Bringing together the world’s leading interpreters of Baroque music and a new generation of rising stars, the 2025 festival features performances from renowned ensembles including Arcangelo, who open the festival with their first ever performance of all six of JS Bach’s Brandenburg concertos in one concert (1 November), and The Tallis Scholars, who perform a programme of German polyphonic repertoire specially curated for this festival by their Director, Peter Phillips (2 November).
On 5 November there will be a unique celebration of Claire van Kampen’s work, led by her family Mark and Juliet Rylance. The evening will include performances from Farinelli and the King (2025 marks 10 years since the show opened), with Mark Rylance reprising his role as Philip V alongside arias and instrumental works by Handel and others, in a cast led by Iestyn Davies. After the interval, Claire’s own compositions—infused with Baroque elegance, jazz, and her early life as a concert pianist—take centre stage.
International highlights include harpsichordist Jean Rondeau playing Bach’s Goldberg Variations (4 November) and Ensemble Marguerite Louise from Versailles joining forces with The Choir of New College Oxford ‘Royal Farewells and Triumphs’, a grand procession of Anglo-french choral works (8 November). Rising talents will also take centre stage, including mezzo-soprano Georgia Burashko and lutenist Sergio Buchelo (4 November), and the organist Tingshuo Yang (5 November). Period ensemble Spiritato explore the creative impact of Leipzig’s musical world on the instrumental music of J. S. Bach and his contemporaries (7 November).
Performing at its home, Sinfonia Smith Square will be conducted by Frederick Waxman in a vibrant programme tracing Spain’s artistic influence from the Renaissance to today. At its heart is Toros, a new percussion concerto by James Larter (6 November). The orchestra will also present ‘Baroque to the Future’ – a ‘time-travelling’ schools’ concert introducing children to Baroque music through stories, music, and interactive exploration (7 November). Families are invited to Ensemble Marguerite Louise’s sensory concert for children aged 5–11 which is designed to bring the magic of French Baroque music to life through music and storytelling (8 November).