The truly-eclectic cocktail of a nationally-acclaimed string quartet playing Sibelius and Shostakovich in country churches, schoolchildren performing with top professionals and one of Scotland's finest female folk singers leading a candlelit cabaret is what makes the annual Dante Summer Festival such a joy.

Although the event — to be held in a range of venues across the Tamar Valley this month — now attracts large audiences, the members of the Dante Quartet are as keen as ever to entice new converts to listen to musical masterpieces being informally presented and thrillingly played.

"A lot of people feel that classical chamber music is a bit abstract and hard to get into," said lead violinist Krysia Osostowicz.

"But we want to cut through all that and show how incredibly exciting and alive this music really is. Our theme this year is Intimate Voices and we will be playing pieces with a special message or personal meaning, written maybe as a musical love letter, a lament for war victims, a secret joke or a final summing up of the composer's life.

"We also have Mairi Campbell and Dave Francis — known as The Cast — joining us from Edinburgh for a concert, cabaret and ceilidh. Their traditional Scots singing and fiddling captivated our festival audience a few years ago. They have now become surprise celebrities, since their mesmerising version of Auld Lang Syne was used for the film soundtrack of Sex And The City, attracting a new following for their music. They sing all over the world and we are thrilled to have them back at our festival."

Far from being imported from the city, the Dante Festival retains a very strong community base. The players visit in advance and work with schoolchildren from Callington, Stoke Climsland, Tavistock and Lewannick, who then take part in concert with the quartet.

At open rehearsals, listeners can ask questions and see how musicians work together. Mairi Campbell and Dave Francis will teach traditional ceilidh tunes to children and amateurs, inviting them to play alongside their dance band, while local artist Nigel Edwards' popular "paint the music" workshop will get both children and adults creating a huge artwork inspired by live sounds.

The festival — which this year runs from May 27 to 31 — has also built up a tradition of contributing to local charities such as Children's Hospice South West, Precious Lives Appeal and Cornwall Air Ambulance.

Festival Programme

May 27 – Church of St Mary, Callington, 7.30pm. Quartets, Songs and Strings. Dante Quartet with Festival Orchestra and The Cast. Music by Dvorak, Smetana, Mairi Campbell and Shostakovich

May 28 – Trebullett Chapel, 7.30pm. Meet The Musicians. Dante Quartet discuss, explore and play Beethoven's final quartet, opus 135. Late coffee and cake.

May 29 – Stoke Climsland Old School and Parish Church. 2-4pm: Join The Dance. The Cast leads a workshop welcoming all ages, levels and instruments to learn traditional ceilidh tunes. 4.30-5.30pm: Schumann meets Sibelius. 6.30pm: Intimate Voices, concert by the Dante Quartet. 8.30pm: Celtic Cabaret with The Cast, by candlelight, with dinner.

May 30 – Coombeshead Farm, Lewannick. Family Day. 3-4pm: Dante Quartet open rehearsal, Mozart Quintet in G minor. 4.30-6pm: Paint The Music, workshop with Nigel Edwards and the Dantes. 6.30-9.30pm: Ceilidh with The Cast, music and dancing.

May 31 – Tavistock. 11am-12.30pm: Tamar Valley Walk from St Eustachius' Church. 1.45pm: Meet The Composer, with Matthew Taylor. 2.30pm: Dante Quintet, with Tim Boulton playing music by Matthew Taylor, Schumann and Mozart.