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music · Saturday 29 August 2026 · 7:30pm 
Bach, Bows and Arrows! - An Audience with Julian & Jiaxin Lloyd Webber
At The Portico of Ards · Steel Dickson Avenue, Portaferry, Co. Down
At The Portico of Ards · Steel Dickson Avenue, Portaferry, Co. Down
One of the most decorated cellists of his generation plays Portaferry on Saturday, 29 August 2026, when Julian Lloyd Webber and his wife, pianist Jiaxin Lloyd Webber, bring “Bach, Bows and Arrows!” to The Portico of Ards at 7:30pm. The evening is built around Bach’s Cello Suites and the part they have played across Julian’s career, mixing live performance with stories from over four decades on stage.
Julian Lloyd Webber has recorded more than 60 albums and won a Brit Award for his recording of Elgar’s Cello Concerto, and this show is pitched as “an evening of music, stories and celebration” rather than a straight recital, with the couple talking through the pieces as they play them. Expect Bach’s Cello Suites at the centre of the programme, framed by Julian’s own reflections on how the music has run through his performing life, from major concerto work down to the more intimate solo repertoire this format allows. Jiaxin Lloyd Webber’s piano playing gives the evening a second voice rather than leaving Julian’s cello entirely unaccompanied, and the combination of first-rate musicianship with informal storytelling is what distinguishes the show from a conventional concert hall recital.
The Portico of Ards is on Steel Dickson Avenue in Portaferry, at the tip of the Ards Peninsula where Strangford Lough meets the sea. The Strangford to Portaferry ferry is the quickest route in from the Lecale side of the lough, and there is parking near the venue for anyone driving round via Newtownards.
Portaferry’s harbour and the Exploris aquarium are both a short stroll from the venue, worth building into an evening that starts with a concert. There is more to see in Portaferry and across Co. Down.
Heading to The Portico of Ards in Portaferry? Down has plenty more to see. Read the Portaferry area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.