THE ENGLISH MUSIC FESTIVAL celebrates Britain’s rich musical heritage by showcasing the brilliance, innovation and beauty of English music.
FOUNDER‑DIRECTOR EM MARSHALL‑LUCK
Photograph | Frances MarshallIt was established to give a platform to those many powerful and lovely works by British composers – primarily of the late-nineteenth to mid-twentieth centuries – that for so many years were all-too-rarely heard. Yet although the focus of the Festival is the Golden Renaissance of English Music, our programmes span from mediaeval music and the timeless delights of Tallis and Byrd through to contemporary music: indeed, the Festival has commissioned numerous thrilling and accessible new works from some of Britain’s most admired contemporary composers. We are proud to have staged the world première performances not just of these new pieces, but also of important works by Frederick Delius, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Sir Edward Elgar, Sir Charles Villiers Stanford, Arnold Bax, Sir Arthur Bliss, Herbert Howells, Benjamin Britten, York Bowen, E.J. Moeran, Ivor Gurney, George Butterworth, Sir Henry Walford Davies, Joseph Holbrooke and Rutland Boughton (amongst many others).
FOUNDER‑DIRECTOR EM MARSHALL‑LUCK
Photograph | Frances Marshall
Each Festival is a dynamic and inspiring event, which not only acts as a platform for some truly exciting and moving music, but also offers talks to put the music in context, and a number of social events, such as our popular EMF lunches. We are indebted to members of our Friends’ Scheme, whose financial contributions at all levels help to ensure the continuation of our work; and Friends receive a number of benefits at the Festival, such as free tickets, advance booking and reserved seating.
Our main Festival in Oxfordshire is now complemented by a number of other events that we hold around the country and abroad: most notably concerts and recitals in our UK & European Concert Series, and our regular Autumn Festivals in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales.
Our record label, EM Records, and publishing arm, EM Publishing, take our work to a new level, further facilitating accessibility of these rare and wonderful pieces by enabling listeners worldwide to experience these works for themselves, giving performers previously-denied access to scores, and advancing scholarship and knowledge of composers and musicians through our books.
I do hope that you will join us at future EMF events, and, if possible, support the important work we do in resurrecting, discovering and commissioning the most glorious works by joining us as a Friend.
EM MARSHALL-LUCK | Founder-Director
Our warmest thanks to all those who made our first Festival at Dartington Hall such a success: to the staff at Dartington, whose help and advice in the months and weeks leading up to the Festival were invaluable and whose support during the Festival itself meant so much to us. Our warmest thanks, too, to our artists, for performing with such dedication; to our all our volunteers; and, of course, to our audiences, who supported the Festival’s move to a new venue with such enthusiasm. Finally, we are hugely grateful to all those living locally who were so positive about the Festival's presence in Devon and who circulated news of the EMF, distributed publicity material, and hosted artists and volunteers: your support is immensely appreciated.
We are delighted to announce that The English Music Festival will be making Dartington Hall its new home, and we are greatly looking forward to developing the relationships in Devon that we began to build this year as the EMF begins an exciting new chapter. The 2027 EMF will be our twentieth anniversary and we are planning a very special programme to mark the start of our third decade. Further details will be released during the autumn — when we will also be unveiling our new, re-designed and improved website. We look forward to the pleasure of your company at the EMF next year!