DEAR FRIENDS
A MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR OF THE FRIENDS, TONY
PARSONS
In this issue of Overture, we get a brief insight into the operas that will be presented at this year’s Festival. And what a rich variety we have in store.
The operas range from the light (The Merry Widow ), through the well-known (La traviat a), to works by well-known composers but which are seldom performed (Amadigi di Gaula and La clemenza di Tito), and on to works you have probably never heard of (Le dernier sorcie r and La liberazione di Ruggiero), by composers almost as much neglected. Buxton gives us it all!
The one thing missing from this year’s selection is contemporary opera. But I should not complain. We can’t have everything every year. We did have Shorts last year, Violet in 2022 and Dido’s Ghost in 2021, amongst others.
The one thing that contemporary opera does so well is to remind us that opera is not just about beautiful music and singing, but it is also social commentary designed to make us think. Amidst the wonderful music and comedy of The Marriage of Figaro lies a critique of the practice of droit du seigneur. That practice may be long gone, but not so society’s equally brutal response of execution to the brutal murder that occurs at the start of Dead Man Walking.
The vitality of contemporary opera, however, is at odds with the contemporary audience. Last year, when Donald Maxwell gave his highly entertaining talk to the Friends about Buxton’s first production of Hamlet, he asked how many of his audience had been at that performance close on half a century ago. I was astonished by the number of hands that went up. I worry that were the same question to be asked of an audience as far into the future the response would be very different. The future looks bleak unless a new generation of fans emerges to keep pace with the evolving operatic repertoire. The challenge is not to convince people to like opera, but to dispel the notion that they don’t.
As ever, thank you for your support of the Festival. But, please, do what you can to encourage others to venture into the exciting world of opera. Once over the threshold, few step back.
OPERA
INTRODUCED BY
ADRIAN KELLY, BIF’S ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
This year marks something of a new departure for the opera programme. While the Festival has always been committed to presenting lesser-known works, it has become clear that as the cultural landscape changes, the Festival needs to adapt. And so it is, that, as well as offering two neglected operas by female composers, we also present two of the best-loved works in the canon, namely Giuseppe Verdi’s iconic opera La traviata and Franz Lehár’s ever-popular operetta, The Merry Widow.
La traviata
Reimagined for Buxton International Festival in a production inspired by La Belle Époque, the golden age of Parisian elegance. A world that opens up before us in splendour and sorrow, where pleasure, love and reputation are constantly at stake. Verdi’s glorious score brings this world vividly to life in one of the most powerful operas ever written.
Our new production of La traviata represents a third collaboration with the Norwich Theatre. James Hurley directs an international cast in Verdi’s timeless tale of love and sacrifice.
The Merry Widow
Lehár’s delicious comedy of bankruptcy, infidelity, social climbing and the rekindling of romance between two old flames gets a twist of lemon in this production. Feisty, fabulous and filthy rich, Hanna Glawari is the merriest widow in New York, with a fortune in the bank, a lucrative lemon grove in Sicily, and a stampede of suitors vying for her attention. But money is power, and Mafioso Don Zeta recruits the many talents of wise guy Danilo, the happiest bachelor in New York, to ensure Hanna’s millions don’t end up married to the wrong man, with license to use any means necessary. Little does Zeta know, however, that Hanna and Danilo have quite the history…
Director John Savournin hails from Buxton, and his witty take on The Merry Widow marks a welcome first collaboration for the Festival with one of the most dynamic national companies, Scottish Opera.
La clemenza di Tito
The opera seria unfolds against the backdrop of ancient Rome. Emperor Tito, renowned for his benevolence and clemency, grapples with political intrigue and personal conflicts. The narrative takes a thrilling turn as Tito faces betrayal from those closest to him, including his closest friend Sesto and the enigmatic Vitellia. The opera reaches its climax with Tito’s struggle to balance mercy and justice, culminating in a powerful display of forgiveness and redemption.
A rare opportunity to hear Mozart’s sublime late opera, La clemenza di Tito in a concert staging at the Buxton Opera House.
