Cambridge Music Festival

Concerts from October 2023 to March 2024


About Cambridge Music Festival

In a city buzzing with live music, CMF explores the best the classical world has to offer and presents it to the people of Cambridge.

We book artists whose touring schedule usually misses out smaller cities, and we select intriguing repertoire that tells a story: from Mozart masses to14th-century middle eastern music; and from Shostakovich quartets to new commissions for percussion. We invite a wide range of international musicians and ensembles for intimate recitals, chamber concerts and larger events with dozens of performers on stage. We’re the only classical promoter in the city to offer this variety and high standard on a regular basis.

CMF has undergone different models since its foundation in 1991, and is now run as a twice-annual series presenting classical music in bold, imaginative and inspiring ways.

The current season

The Takács Quartet play Haydn’s Op.71 No.2, Beethoven’s ‘Razumovsky’ Quartet. and a commissioned piece by Stephen Hough, demonstrating the festival’s commitment to innovation and new creations.

In King’s College Chapel, the Choirs of King’s College Cambridge and New College Oxford join forces with the Philharmonia Orchestra to perform Haydn’s ‘The Creation’, under the baton of conductor Daniel Hyde.

In a significant tribute to Sir John Tavener, the BBC Singers, cellist Natalie Clein and organist Paul Greally explore Tavener’s profound works, commemorating the composer’s legacy on the 10th anniversary of his passing. This performance will be recorded for broadcast on BBC Radio 3.

The festival features virtuoso pianist Angela Hewitt at Trinity College Chapel, performing JS Bach’s iconic Goldberg Variations.

Quanun player and composer Maya Youssef uses the delicate and mystical sound of the quanun (the Arabic zither) to create a sound world that stems from the Middle Eastern tradition but encompasses styles including jazz and flamenco.

The festival’s spring series, beginning in February 2024, brings more extraordinary performances, including pianist Stephen Hough, early music ensemble Arcangelo, 12 Ensemble, sitar master Jasdeep Singh Degun, the acclaimed American Bugallo-Williams Piano Duo, and vocal ensemble Tenebrae. A unique installation arrives during the February half-term period, inviting the public to experience the Philharmonia Orchestra’s virtual reality orchestra.

Further information

For information about the Festival and to book tickets https://cambridgemusicfestival.co.uk/

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Maya Youssef