The 18th annual English Music Festival (EMF) returns to Dorchester Abbey, Oxfordshire from Friday 23 May until Bank Holiday Monday 26 May 2025.
The opening concert, performed by the BBC Concert Orchestra and conductor Martin Yates (pictured above), features the long-awaited World Première performance of the Symphony no.2 by the unjustly neglected composer Stanley Bate.
The festival will also include a rare performance of Ralph Vaughan Williams’s Heroic Elegy and Triumphal Epilogue and the Cello Concerto of Sir Arthur Bliss performed by celebrated cellist Raphael Wallfisch (pictured below) – a highlight of the commemorations for the 50th anniversary of the composer’s death.
The festival celebrates the brilliance, innovation, beauty and rich musical heritage of Britain with a strong focus on unearthing overlooked or forgotten masterpieces of the late 19th to mid 20th century.
“Each year we are able to build upon the success and popularity of the previous year’s EMF and this year is no exception”, said Em Marshall-Luck, Founder-Director.
“Audience numbers were greatly increased last year and we were overjoyed that for the first time, they exceeded pre-pandemic levels. We anticipate that this year’s thrilling and attractive programme will draw even more music-lovers than ever, and from even further afield.
Booking for EMF Friends opened on 1 March and general booking from 15 March. For more information and to book visit the EMF website.
Photo credits: Martin Yates, conductor at the English Music Festival, Dorchester Abbey ©Richard Cave | Raphael Wallfisch ©Benjamin Ealovega