Amadigi di Gaula
Amadigi di Gaula is an exuberantly inventive work with brilliant musical ideas full of youth, love and magic. The sorceress Melissa loves the knight Amadigi. But he loves Oriana, who in turn is coveted by Amadigi’s friend and rival Dardano. The four figures stumble around in a labyrinth of deceptive images and feelings and run the risk of losing not only their way, but above all themselves. Hurt and filled with hate, Melissa uses all her magical powers to destroy the love Amadigi and Oriana have for one another. She plots, lies, begs, flatters and threatens death and torture. But love is victorious in the end.
Our third mainstage opera sees a welcome return of the English Concert to the pit of the Buxton Opera House. Handel’s masterpiece Amadigi di Gaula is one of his so-called “magic” operas, and its music is full of the lightness and elegance that characterises Handel’s earlier works. Olivia Fuchs directs and conductor Erin Helyard makes his UK debut.
Once again, we will present two smaller operas in the Pavilion Arts Centre, both of them continuing the magical theme. Pauline Viardot was a star singer in the mid-nineteenth century.
La liberazione di Ruggiero
Based on the famous Italian epic poem ‘Orlando Furioso’, the heroic Saracen champion Ruggiero is freed from the enchantments of the wicked sorceress Alcina through the power of Melissa, another enchantress, working on behalf of his beloved, the Christian warrior maiden Bradamante, a member of Charlemagne’s army.
Francesca Caccini was a consummate singer, musician and composer, and a contemporary of Claudio Monteverdi. La liberazione di Ruggiero was the first opera written by a woman. Vache Baroque has demonstrated its commitment to delivering baroque opera with freshness and flair, and I am thrilled that we will continue our collaboration with them.
Le dernier sorcier
A chamber opera in two acts, Le dernier sorcier revolves around Krakamiche, a once-powerful sorcerer whose presence in the great woods has upset the fairies, the forest’s rightful inhabitants, and disturbed the harmony of the land. Through the combined efforts of the fairy folk and their queen, the sorcerer’s daughter and her prince, and a hapless valet, Krakamiche ultimately learns key truths about humility, love, and living in harmony with the natural world.
Early performances of Le dernier sorcier were attended by none other than Clara Schumann, Franz Liszt and Johannes Brahms. Lysanne van Overbeek (La canterina 2024) returns to the Festival to direct.
BOOKS INTRODUCED BY
VICKY DAWSON, BOOK DIRECTOR
I am often asked if there is a theme to each year’s BIF books programme. My immediate answer is, not at all, that would be too limiting. But I have observed that the word ‘humanity’ inadvertently features in many of our authors’ books this year. They define it as the ability to love, create and show compassion; in essence, the quality of being truly alive rather than acting like a robot. Yes, our book festival covers conflict, inequality and the dangers of power, but we also look at hope, heroism, diplomacy, trust, lives lived in nature and through art, kindness, curiosity and exception.
HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE
Sir Nick Clegg How To Save The Internet: The Threat to Global Connection in the Age of AI and Political Conflict
Andrew Graham-Dixon Vermeer: A Life Lost and Found
Kate Williams Regina: A New History of Women and Power
Jimmy Wales (Founder of Wikipedia)
The Seven Rules of Trust: Why it is Today’s Most Essential Superpower
Lady Hale With the Law on Our Side
John Crace
The Bonfire of the Insanities: How Does This Government Thing Work Again?
MUSIC
INTRODUCED BY ADRIAN
KELLY
, BIF’S ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
With this year’s concert series, we’ve done our best to outdo last year, with an outstanding line-up of world-class artists. As always, we’ve endeavoured to pack as much inspirational music as possible into two and a half weeks. I hope you enjoy it!
The Hallé
The Hallé makes its long-awaited return to the Buxton International Festival with a programme of three romantic masterpieces, led by award-winning conductor Euan Shields. The concert opens with the dazzling overture to Weber’s opera Oberon, and continues with Richard Strauss’s First Horn Concerto, written when he was just 18. Brahms’s monumental Fourth Symphony, often hailed as his greatest, grows from the simplest idea into a vast emotional journey.
