Guiting Music Festival – Alistair McGowan

When the Impressionist Learned to Play

Alistair McGowan spent decades mimicking other people's voices for television. Then, in his fifties, he took up the piano seriously and practised six hours a day until his debut album reached number one in the classical charts. He has since developed a touring show that puts both things on the same stage.

The Guiting evening draws on all three of McGowan's registers: impressions and stand-up comedy, poetry from his 2024 collection Not What We Were Expecting, and solo piano pieces by Debussy, Satie, Mompou, Scriabin and Amy Beach among others. It is an unusual combination that happens to work well in a marquee at a village festival.

Friday 31 July 2026 · Festival Marquee, Guiting Power Playing Field, Guiting Power, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL54 5UX · 6:30pm–9:30pm