Cheltenham Music Festival is back this July 2023, bringing a stellar line-up of classical and contemporary musical talent to the Regency town.
Taking place from Saturday 8 to Saturday 15 July 2023, this year's event will see some of the very best classical musicians from around the world take to the stage alongside the most exciting up-and-coming performers, showcasing a wide variety of music from old favourites to never-before-heard pieces, featuring the work of 40 living composers.
This year's programme includes world premieres and newly commissioned pieces from James B Wilson, Soosan Lolavar, Aileen Sweeney and James MacMillan; performances from world-class musicians including the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Tamsin Waley-Cohen, The Doric Quartet, Chineke! Wind Quartet and the Manchester Collective; and exciting new artists including BBC Young Musician of the Year 2022, Jordan Ashman.
Celebrating the 400th anniversary of English composer William Byrd's death, Byrdwatching provides an immersive, interactive tour of some of the town's private drawing rooms with intimate performances from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire; while there's a series of morning concerts at Pittville Pump Room where music fans can see internationally-acclaimed artists like Mark Simpson and Pavel Kolesnikov; as well as BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists Hugh Cutting, Kunal Lahiry, James Newby, Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha, the Leonkoro Quartet accompanied by pianist Elisabeth Brauß, and the Mithras Trio.
The popular Classical Mixtape has a brand-new venue in 2023, with DEYA Brewing Company playing host to a rule-free evening of contemporary classical music; while The Old Courthouse in Cheltenham town centre is hosting two late-night electronic sets from Laura Cannell and Rakhi Singh.
GBSR Duo and 12 Ensemble perform a genre-crossing programme that delves into unsettling film music and classical music's obsession with death, featuring co-commissioned new music from Laurence Osborn and a brand-new arrangement of Brian Eno's Ambient 2: The Plateaux of Mirror; brand-new audio-visual experience, Sound Voice at the Everyman Theatre, explores the concept of voice loss; and Anna Meredith presents ANNO - a reimagining of Vivaldi's iconic Four Seasons using strings and electronic instruments and featuring the Scottish Ensemble.
It's also the 10th anniversary of the Cheltenham Music Festival Composer Academy, with this year's participants' work being premiered by The Carice Singers.
Head of programming at Cheltenham Music Festival, Michael Duffy, said: 'It's a pleasure to share this year's Cheltenham Music Festival programme, which is inspired by both our heritage and our future. The festival celebrates the vibrancy of classical music today.
'I'm delighted we're welcoming artists who are pushing the boundaries and innovating, alongside the very best of next-generation talent. We feature music by 40 living composers, including five Cheltenham Festivals commissions.
'I hope that audiences will indulge their curiosity and enjoy the wide range of experiences on offer, from music in the splendour of Cheltenham Town Hall and the Pittville Pump Room to an intimate musical tour of private drawing rooms and our popular Mixtape at DEYA Brewery.'
Tickets to Cheltenham Music Festival go on general sale on Friday 31 March 2023.
For more information, see Cheltenham Music Festival.