Brodsky Quartet
Since forming in 1972, the Brodsky Quartet have performed over 3,500 concerts throughout the world and released more than 70 recordings. Having recently celebrated their 50th anniversary, they continue to enjoy a busy international performing schedule, extensively touring major festivals and venues throughout Australasia, North and South America, Asia and Europe as well as in the UK.
Mahan Esfahani
Mahan Esfahani is the first harpsichordist in a generation whose work spans virtually all areas of classical music-making including acclaimed performances of standard repertoire, collaborations with composers, and international symphony appearances with major orchestras. He was a BBC New Generation Artist, Borletti-Buitoni prize winner, three-time Gramophone nominee, and Wigmore Medal recipient in 2022.
The Vache Baroque Band
Vache Baroque is an ensemble on a mission to connect the broadest possible range of people to the power and drama of Baroque music. From operas and multi-disciplinary concerts to children’s shows and youth residencies, they create inspiring experiences for audiences and artists to enjoy together. Since their 2020 launch, they have earned widespread critical acclaim – ‘Witty, risky and immersive’ – Opera Now; ‘One of the UK’s hottest groups’ – Opera Today.
Sacconi Quartet
For over two decades, the Sacconi Quartet have been captivating audiences with their unanimous and compelling ensemble playing, consistently communicating with a fresh and imaginative approach. The four founder members share an unwavering passion for the string quartet repertoire, infectiously reaching out to audiences with their energy and enthusiasm. The Sacconis enjoy a busy international career, and are Quartet in Association at the Royal College of Music, and Quartet in Residence for the town of Folkestone.
Junyan Chen
Junyan Chen made her debut with the Philharmonia Orchestra this season performing Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 4. She played this concerto in the final of the Leeds International Piano Competition, 2024, where she won Second Prize. In Leeds she collaborated with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and Domingo Hindoyan; having previously performed the work with Edward Gardner and the Royal Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra.
JAZZ
INTRODUCED BY WESLEY
STEPHENSON, BIF’S JAZZ DIRECTOR
As newly appointed Jazz Director for BIF, I’m delighted to present our series of events for 2026, it’s a great pleasure to be welcomed by the Buxton team.
I’m thoroughly looking forward to presenting a wide range of high-quality contemporary jazz in some of the excellent venues the town has to offer. Jazz remains a consistently evolving, compelling and life-affirming source of education and entertainment. As a widereaching art form, our series will deliver jazz for longtime enthusiasts and new listeners of all ages.
Darius Brubeck Quartet
Born in San Francisco, jazz pianist and composer Darius Brubeck grew up in the artistic milieu of his famous father Dave, and has enjoyed a lifetime of varied international experience as band leader, composer, teacher and broadcaster. He now leads the London-based Darius Brubeck Quartet, which has become a successful and popular group in the UK and beyond.
Courtney Pine
Celebrating four decades at the forefront of British jazz, Courtney Pine returns to the stage in 2026 with a powerful retrospective tour. Both a celebration and a reflection, this very special set honours the resilience, creativity and community that shaped Pine’s journey from London streets to international stages. Expect a night of deep grooves, soaring saxophone, and the unmistakable energy of an artist still pushing jazz forward while staying true to his roots.
Laura Jurd
Mercury-nominated Laura Jurd’s unique approach to the trumpet is celebrated in the work that she creates. A past BBC New Generation Artist, Laura’s love of folk traditions can often be heard in her music, alongside her background in classical composition. The result is a melodic world full of compelling twists and turns, whilst retaining a grounded sense of familiarity.
Fergus McCreadie Trio
With a unique blend of Jazz and Scottish folk that evokes his country’s sublime landscapes, Fergus McCreadie has developed a truly distinct voice in piano writing that is capturing the hearts and minds of audiences worldwide. Recorded in a remote cottage in the Outer Hebrides, Fergus’s latest album ‘The Shieling’ (Edition Records) draws on the wild, elemental beauty of the surroundings that proved an immediate success with critics and audience alike: topping the UK Jazz & Blues charts and named one of Assai Records’ Albums of the Year.
