The combination here is genuinely unusual: a guided tour of Dinosaur Isle museum in Sandown led by the conservator himself, followed by a baroque recital featuring two instruments that were approaching extinction in the 18th century. The Fairest Isle Festival's "Musical Dinosaurs" event on 17 May pairs Dr Simon Penn's knowledge of the 40,000-specimen collection with Chris Hirst and Phantasia performing on theorbo and voice flute.
The museum covers the dinosaurs that lived on the Isle of Wight 125 million years ago, when the island formed part of a coastal plain rich in large herbivores and predators. Penn takes you through the collection with the specificity of someone who has worked with the bones rather than just catalogued them. The recital that follows uses the architectural acoustics of the museum gallery, which gives the two "musical dinosaurs" the space their sound needs. It is the kind of event that works because the two halves genuinely illuminate each other.
Tickets £20, booking via Fairest Isle Festival. Sunday morning start, 17 May. More heritage and music across the festival weekend.
