ORGANISERS of the annual celebration of the life and music of Worcestershire’s most famous composer are counting down the days until the June event.
The Elgar Festival’s 2022 Platinum Jubilee event will take place from Friday (June 3) and Sunday (June 5).
Launched in 2018, the festival was established by decree of Worcester City Council and is traditionally held on the weekend closest to Elgar’s birthday – June 2, 1857.
This year’s festival will combine orchestral, chamber, vocal and choral concerts with exhibits and lectures to celebrate the life and music of Sir Edward Elgar at various venues in Worcestershire.
Entitled ‘Elgar for Everyone’, the festival brings together an array of internationally renowned guest artists, placing the music of Worcester’s most famous son alongside that of his contemporaries and some of today’s leading composers and arrangers.
Kenneth Woods, artistic director of the Elgar Festival said: “We are days away from this year’s Elgar Festival! And what better way to commemorate the Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty the Queen, than with a weekend of the best of British music, played in the heart of Elgar country.
“The 2022 Jubilee Elgar Festival promises to be a once in a lifetime celebration of both music and monarch. We look forward to welcoming you.”
Some of the highlights for 2022 include the Royal Platinum Jubilee Gala Concert at Worcester Cathedral on Saturday (June 4) from 7.30pm.
The yearly ‘Elgar’s Strings’ concert will be held on Friday (June 3) at 7pm at Worcester’s Guildhall and features the English String Orchestra in Elgar’s Introduction and Allegro.
A new arrangement of his Nursery Suite, a work dedicated to the Queen and her sister, Princess Margaret will also be played.
A celebratory tea party with musical entertainment from swing band Hot Shoes will take place at the Royal Porcelain Works on Sunday (June 5) from 1pm.
Throughout the Festival, The Guildhall in Worcester will have a free exhibit entitled ’10 Things You Didn’t Know About Elgar’ together with a 30 minute film on-repeat about “Elgar’s Worcestershire.”
Since it began in 2018 – lauded as ‘Critic’s Pick’ in both The Guardian and The Times – the Festival has doubled in size and scale and championed Sir Edward to as wide an audience as possible.
Visit www.elgarfestival.org for more.