Arun Ghosh Quintet
Award-winning clarinetist, and renowned innovator of modern IndoJazz, Arun Ghosh brings his Quintet to Buxton International Festival. Performing a feel-good set of music from across his five acclaimed albums, he will also be showcasing and premiering new material from this year’s Singles Series. His Quintet delivers a passionate sound, driven by soaring melodies, hypnotic rhythms and transcendental textures – sometimes evocative and introspective, other times searing and effervescent.
The Easy Rollers
Whether in their widely acclaimed, lingoslinging, all-singing-and-dancing cabaret show, or delighting festival audiences with their enormous repertoire and own songwriting, The Easy Rollers are a septet who embody the famed spirit and consummate virtuosity of today’s booming British jazz scene and bring it straight back to the music’s roots in 1920s and ‘30s Harlem, Kansas City and New Orleans. The Easy Rollers’ recent UK tours encompassed RNCM Concert Hall, and jazz clubs Peggy’s Skylight, PizzaExpress Live Holborn, and Toulouse Lautrec.
LUNCH AT SNITTERTON HALL
Matlock DE4 2JG
A Beautiful Grade 1 Listed Hall with Extensive Gardens
By kind permission of Simon Haslam and Kate Alcock
Thursday 11 June 2026
£50pp
Join us for a recital of baroque opera arias by two of the soloists in Amadigi di Gaula, followed by a lunch in the beautiful gardens.
12.30pm Guests arrive. Prosecco will be served in the gardens and Simon Haslam, owner, will give a brief history of this historic house, which Handel probably visited in the period that he wrote the Messiah ...
1pm Recital by Hilary Cronin & Rowan Pierce (who will both sing in Amadigi di Gaula, the Handel opera that will be staged during the Festival)
2pm A summer lunch will be served
3.15pm A tour of the garden with Simon.
There is parking available on the premises. There are some spaces near the house for disabled guests.
HILARY CRONIN, SOPRANO
Hilary Cronin rose to prominence after winning First Prize and the Audience Prize at the 2021 London Handel International Singing Competition. Named a “Rising Star” by BBC Music Magazine, she made her BBC Proms debut in 2025 in Handel’s Alexander’s Feast. This season includes the title role in Cesti’s L’Orontea at MusikTheater an der Wien and Iole in Hercules on tour with The English Concert, including Carnegie Hall. She returns to Buxton International Festival as Melissa in Amadigi di Gaula.
ROWAN PIERCE, SOPRANO
Rowan Pierce, a Samling Artist and former OAE Rising Star and ENO Harewood Artist, performs regularly with ensembles including AAM, Dunedin Consort, OAE and the CBSO, and at venues such as Wigmore Hall. Recent roles include Oberto ( Alcina, Glyndebourne), Papagena (ROH) and Barbarina (Grange Festival, ENO and Nevill Holt). Her recordings include Purcell songs and Vaughan Williams’ Ninth Symphony with the RLPO. She sings Oriana in Amadigi di Gaula at Buxton International Festival in July.
FRIENDS’ DAYS DURING THE FESTIVAL
Wednesday 15 July and Wednesday 22 July
11am – 3pm
The Assembly Rooms at the Buxton Crescent Hotel FREE
You are warmly invited to the majestic Assembly Rooms at the Buxton Crescent Hotel each Wednesday of the Festival. Members of The Friends of BIF will be hosting free events throughout the day, alongside tea and coffee. Drop by to enjoy live music, the Festival display and the chance to find out more about this thriving organisation.
INTRODUCING LUCY MARSDEN
Board member of BIF Friends
Lucy Marsden was brought up in Whaley Bridge and now lives in Buxton. She is a professional fundraiser with over 19 years’ experience supporting charities, cultural organisations, and community initiatives. She holds degree-level qualifications in Fundraising Management and Business Management. Lucy currently works with the Buxton Civic Association and serves as a Trustee of the Satterthwaite Bequest. She has fundraised across a range of sectors, including the arts, hospice care, and, most recently, heritage and the environment. Earlier in her career, she worked for Blythe House Hospice, The Thomas Theyer Foundation and Buxton International Festival, developing a strong track record in relationship-building, community engagement, and delivering tangible impact.
