The Pierian Centre’s Journeys Festival comes to a rousing finale on Sunday 16th March with a triple bill of events. Music is common to all of them, but in every other respect they’re exceptional! David Mowat takes us on his travels with a trumpet, the Cabot Circus Cantata is a film of the musical diversity represented in the redevelopment of Broadmead, and members of the Pin Drop Band round things off in a style like no other!

The evening starts at 7pm with Thin Veil of the Unquiet Mind – an account of David Mowat’s “improvised pilgrimage”. David is a professional jazz trumpeter who took his instrument on a 1,000 mile pilgrimage from Bristol to Jerusalem. He encountered monks, musicians, wolves and more – being mistaken for an Israeli spy in Syria and receiving incredible hospitality from (mainly Muslim) strangers. On Sunday 16th March David comes to the Pierian Centre to describe his adventures and play some of the tunes he learnt along the way.

Through the winter of 2004-5 David walked about 1,000 miles, with some added hitching and public transport, on a journey from Barton Hill to Jerusalem. He had been inspired by Satish Kumar's 1963 peace pilgrimage, and he wanted to explore the reality of hospitality across cultures in our increasingly divided world. His route would enable him to look into the roots of conflict in the Balkans and in Israel/Palestine, to get back to Nature, and to enjoy the freedom of the road! A display of maps, diaries and paintings form a back-drop to David’s story and his performance of some of the music he picked up in the course of his long march.

Next on the menu is a screening of Cabot Circus Cantata, the musical film made by Neville Gabie and David Ogden. The film is an extraordinary document of a concert given by some of the dozens of different nationalities working on the massive Cabot Circus development. Neville Gabie is the Artist in Residence there, and he will discuss the project after the screening. The whole Journeys Festival is drawn together by the last act of the evening. Members of the Pin Drop Band come together to produce the most delicate and compelling music from an Aladdin’s Cave of surprising instruments. Pin Drop’s approach combines intimacy with eclecticism and imagination – the results are astonishing!

The evening is free – but booking is advisable. For further information and bookings contact 0117 924 4512 or info[at]pieriancentre.com or go to www.pieriancentre.com . The Pierian Centre is at 27 Portland Square, St Pauls, Bristol BS2 8SA. The Journeys Festival runs from Friday evening 14th March to Sunday night 16th March, and is part of the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue. Come early and see the art exhibition! All events are free; refreshments are available; and parking is easy. So see you there!