Cheltenham Music Festival, one of the longest running festivals in the UK, will transform the Cotswold region into a musically-centred cultural banquet that has few equals for twelve days this summer.

 Click to View Full-Screen Image

“The Cheltenham Music Festival is all about high-calibre performances, magnificent venues and a huge variety of music,” says Festival Director Meurig Bowen. “It’s really important that people have a number of ways in to a programme like this, and the 70th Cheltenham Music Festival’s diversity and broad appeal is something we’ve prioritised.” 

This year’s Artist in Residence is the multi-award winning violinist Nicola Benedetti who headlines an outstanding programme that includes a string of internationals acts, world premieres and events unique to Cheltenham. 

”I am hugely looking forward to my residency in Cheltenham in July 2014. It will be a real pleasure to bring together different aspects of my musical life - playing concertos, enjoying chamber music with friends, and working with young musicians - in one lovely place over a few days.” Nicola Benedetti 

Musical highlights include Michael Morpurgo’s ‘Private Peaceful’ in words & music with acclaimed folk trio Coope, Boyes & Simpson, award-winning guitarist Milos Karadaglic, The Hilliard Ensemble & Jan Garbarek, renowned tenor Mark Padmore, Goldfrapp’s Will Gregory and his Moog Ensemble, the world premiere of a new piece by Genesis’ Tony Banks, an evening of Sinatra with the John Wilson Orchestra, the World Premiere of The Great Animal Orchestra and the UK premiere of one of Sir John Tavener’s last completed works. 

New for 2014, the Festival is launching the Town Hall Festival Proms - five days of music in the grandeur of Cheltenham Town Hall with something for everyone, including a ‘Pick Your Own Prom’ - where audiences are invited to choose the music they’d like to hear - a prom to mark the centenary of the start of WW1 (featuring one-handed pianist Nicholas McCarthy), and an evening with Artist in Residence Nicola Benedetti. The Proms will also bring the outdoor festival experience inside for one concert, transforming the Town Hall with artificial grass to create an especially relaxed, summertime feel without the unpredictable British weather. 

Furthermore, Cheltenham Music Festival’s wide-ranging programme also includes talks and workshops, film screenings, and excursions into dance, world music, jazz, and theatre, even offering an insight in to the rich history of Cheltenham with regular guided walks through the town. 

Once again, both established stars and new talent from across the classical music spectrum and beyond will descend on the Cotswolds for a programme of show-stopping concerts in Cheltenham Town Hall, intimate musical adventures in the Pittville Pump Room, and a feast for the senses in cathedrals, abbeys and churches across the region. 

Tickets

Tickets on sale: Members 24th March, Public 31st March Telephone: 0844 880 8094 

CHELTENHAM MUSIC FESTIVAL 2014 – FULL PROGRAMME 

WEDNESDAY 2 JULY

Steven Osborne Plays Schubert & Beethoven 11am, Pittville Pump Room

WALK: CHELTENHAM 1945 3pm, Town Hall Steps

FILM: Pianomania 5pm, Parabola Arts Centre

The Opening Night Prom - Benedetti/Elschenbroich/Grynyuk Trio & Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra 7.30pm, Town Hall 

THURSDAY 3 JULY

TALK: MARK EVERIST ‘MOZART OUTSIDE’ 10am, Oval Room, Pittville Pump Room

MOZART’S SERENADE FOR 13 WINDS 11am, Pittville Pump Room

FLUTE AND HARPAT QUENINGTON 3pm, St. Swithin’s Church, Quenington

AN EVENING WITH NICOLA BENEDETTI 7.30pm, Town Hall         

FRIDAY 4 JULY

SCHUBERT’S TROUT QUINTET - The Nash Ensemble 11am, Pittville Pump Room

CELEBRATING SINATRA – The John Wilson Orchestra & Matthew Ford 7.30pm, Town Hall

DIFFERENT TRAINS (Steve Reich) – The Smith Quartet & Joby Burgess + new work by Graham Fitkin 10pm, Parabola Arts Centre        