Lucy has a deep connection to the local area. She is actively involved in volunteering and supporting local causes alongside her professional work. Outside of fundraising, she is passionate about cooking, enjoys walking with her two dogs, going on holidays, and running a successful holiday cottage. She is also a proud mother to her now grown-up daughter.
COLOUR MY SONG
WILLIAMS-HOWARD PRIZE CONCERT
Wednesday 22 July 1.45pm - 2.35pm
The Assembly Rooms at the Buxton Crescent Hotel
FREE
Join us for the 5th Annual Williams-Howard Prize Concert at the Buxton International Festival. Established in 2022 by the late Michael Harper, Vocal Tutor at the Royal Northern College of Music, this prestigious competition celebrates art songs by composers of African heritage. The concert features the 2026 winners of the competition, showcasing the next generation of talent. Previous winners have gone on to perform at iconic venues such as the Royal Albert Hall, Cadogan Hall and Wigmore Hall, as well as with BBC Philharmonic, English Touring Opera, and Kantos Chamber Choir amongst others.
SHOW OFF YOUR CULINARY SKILLS
To organise Friends’ fundraising, we have an Events Committee and a Catering Team who prepare and provide the catering for a range of events such as afternoon tea, lunch or canapés.
We would be delighted to welcome new members to the Catering Team. At events, you would help serve the food and wine and then enjoy the recital. Members of the Catering Team also help clear up afterwards. Any cost of ingredients may be reimbursed. Before each event we hold a catering meeting to discuss everyone’s contribution, which is usually one element of the menu.
Please contact Louise Potter on 07850 844635 or by email at louise@no6tearooms.co.uk
BIF 2026 Launch Concert
Thursday 14 May, 6pm - 7pm, £10pp
Celebrate the launch of the Buxton International Festival 2026 season with a lively evening of music at the Palace Hotel Ballroom.
This event offers an exciting first glimpse of the Festival to come, introducing highlights of the 2026 programme in a concert performance.
Our Young Artists will perform a selection of arias from this year’s operas, offering an early taste of the music audiences will hear during the Festival.
Classical music will also be performed live throughout the evening, offering a taste of the Festival’s wider music programme curated by Adrian Kelly, giving audiences a sense of the range of music across the 2026 season.
Local singer-songwriter Hannah Brine will perform a short set of original songs, drawing on her love of jazz-influenced storytelling. She will also share a preview of Voices of the Peaks, a new choral suite co-written with composer Jenni Watson, celebrating 75 years of the Peak District National Park. Inspired by the landscapes, history and spirit of the Peaks, the work premieres at Buxton International Festival, performed by a massed choir of 150 singers from Hannah’s northern choirs. Hannah is joined by pianist Ed Simpson and multi-instrumentalist Jenni Watson, bringing together voice, piano and folk-inspired textures for this special launch evening.
Bringing together opera, chamber music and jazz in one vibrant evening, this launch event marks the beginning of the countdown to BIF 2026.
Book via our website herehttps://buxtonfestival.co.uk/ whats-on/bif-2026-launch-concert
LEARNING AND PARTICIPATION
KALEIDOSCOPE CHOIR
Winter was a busy time for the Kaleidoscope Choir, with performances across Buxton. Choir members visited two local care homes, singing Christmas songs alongside residents.
Their main Christmas performance in the Palace Hotel Ballroom raised £97 for Crossroads, Derbyshire. The event brought together 50 singers and 74 audience members. The choir also performed at the Buxton Christmas Markets.
If you’re interested in joining the choir or would like more information, please email choir@buxtonfestival.co.uk.
ORCHESTRAL WORKSHOPS
In partnership with the University of Manchester, we delivered interactive orchestral workshops at local primary schools. Twelve musicians introduced 490 pupils to orchestral instruments, taught a song in Ugandan, and performed a varied programme ranging from Aladdin to Tina Turner. The pupils thoroughly enjoyed the workshops with more workshops to come.
