THE full Winchester Festival programme for 2012 has been revealed and will see several famous faces coming to the city.

They include actress Juliet Stevenson along with Joan Bakewell, Ed Smith and Max Hastings, who are all promoting their latest books.

The festival opens with a concert at Winchester Cathedral with The Bach Choir and Southern Sinfonia It will take place at 7.30pm on Friday, July 6 and feature Helen-Jane Howells (soprano) David Allsopp (counter tenor) William Kendall (tenor) and Edward Price (bass). The conductor will be David Hill.

The next day from 9.30am to 4pm there will be Dr Who creative writing workshops for youngsters at Winchester Discovery Centre.

Also on Saturday, July 7, at 12-noon, A N Wilson will present Dante in Love, a study of Italian poet Dante Alighieri.

It will take place at Winchester Guildhall, which will be the venue for all of the author talks during the festival.

It includes John Lanchester talking about his topical new novel, Capital, at 2.30pm on Saturday, July 7.

Three hours later, Joan Bakewell will take to the stage with her latest book, She’s Leaving Home.

Then on Monday, July 9 at 6pm, Kate Summerscale will discuss her Victorian novel, Mrs Robinson’s Disgrace.

It will be followed by Hugo Vickers presenting Behind Closed Doors at 6pm on Tuesday, July 10.

Former England cricketer Ed Smith will then talk about his new book, Luck, at 6pm the following day.

And there will also be a 6pm start on Thursday, July 12, where Dominic Sandbrook will talk about Seasons in the Sun.

The next day at 6pm, Jake Wallis Simons from Winchester will talk about The Pure, a thriller about Mossad and the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran.

Then on Saturday, July 14 at 12-noon Hannah Rothschild will discuss The Baroness, a reflection on the extraordinary life of her great aunt, Pannonica Rothschild.

At 2.30pm the same day, festival stalwart Max Hastings will talk about his latest war history book, All Hell Let Loose.

As for live music on Saturday, July 7 at 7pm, there will be plenty on offer at Henry Beaufort School in Harestock.

There will be a performance by the Hampshire County Youth Wind Band, Hampshire Flute Choir and Hampshire Double Reed Ensemble.

Music lovers will be spoilt for choice, as at 7.30pm the same day, The Ashton Singers will perform at the Church of St Cross.

The day after at 7pm, cellist Steven Isserlis and pianist Connie Shih will be at St Swithun’s Performing Arts Centre in Alresford Road.

Then at 8pm on Tuesday, July 10, Cardinall’s Musick will perform in Winchester Cathedral as part of The William Byrd Tour.

The following evening at 7.45pm the Heath Quartet will perform works by Mendelssohn, Britten and Tchaikovsky at St Cross Church.

The cathedral will then be pressed back into service at 9pm on Thursday, July 12 for the Rachmaninov Vespers.

BBC Radio 5 Busker of the Year Kristyna Myles will then be performing at 8.30pm on Friday, July 13. She will be joined by Ben Williams from Romsey and the concert will be at the guildhall.

Then from 11am to 4pm on Saturday, July 14, the United Church in Jewry Street will host a gospel workshop with Black Voices. They will then perform a concert there at 7.30pm.

As with previous years, there will also be lunchtime recitals at St Lawrence’s Church in The Square.

They will run from Monday, July 9 to Friday, July 13 at 1pm each day with concerts ranging from jazz to classical music.

The festival will also include live theatre, with the Festival Players taking to the guildhall stage at 8pm on Monday, July 9.

Directed by Ronald James, they will perform What Happened to Winchester Castle?

The following evening at 7pm, pupils from Winchester secondary schools will present an abridged version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The Shakespeare classic will be performed at Winchester Discovery Centre.

The festival will close with Beloved Clara at the Theatre Royal at 7pm on Sunday, July 15, featuring Juliet Stevenson, Henry Goodman and pianist Lucy Parham.

It will tell the story of the relationship between Robert Schumann, his wife Clara and Johannes Brahms chronicled through music along with extracts from their letters and diaries.

Tickets go on general sale on Monday, April 30. Visit winchesterfestival.co.uk or call the box office on 01962 857276 for more details.