Booking opened for the 2024 Presteigne Festival at the end of May, and almost 40 per cent of available tickets have already been sold for this popular annual celebration of the arts. Now in its 42nd year, the Presteigne Festival offers an opportunity to experience 25 world class events taking place in intimate venues situated in the beautiful surroundings of the Welsh Marches. Benjamin Britten’s music is featured throughout five music-filled days, and the Festival is thrilled to be welcoming award-winning composer Richard Blackford, currently celebrating his 70th birthday year, as composer-in-residence.

The Festival’s continued advocacy for contemporary music is greatly in evidence with World premieres of 13 works from an exceptionally diverse cohort of composers – Michael Berkeley, Richard Blackford, Nathan James Dearden, Michael Zev Gordon, Cheryl FrancesHoad, James Albany Hoyle (Royal Philharmonic Society Young Composer), Sarah Frances Jenkins, Tayla-Leigh Payne, Joseph Phibbs, Julian Philips, Lynne Plowman, Lara Poe and James B Wilson. Extant music from other living composers – David Matthews, Cecilia McDowall, Joseph Phibbs, Huw Watkins and Dame Judith Weir – is programmed alongside work by, among others, J S Bach, Beethoven, Debussy, Dowland, Mendelssohn, Sibelius and Walton. The 2024 Festival showcases a fabulous line-up of performing artists – the Piatti Quartet, pianists Huw Watkins and Annie Yim, Alice Neary (cello), Anne Denholm (harp), Rebecca Bottone (soprano), Nicholas Mogg (baritone), Anton Lesser (actor), narrators Sarah Gabriel and Alexander Knox, Daniel Shao (flute), Paul Galbraith (guitar), the Choir of Royal Holloway under Rupert Gough and the Presteigne Festival Orchestra and Festival Ensemble conducted by artistic director, George Vass.

Aside from its exciting musical line-up, the 2024 Festival offers a superb range of other events – Oliver Soden on Noël Coward, Gavin Plumley on Welsh art, Sioned Davies on The Mabinogion, Rhiannon Mathias and Thomas Hyde talking about William Mathias, three Welsh films including ‘Y Sŵn’ – while local artisans and creators will also exhibit their work as part of the popular Presteigne ‘Open Studios’ weekend. The Festival Brochure is available to view or download via presteignefestival.com – online and telephone booking is open. presteignefestival.com | Box Office 01544 267 800