SPACE DAY: THE EARTH 2026
We are delighted to be working with local primary schools to present Space Day: The Earth 2026. Through a series of creative workshops, Year 5 pupils will develop melodies, lyrics, and stories that composer Sam Kane will weave into a new piece for an orchestra of 15 musicians and 140 pupils.
Broadcaster Keelan Carew will narrate the final performance, supported by a curated musical programme reflecting the pupils’ storytelling.
Venue: Pavilion Arts Centre
Date: 2 June Time: 13:30
PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY OF THE 2026 PROGRAMME BOOK NOW FOR £12
WE’RE ROLLING OUT THE RED
CARPET
AND YOU’RE INVITED
Friday 10 July from 6pm
Come and celebrate the Launch of Buxton International Festival 2026 and the opening night of the Opera Holland Park, Scottish Opera and D’Oyly Carte Opera production of Franz Lehár’s The Merry Widow. There will be live music on the Opera House forecourt and a chance to mingle with the
If you find the A4 publication difficult to fit into a handbag or too heavy to carry around, you can order a BIF bookbag together with the Programme Book for only £1 extra.
Contributors to the Programme Book this year are:
• John Savournin, director of The Merry Widow, us a glimpse into his origination of this production in his article ‘A Modern Merry Widow’
• James Hurley, director of La traviata, provides us insight into his interpretation of this much-loved classic
• George Hall, opera critic, writer and musicologist, describes the world in which Pauline Viardot found the inspiration to write her ‘salon operetta’ sorcier
• Christopher Webber, Editor of the Cambridge History of Spanish Opera and Music Theatre, contemplates the question whether people should be judged by how friendly they are to sorceresses, in his piece on Francesca Caccini’s La liberazione di Ruggiero
• Ian Page, conductor and leading authority on Mozart, explores the composer’s brilliance in his article on La clemenza di Tito.
The Foundation works alongside the Friends and BIF to secure the long-term financial future of the Festival. Its endowment has continued to withstand market uncertainty: at the end of our financial year on 31 October, it stood at just over £500,000 and as a result of a very significant legacy and a very generous donation it had grown to over £600,000 by the end of February.
The Foundation is delighted to be supporting BIF in 2026 with a grant of £15,000 towards the cost of rehearsal space in London. This grant builds on the support we gave in 2024 to enable the Orchestra of Opera North to
perform at Ernani and in 2025 to assist BIF in the creation of a new Buxton International Festival Orchestra, which will be performing again this summer in La traviata, The Merry Widow, Le dernier sorcier and La clemenza di Tito.
The Foundation aims to build its endowment fund to a level which will produce around £50k per annum income. The Festival’s endowment is built on the generosity of those who have enjoyed the Festival in the past and who leave a legacy to enable future generations to do so. We are particularly grateful this year to Judith Tanner and Brenda Sharatt. Both were ardent
supporters of the Festival over many years and have left legacies to the Foundation. Judith Tanner, who was based in Porthcawl in South Wales, attended from the outset, staying for the whole of the Festival in her caravan. She was at the first meeting of the BIF Friends, then known as the Buxton Festival Society and contributed to the 40th anniversary history published in 2019. Brenda Sharrat, who had a career as a university lecturer, enjoyed the literary festival as much as the opera and music and liked to base herself at the Old Hall Hotel at the centre of activity.
BECOME A TRUSTEE
BIF Friends is managed by a Board of volunteer trustees each of whom serves for a period of three years but may subsequently be re-appointed for further terms. The Board has responsibility for achieving the objects of the Friends which are to support Buxton Arts Festival Limited in the holding of festivals of the arts in Buxton, and managing the Friends in accordance with the guidelines of the Charity Commission.
Support for Buxton Arts Festival Limited is achieved mainly through its annual grant, which is made up of membership subscriptions and income from fundraising events organised throughout the year. We are looking for new trustees to join the current Board.
To express interest in becoming a Trustee, or simply for an informal conversation, please contact the Friends Chairman, Tony Parsons, by email to friendschairman@buxtonfestival. co.uk
WHERE OUR FRIENDS LIVE
