THE Ealing Autumn Festival got off to a romping start with Galileo, the new opera written by the artistic director Gillian Spragg.

Andrew Dickinson (Galileo), Magdalen Ashman (The Moon), Stephen Kennedy (The Sun) and conductor Philip Hesketh led the cast supported by professional players the Chorus of Stars and players from six different schools on Friday and Saturday.

Friday marks the final performance of Orbits by Wally Sewell at The Drayton Court (7.30pm), a powerful retelling of the relationship between German playwright Brecht and British actor Charles Laughton when they translated Brecht’s play about Galileo.

Madeleine Mitchell will give a masterclass showing how to go about playing the violin at St Mary’s Church, St Mary’s Road on Saturday between 2pm and 4.30pm. Also tomorrow Julian Lloyd Webber will be hosting music by his father and brother, William Lloyd Webber and Andrew Lloyd Webber, with a Q&A about his father who was a founding member of the London College of Music. Cellist Jiaxin Lloyd Webber will also play with her piano trio, at St Mary’s Church, St Mary’s Road from 5pm.

The West London Sinfonia makes its tribute to William Lloyd Webber on Saturday with his finest orchestral work Aurora alongside Jan Rautio playing the solo part in the Schumann piano concerto and Brahms 4th Symphony conducted by Philip Hesketh at St Barnabas Church , Pitshanger Lane, starting at 7.30pm.

Sunday is a day of commemoration for World War One, with Madeleine Mitchell and Anne Harvey playing and reading, and the @twitter project starting to tweet the First Battle of Ypres. The event is at Twyford CofE High School, Twyford Crescent, Acton and starts at 3pm

Tickets are available from www.stargreen.com and www.wegottickets.com and at the door. Visit www.ealingautumnfestival.co.uk for more.