SATURDAY 5 JULY

BRODSKY QUARTET 11am, Pittville Pump Room

PERCUSSION EXTRAVAGANZA 11am, Parabola Arts Centre

Fidelio Trio 4pm, Pittville Pump Room

TALK: TONY BANKS & BRIAN MOORE5.45PM, Parabola Arts Centre

CLASSICAL FAVOURITES: Pick Your Own Prom (ft. World Premiere from Tony Banks, & ‘Concerto de Aranjuez’ by Milos Karadaglic) 7pm, Town Hall (With Turfed Area)

WILL GREGORY’S MOOG ENSEMBLE 9.30pm, Parabola Arts Centre      

SUNDAY 6 JULY

MICHAEL MORPURGO PRESENTS PRIVATE PEACEFUL IN WORDS & MUSIC 11am, Town Hall

THE NICOLA BENEDETTI SESSIONS4pm, Princess Hall

BENJAMIN GROSVENOR 11am, Pittville Pump Room         

TOKAIDO ROAD - NEW OPERA FROM OKEANOS & NICOLA LEFANU 4.30pm, Parabola Arts Centre

TALK:BRITISH MILITARY & BRASS BANDS6pm, venue tbc

THE CENTENARY PROM - The sounds of 1914 – ft. Nicholas McCarthy 7.30pm, Town Hall 

MONDAY 7 JULY

NICOLA BENEDETTI & ALEXEI GRYNYUK 11am, Pittville Pump Room

BAROQUE AT OWLPEN MANOR 3pm, Holy Cross Church, Owlpen Manor

GLOUCESTERSHIRE YOUNG MUSICIANS 6pm, Pittville Pump Room

MILOS KARADAGLIC 8pm, Pittville Pump Room           

TUESDAY 8 JULY

SCHUBERT, BRAHMS & DVORAK – BBC RADIO 3 NEW GENERATION ARTISTS 11am, Pittville Pump Room

COMPOSER ACADEMY SHOWCASE 3pm, Sanders Room, Cheltenham Ladies’ College

WALK: CHELTENHAM 1945 3pm, Town Hall Step

PRE-CONCERT TALK:  COMPOSING WOMEN 6pm,Parliament Rooms, Gloucester Cathedral

DURUFLÉ REQUIEM IN GLOUCESTER CATHEDRAL - Choir of Merton College, Oxford 

WEDNESDAY 9 JULY

SCHUBERT & VAUGHAN WILLIAMS – BBC RADIO 3 NEW GENERATION ARTISTS 11am, Pittville Pump Room

WALK: A MODEL FOR THE GARDEN CITY? 3pm, Town Hall Steps

PART & TAVENER IN TEWKESBURY ABBEY – The Hilliard Ensemble & BBC Singers 7.30pm, Tewkesbury Abbey 

THURSDAY 10 JULY

RAVEL & BACEWICZ - BBC RADIO 3 NEW GENERATION ARTISTS 11am, Pittville Pump Room

FILM:  SOWETO STRINGS 6pm, Oval Room, Pittville Pump Room

BuskAid: Soweto String Ensemble 7.30pm, Pittville Pump Room 

FRIDAY 11 JULY

THE LISTENING EXPERIENCE DATABASE 10am, Oval Room, Pittville Pump Room

MARK PADMORE (Tenor) & HUW WATKINS (Piano) 11am, Pittville Pump Room

WALK: A MODEL FOR THE GARDEN CITY? 3pm, Town Hall Steps

JAN GARBAREK  & THE HILLIARD ENSEMBLE 7pm, Gloucester Cathedral

A TRIBUTE TO JOHN TAVENER 9pm,Gloucester Cathedral 

SATURDAY 12 JULY

MENDELSSOHN & SCHUBERT PIANO TRIOS - Trio Con Brio Copenhagen 11am, Pittville Pump Room

FAMILY FUN DAY JAMES MAYHEW PAINTS CARNIVAL OF THE ANIMALS 11am, Parabola Arts Centre

Music at Art Couture - Quatuor Hermes 3pm, St Mary’s Church, Painswick

THE PLANETS: A 360° VIEW 2.30pm, Parabola Arts Centre

THE GREAT ANIMAL ORCHESTRA & THE PLANETS 7.30pm, Town Hall (Talk at 6.30pm)

SON YAMBU - AUTHENTIC SOUND OF CUBA 9pm, Pittville Pump Room

SUNDAY 13  JULY

TRIO MEDIAEVAL & ARVE HENRIKSEN 11am, Cheltenham College Chapel