Elgar Festival 2025

Building on the success of previous years, the 2025 Festival themed ‘Celebrate with Elgar’ will run from Saturday 24th May to Sunday 1st June and promises 9 days packed with events that do just that! We’ll celebrate great music-making, our natural environment, young musicians, diversity, the music of today as well as music of the past, historic buildings, community and participation.

Highlights include Elgar’s Symphony No. 2 and John Ireland’s thrilling oratorio ‘These Things Shall Be’ performed by world-renowned English Symphony Orchestra and joined by the 2025 festival chorus on Sat 31 May in Worcester Cathedral. There are further performances by English String and Chamber Orchestras, recitals by world renowned performers Raphael Wallfisch, David Briggs and April Fredrick, several participatory events including ‘Come and Play Elgar 1’ and a Young Singers Masterclass. The ever-popular family concert returns hosted by Classic FM’s Zeb Soanes including the winning pieces of our Young Composers’ Competition, and we celebrate the work and 70^th birthday of Worcester’s finest living composer Ian Venables.

There are several free events, relaxed concerts, an exhibition, choral events, a film screening, Q and As, a guided walk, a new performance partnership with students from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and a Club Elgar event.

Elgar really is for everyone!

The event takes place across Pershore, Worcester and Malvern:

Saturday 24th May

• Coffee concert with the Proteus Ensemble @11am - Pershore Abbey - Book Tickets
• Worcester Concert Brass @1:30pm - Cathedral Square - Find Out More
• Club Elgar @ 7:30pm - West Malvern Social Club- Book Tickets

Sunday 25th May

• Jenny Lind Singers @3pm - St George’s, Barbourne Book Tickets
  

Monday 26th May

• ‘In Elgar’s Footsteps’ - guided walk @9.45am and recital @11.15am - Black Hill car park to St Wulstan’s Church - Book Tickets
  

Tuesday 27th May

• Young Singers Masterclass Day @11am – 3pm - The Firs - Book Tickets
• ‘Notes From The Organ Loft’ with ESO winds @7pm - St George’s RC Church - Book Tickets

Wednesday 28th May

• Elgar Exhibition day 1 @10am – 4pm - Worcester Guildhall, Court Room - Find Out More
• Elgar For Everyone Family concert @7:15pm - Worcester Cathedral Book Tickets

Thursday 29th May

• Elgar Exhibition day 2 @10am – 4pm - Worcester Guildhall, Court Room - Find Out More
• ‘Hidden Music’ film screening @11 am - The Firs - Book Tickets
• ESO Chamber Orchestra @7pm - Worcester Guildhall, Assembly Room - Book Tickets

Friday 30th May

• Elgar Exhibition day 3 @10am – 4pm - Worcester Guildhall, Court Room -Find Out More
• Relaxed Elgar with ESO winds @11am/3pm - Malvern Priory am/Henry Sandon Hall at Royal Porcelain Works pm - Malvern Priory Tickets Henry Sandon Hall Tickets
• Lunchtime recital with April Fredrick @1pm - Huntingdon Hall - Book Tickets
• ESO String Orchestra @7pm - Malvern Priory - Book Tickets

Saturday 31st May

• Elgar Exhibition day 4 @10am – 4pm - Worcester Guildhall, Court Room - Find Out More
• Elgar Chorale @11am - St Martin in the Cornmarket - Book Tickets
• WSO/Elgar’s Orchestra @1.30pm - All Saint’s Church, Deansway - Find Out More
• David Briggs Q and A @2pm - Organ recital by David Briggs @3pm - Malvern Priory - Book Tickets
• Festival Evensong @5.30pm - Worcester Cathedral - Find Out More
• ESO Gala concert @7.30pm - Worcester Cathedral - Book Tickets

Sunday 1st June

• AT Shaw lecture @11am - ‘Elgar: A Critic’s View’ with Christopher Morley - Museum of Royal Worcester - Book Tickets
• Elgar Society lunch @12pm - Museum of Royal Worcester - Cello recital with Raphael Wallfisch @2pm - Henry Sandon Hall at Royal Porcelain Works - Book Tickets
• Festival Evensong @4pm - Worcester Cathedral - Find Out More

Photos courtesy of Michael Whitefoot