisite sonority – warm, resonant and enveloping – that rivals any concert venue in the South West.
St Michael’s rewards more than just listening. As the music fills the air, there is time to absorb the beauty and richness of the interior, with an uninterrupted view of the crossing and east end. Built in 1868 as an act of vision and generosity, it remains exactly that today – a place of sanctuary and the perfect home for Music on the Mount.
The benefits of classical music
Live classical music offers something increasingly rare – a moment of genuine stillness and inspiration beyond words.
A single concert has the power to lift the mood, sharpen focus, reduce stress and awaken memories. Even a short burst of live music can measurably boost wellbeing and lower cortisol levels. But beyond the research, there’s something harder to quantify – the feeling witnessing human artistry in person, connecting us to ourselves and others in a unique way. In our screen-saturated world, that experience has become quietly radical. If this speaks to you, we’d love to welcome you to Music on the Mount – an unhurried space to unplug, listen deeply and let music do what it does best.
Breathing new life into the arts
Music has been woven into the fabric of St Michael & All Angels Mount Dinham since its foundation in 1868, and is central to its very purpose.
The church’s extraordinary acoustics, soaring 65-foot nave and long tradition of choral and organ music have made it a natural home for classical chamber and vocal music from the earliest works to contemporary pieces. Over the decades it has quietly but consistently offered musicians a stage, a community and a space in which artistry can genuinely flourish. Music on the Mount builds on that proud legacy – a bold new classical music series for Exeter, made possible by the generous support of the Exeter & District Classical Music Trust, and designed to give musicians of all ages and stages — emerging voices alongside established names — a dedicated platform in one of the city’s most remarkable buildings.
Music on the Mount is generously supported by The Exeter & District Classical Music Trust
The Exeter & District Classical Music Trust (Charity Registration No. 1090945) was founded in 2002 on the initiative of Dr Frank Oliver, one time Reader in Statistics and Econometrics at the University of Exeter, to advance education in classical music in Exeter and its neighbourhood by the provision of guarantees and grants towards the cost of public professional performances, primarily of chamber music. Dr Oliver died in 2003 but the business of the charity continues under the management of the Trustees.
Additional funds were added in 2017 by a grant from the estate of Monica Attenborough as a sub-fund of the main Trust. The objective of the Attenborough Fund is to further the promotion of classical music in the Trust’s preferred area of benefit, in particular through assisting and encouraging young musicians demonstrating special talent.