Elgar Festival 2027

Sun 23 May – Sun 6 June

With a Little Help from My Friends

The Elgar Festival 2027 invites you to join a vibrant celebration of shared creativity, international friendship and the enduring power of music to bring people together.

Our 2027 festival is inspired by the remarkable story of Elgar’s unfinished Third Symphony – a score left incomplete on his death in 1934 and later realised with great sensitivity by British composer Anthony Payne. Payne’s work, now cherished by listeners worldwide, stands as a powerful example of artistic generosity and the human instinct to help fulfil another’s vision.

The bond between Britain and Poland has always been a special one, especially where music is concerned. Elgar’s thrilling Polonia, written in support of the Polish Victims’ Relief Fund during the First World War, forms a central pillar of the 2027 programme. With conflict in Eastern Europe still prevalent today Elgar’s example is more timely and profound than ever, and we also explore the deep influence of Polish composers including works by Panufnik and Szymanowski,  and the wider themes of creative collaboration — from Elgar and Payne to Mahler and Cooke, and Elgar and Fraser.

Other festival highlights will include Elgar’s Sea Pictures, his String Quartet and Introduction and Allegro, and Vaughan Williams’ Toward the Unknown Region, internationally renowned performers and speakers, local artists and collaborators, walks, exhibitions, new poetry events and partnerships, competitions and young musician performances.   

Event details coming soon….Elgar really is for everyone!