Acclaimed Midlands chamber choir to perform at Elgar Festival

Organisers of the annual celebration of the life and music of Worcestershire’s most famous composer have announced a festival first.

The Elgar Festival – which will take place from Saturday 24 May until Sunday 1 June this year – will welcome acclaimed Midlands chamber choir the Proteus Ensemble on Saturday 24 May at 11.00am in the beautiful surroundings of Pershore Abbey in Worcestershire.

The ‘coffee concert’ – which costs £12 per ticket – will showcase its recordings of part songs by Elgar entitled ‘There is Sweet Music’, including ‘The Fountain’, ‘Deep in My Soul’, ‘As Torrents in Summer’, alongside works by Parry and Stanford, two great classical composers and major figures of the British musical world in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

The Proteus Ensemble was founded in 2013 by its conductor Stephen Shellard – who is also the Musical Director of Worcester Cathedral Chamber Choir – and consists of professional singers from all over the UK.  Named after the Greek sea, the group takes its musical inspiration from the adjective ‘protean’ or ‘versatile’ or ‘capable of assuming many forms.’

Kenneth Woods, Artistic Director of The Elgar Festival said: “This is a wonderful first and a fabulous addition to this year’s Elgar Festival.  The group will take concert goers on a musical journey performing songs from its latest CD, produced by one of the country’s top independent recording labels Avie Records.  We are so excited to welcome them!”

Themed ‘Celebrate with Elgar’, this year’s Festival will bring together world class professional musicians and artists alongside local choirs and ensembles placing the music of Worcester’s most famous son alongside that of his contemporaries and some of today’s leading composers and arrangers.

Set in the composer’s hometown and surrounding areas, the Festival is an annual celebration of Elgar’s music spanning symphonic and string orchestra concerts by the resident and world renowned English Symphony Orchestra.

Other highlights this year include Elgar’s Symphony No. 2 and John Ireland’s oratorio ‘These Things Shall Be’ performed by the ESO and joined by the 2025 Festival Chorus on Saturday 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 the Festival’s Young Composers’ Competition; the event will also 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.

Since its inauguration in 2018, when it was a Critic’s Pick in both The Guardian and The Times, the festival has doubled in size and scale and continues to grow annually through an innovative development programme of appealing and accessible events, working with hundreds of both internationally renowned professional artists and amateur musicians and performers of all ages to ensure Elgar really is for everyone.

For further information and to book tickets please visit www.elgarfestival.org