A woman from Winchester will bring the the dramatic story of her ancestor’s colourful musical past to East Meon.

Five years ago, Josie Dixon, whose mother was the composer Ailsa Dixon, became aware of new research on Polish-Lithuanian violin virtuoso, Felix Yaniewicz, who changed the course of British musical history.

Josie subsequently went on to set up an exhibition in 2022 at the Georgian House in Edinburgh on the life and legacy of her fourth great-grandfather. It received more than 10,000 visitors, and was featured on Polish television and BBC Radio 3’s Music Matters.

Following last year’s talk on discovering women composers, Josie will return to All Saints Church on Saturday, April 12 to share Yaniewicz’s musical adventure.

Featuring Polish royal patronage, encounters with Mozart and Haydn, a dramatic escape from the French Revolution, an eccentric opera star, and a lost Stradivarius. Yaniewicz’s story culminates in the founding of the first Edinburgh Music Festival of 1815.

The event will start at 4pm, tickets are £16 per person and includes a cup of tea afterwards.

All proceeds go to East Meon Arts which is devoted to raising much-needed funds for the fabric of the Grade I listed Norman Church in East Meon, All Saints.

Tickets can be purchased online at https://tinyurl.com/Felix-Yaniewicz-talk-East-Meon.

For further details contact [email protected] or call Kati Whitaker on 07967137676.