Immortal Harmony: London Festival of Baroque Music
1–8 November 2025, Smith Square Hall
The London Festival of Baroque Music takes place 1–8 November 2025 at Smith Square Hall, welcoming international artists and audiences for a week-long celebration of Baroque music curated by 2025 Festival Artistic Director Iestyn Davies.
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 (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).
Iestyn Davies says: ‘This year’s Festival – my first as Artistic Director – showcases why Baroque music is so close to my heart. We’ve gathered international artists who I admire deeply. Each one brings freshness, virtuosity and deep musical story-telling to their performances. With them, we’ve built a week that will inspire everyone from school children to seasoned Baroque lovers. LFBM 2025 demonstrates why centuries-old music holds such power today.’
Toby Chadd Artistic Director of Sinfonia Smith Square says: ‘Smith Square Hall is renowned as one of London’s great Baroque buildings, and music from that time has long been at the heart of our programming. We believe in the transformative power of music — to uplift, connect, and inspire. For LFBM 2025, we aim to realise that vision through exceptional performances that are accessible to the widest possible audience.’
Since its founding in 1984 (originally the Lufthansa Festival of Baroque Music), LFBM has celebrated the dynamism of Baroque music and its continued influence on today’s musical landscape. Located in Smith Square Hall – a Baroque masterpiece built in the 18th century and reinvented as an acoustic marvel for the 21st – the Festival features world-class performances of some of the most captivating music ever written.
London Festival of Baroque Music is proudly sponsored by Smith Square Partners.