A beginner's guide to Cheltenham Music Festival
With Cheltenham Music Festival only a couple of weeks away, our Cheltenham Music Festival Head of Programming, Michael Duffy, shared the best concerts to come along to if you're dipping your toes into classical music for the first time. From late night sessions and electronic evenings to symphony orchestras and choral symphonys...
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
The opening night concert with the City of Birmingham Orchestra is one you can truly get lost in. The big sound of a symphony orchestra, takes you on a journey of familiar, recognisable, childhood nostalgia through music.
The concert transports you to the rolling hills and landscapes of the countryside, and gives you space to reflect on the beauty of nature as the beautiful Ralph Vaughan Williams composition, The Lark Ascending washes over you.
The second part of the concert features music from Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 6 ‘Pastoral’, Op. 6, which includes recognisable childhood melodies from the classic Disney film, Fantasia.
12 Ensemble & GBSR Duo
Enjoy a fusion of electronics and classical music with 12 Ensemble on strings and GBRS Duo playing percussion and keys on Friday 14 July.
Immerse yourself in a programme of heavenly and hellish visions, with a mix of classical and non-classical music. If you’re curious about classical music, then this concert is a great route to listening to the genre in an alternative way.
The concert culminates in a new arrangement of Harold Budd and Brian Eno’s shimmering Ambient 2.
Dunedin Consort
Experience a more traditional side to classical music with Dunedin Consort.
Enjoy a midsummer evening with one of the country’s finest baroque ensembles. In a two-concert special, Scotland’s Dunedin Consort join forces with rising star and BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist, Hugh Cutting, for their Festival debut, to celebrate J S Bach’s glorious music.
And you can either dip your toes in for an hour of sumptuous music or make a full evening of it and join us for both parts.
The Carice Singers
Spend a perfect Sunday afternoon with the beautiful voices of The Carice Singers. What's more, a concert that is only an hour in length is a great way to sample choral harmonies.
This is a programme inspired by light and luminosity and features sequences that you can easily unwind to. Listen out for mindful messages of peace, as well as moments of tension that lead to release.
Manchester Collective
If you're a first timer at Cheltenham Music Festival, then our concert with Manchester Collective is perfect for you.
Quickly becoming one of the most exciting groups in the UK, they know how to bring music to life and create conversational layers across the musical spectrum.
Flowing with lush music for strings, the concert takes you on our journey of four portraits, packed with a very personal and emotional outpouring.
Rakhi Singh
Join violinist and leader of the radical Manchester Collective, Rakhi Singh as she weaves her way through musical influences in a late-night set of electronics.
The concert features music by a whole host of artists including, Alex Groves, Emily Hall, Edmund Finnis, Nicola Matteis and Bang on a Can’s Michael Gordon and Julia Wolfe.
So grab a drink and sit back and relax to a warm, lively and informal evening of music.
Scottish Ensemble: ANNO
Bringing the Festival to a close is the ever-imaginative Scottish Ensemble with award-winning composer Anna Meredith’s Anno, a recontextualising of Vivaldi’s familiar Four Seasons for string ensemble and electronics.
Meredith’s touch effortlessly blends these two genres of music, heightening the intensity and drama of the much-loved classic.
Go on a journey of our ever changing seasons at Cheltenham Town Hall as they bring the outside in with a beautiful foliage installation by Leaf Creative, creating an immersive experience for the audience.
Get to know some of the music at this year's Cheltenham Music Festival
Book tickets to Cheltenham Music Festival
Special offers
Sample a range of music to find a genre most suited to you using our special offers, from multi-buys to late night deals.
Receive 20% off when booking for both Dunedin Consort events
Pump Room Mornings Multi-buy: Enjoy 10% off three or more concerts (Monday to Friday only)
Special offer: Book both Spotlight performances for £18
Special offer: Book both Composium performances for £20
Add a Late Night - receive £5 off your late night ticket when also booking for the 7pm concert on the same day