Classical Concerts & Landscapes

It was a Tale of Dragons in Leominster Priory with Leominster Choral Society conducted by James Atherton with soloists Brittany King (soprano), Angela Kazimierczuk (soprano) and Paul Bradley (tenor) with organist Hilary Norris.

A fitting conclusion to the Elgar Festival was the Festival Evensong in Worcester Cathedral. And with this post it's the end of the festival for 2026 ..............

Winner of numerous international competitions, pianist Roman Kosyakov plays the final concert Elgar Festival 2026, with a wonderfully virtuosic programme that includes Elgar’s Enigma Variations arranged for piano.

The Annual Elgar Society AT Shaw Lecture which is a popular event at the Elgar Festival had Kenneth Woods, conductor talking to Andrew Keener, record producer about his work in the studio with some of the most renowned Elgar conductors and instrumentalists from the 1980s to the present day.

Well its the big one!! The Gala Concert of the Elgar Festival in Worcester Cathedral. The English Symphony Orchestra , The Festival Chorus, Kenneth Woods, conductor and Rosalind Ventris - Violist. A packed Cathedral enjoyed Thea Musgrave The Seasons; Elgar Cello Concerto op. 85 (arr Lionel Tertis) ; Elgar The Black Knight op.25 and Elgar Imperial March op. 32 A fitting final evening concert for a marvelous festival of music.

The Elgar Festival annual free performance of the orchestra co-founded by Sir Edward Elgar himself offers families a great chance to experience the thrill of orchestral music up-close in an informal environment. A wonderful programme from Worcestershire Symphony Orchestra featuring Elgar, Bach and Mozart alongside 1950’s film composer Doreen Carwithen was enjoyed by a sell out audience in the Guildhall. Keith Slade, Conductor makes a speedy entrance to the podium too. Conduct

Elgar Festival Super Saturday saw us start off on St Martins Church (Cornmarket) with the The Elgar Chorale under the leadership of Piers Maxim and playing the organ Christopher Allsop. An impressive program of singing was appreciated by a sell out audience.

Tonight at Worcester Cathedral the English Symphony Orchestra with Kenneth Woods, conductor gave us Arnold Bax Tintagel, Elgar Falstaff and Holst The Planets, as part of the Elgar Festival. Here are just a few images of the concert where I managed to avoid most of the recording stands and video stands. But leaving two to show the task!! Looking forward to the Gala Concert on Saturday where there are NO recordings!

At the Sandon Hall in Worcester, Nicholas Daniel (oboe) and Huw Watkins (piano) played Thea Musgrave Dawn, Huw Watkins 5 Welsh Folksongs, Elgar Soliloquy & Howells Sonata in the Elgar Festival.

Malvern Priory was the venue for the latest Elgar Festival event featuring the Elgar String Orchestra, with Kenneth Woods, conductor and Nicholas Daniel, oboe soloist.

The Firs (Elgar's Birthplace) was the venue for the Elgar Festival Young Strings Masterclass event today with Tutors Nicholas Trygstad, (Head of Strings at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire,) cello and Beth Haughan, piano. A chance for aspiring youngsters to work with seasoned professionals.

It was the ESO Youth orchestras turn to put on the Elgar For Everyone concert in Worcester Cathedral last night which was part of the Elgar Festival. James Topp conducted and Zeb Soanes narrated with up to 100 young people in the orchestra. Winners of the 2025 Young Composers’ Competition were also presented with their prizes by Zeb Soanes.

Pershore Abbey was the venue for tonights Elgar Festival concert. The world famous I Fagiolini are Robert Hollingworth, director; Anna Crookes and Rebecca Lea, sopranos; Martha McLorinan and Tania Murphy, altos; Matthew Long and Jacob Ewens, tenors; Sam Gilliatt and Frederick Long, bass and Anna Markland, piano. This is their 40th Anniversary Tour and the packed audience enjoyed the music enormously.

The Elgar Festival held its first event at Elgar's Birthplace today with Performers April Fredrick, soprano ; Eric McElroy, piano ; Grace Shepherd, violin & Joseph Campbell Powell, narrator. A rich tapestry of longing and loss, it features poems and letters by Gurney and others that emerged from their time in the trenches and the collective grief, processing and change that followed it.

Today at the Elgar Festival it was time for some leisurely activity with a 90 minute Elgar walking tour of Worcester and a lecture from Joe Tierney on the life of Elgar and his family at Script Haven (Worcesters only independent bookshop).

Julian and Jiaxin Lloyd Webber entertained the sell out audience in Malvern tonight as part of the Elgar Festival. Jiaxin playing the JS Bach cello suites and then a talk from Julian about his career to date. With a Q&A session at the end. Julian Lloyd Webber is the Patron of the Elgar Festival

All Saints Church in Worcester is the location for the next Elgar Festival event with Lynne Lindner, the leader of The Jenny Lind Singers who a group of talented local female singers who presented a programme celebrating the works of women composers past and present. Harpist was Anwen Mai Thomas - Harpist

Malvern-based multi-disciplinary artist Nakisha Swatton put on a show at The Cube in Malvern as part of the Elgar Festival tonight, with the Re-Imagined Orchestra. Young Tilly produced the portrait of Elgar during the concert.

Croome Court was the Elgar Festival venue for the second recital by the "LANO Quartet" Shuwei Zuo (violin 1) Yuwen Fan (violin 2) Jinhe Huang (viola) & Gen Li (cello) playing Elgar String Quartet in E minor, Op. 83.

Today the Elgar Festival visits St Wulstans Church in Malvern, which is the resting place of many of the Elgar family, including Sir Edward Elgar. "LANO Quartet" Shuwei Zuo (violin 1) Yuwen Fan (violin 2) Jinhe Huang (viola) & Gen Li (cello) playing Elgar String Quartet in E minor, Op. 83. Pictured is Miss Hilary Elgar a descendant of Sir Edward Elgar.