Classical Concerts & Landscapes

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!

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.

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

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.

This week I was asked to photograph a concert by the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra in the Sheldonian Theatre in Oxford. Great to be able to park the car outside the theatre thanks to Declan who manages the theatre - great start. There were 600 tickets sold and the theatre was packed so moving around was very limited indeed. I literally had 4 places I could be to take photos after the initial start photo. However I did manage to take 6325 photos and the results were the best I

Members of the English Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Kenneth Woods rehearsing in St Georges Church in Barbourne in Worcester.

Worcester Cathedral are very good at promoting events and have used three images to advertise events in the Cathedral which are part of the Elgar Festival.

The Elgar Festival using my images from previous festivals to promote events at the 2026 festival. The availability of images showing the same event from previous years showing potential audience members exactly what to expect.

Rogers Theatre in Malvern College was the venue of the first event of the 2026 festival with a number of players joining Joe Davies, Assistant Conductor, English Symphony Orchestra for a full day of playing in an orchestra.

Thrilled to have shared the magic of Handel's glorious Messiah with a packed and appreciative audience at Worcester Cathedral on Saturday evening! What wonderful memories (and photos) were made! Alongside the music it was also our inaugural fundraiser for the Worcestershire Community Foundation , who will be granting the monies raised to children's and young people's causes across our county. Our grateful thanks to all who came, listened and made music, including our super a