Early Music flourishes in The Peak District
Early Music has long been a cornerstone of the critically-acclaimed Buxton International Festival, and following the success of last year’s Continuo-supported performances of Charpentier’s La descente d'Orphée aux enfers by Buckinghamshire-based opera company Vache Baroque, the partnership between the critically-acclaimed Buxton International Festival and Continuo Foundation will expand to include an Early Music Emerging Artist concert series in the 2026 festival.
Next year’s festival runs from 9th until 26th July in Derbyshire’s famous spa town, bringing together world-class opera, outstanding music, jazz and book events. Their main venues, the Matcham-designed Buxton Opera House, the Octagon, the Pavilion Gardens complex and the Buxton Crescent Hotel, are all within easy walking distance of one another and provide spectacular settings.
Early Music audiences will be treated to performances by two UK period-instrument ensembles, Newe Vialles and Música d’Outrora which were selected for grant awards from Continuo Foundation for projects ranging from debut recordings to concert tours.
Tina Vadaneaux, Founder & CEO of Continuo Foundation, comments, ‘We are very excited about expanding our partnership with the Buxton International Festival and look forward to working together to shine a spotlight on some of the hugely talented emerging ensembles who have been selected by Continuo Foundation for grant awards. Together we are further enriching the high-quality baroque and early music offering for audiences across the country and enabling these young musicians to raise their profiles by performing at such a prestigious festival.’
Other Early Music highlights of the 2026 festival include runs of Handel’s 1715 opera, Amadigi di Gaula, with The English Concert conducted by Erin Helyard, and a Vache Baroque production of the first-known opera written by a female composer, La liberazione di Ruggiero, by Francesca Caccini, first performed in 1625.
For more information about the 2026 Buxton International Festival including tickets, travel, and venue information, visit their website: buxtonfestival.co.uk. (Main image c/o Buxton Festival)