Youth concert will unveil festival competition winner

A festival favourite will return this year, welcoming more than 100 young musicians.

The annual Elgar for Everyone family concert – part of the Elgar Festival – will take place at Worcester Cathedral on Wednesday 27 May at 7.15pm.

The concert will welcome the English Symphony Orchestra Youth’s patron, renowned presenter, composer and author Zeb Soanes from Classic FM who will be both hosting and narrating Britten’s iconic masterpiece ‘The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra’ with updated text by Tom Redmond.

The concert will also include the winning performances of the festival’s 2026 Young Composers’ Competition.

The performers will include ESO Youth Ensembles, Musicians of the English Symphony Orchestra and conductor James Topp.

As well as Britten’s masterpiece, the programme will include Elgar’s ‘Chanson de Matin’ alongside his ‘Themes from Pomp and Circumstance Marches no. 1 and no. 4.’

Kenneth Woods, Artistic Director of the Elgar Festival said: “The annual Elgar for Everyone family concert is the perfect introduction to orchestral music and a must for all families and young music lovers! With more than 100 young musicians of the future from across Elgar Country performing side by side with their teachers and mentors from the English Symphony Orchestra, the programme will be both vivid and varied.”

Set in the composer’s hometown and surrounding areas over the week closest to Elgar’s birthday on 2^nd June – this year’s festival will take place from Saturday 23 May until Sunday 31 May – the festival is an annual celebration of Elgar’s music spanning symphonic and string orchestra concerts by the resident English Symphony Orchestra, along with chamber concerts, choral concerts, recitals, workshops, masterclasses, street performances, a young composers competition, exhibits, tours and talks.

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.

The music of the festival’s namesake will be the centrepiece of a busy programme of 27 events across 15 different venues with 3 pre-festival events including the relaxed concerts. The full breadth of Elgar’s work will be showcased, including songs, miniatures, chamber music and choral anthems alongside his most beloved orchestral masterpieces.

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.

For a full list of events, costs and booking information, please visit www.elgarfestival.org.