News and Blog

Buxton International Festival (9-26 July), an annual celebration of jazz, opera, classical music and books, is set to deliver a world-class jazz programme this summer, under its new Jazz Director, Wesley Stephenson.   Artists include Courtney Pine, Laura Jurd, Denys Baptiste and Tony Kofi Quintet, Darius Brubeck Quartet, Gaz Hughes Trio, Arun Gosh Quintet, Zoë … Continued

  Amadigi di Gaula is an exuberantly inventive work with brilliant musical ideas full of youth, love and magic. The sorceress Melissa loves the knight Amadigi. But he loves Oriana, who in turn is coveted by Amadigi’s friend and rival Dardano. The four figures stumble around in a labyrinth of deceptive images and feelings and … Continued

Buxton International Festival 2026 brings together some of opera’s greatest masterpieces alongside rare works you’re unlikely to see anywhere else. Whether you’re completely new to opera or already a fan, there’s a huge variety of styles, stories and music across the season.   La traviata Giuseppe Verdi’s emotional masterpiece follows the tragic love story of … Continued

Not sure what to see at BIF Jazz this year? Our handy guide is here to help you!   Love folk and rich musical storytelling? Artists including Laura Jurd, Fergus McCreadie Trio and Fraser Fifield bring together jazz with folk traditions and evocative soundscapes inspired by landscapes and heritage.   Looking for global sounds and … Continued

    2 June 2026 at 1.30pm in the Pavilion Arts Centre   Through a series of creative workshops, Year 5 pupils from Harpur Hill Primary School, St Peter’s Primary School, and Burbage Primary School will create their own melodies, lyrics, and stories, exploring how music and words can work together to tell a compelling … Continued

  In collaboration with the University of Manchester, BIF is proud to deliver engaging orchestral workshops to local schools. These interactive sessions introduce students to the exciting world of orchestral music, helping them explore a wide range of instruments and discover how different sounds combine to create a full orchestra.   Designed to be both … Continued

  If you love to sing then come and join the friendly Kaleidoscope Choir. From choral classics and favourite hymns to pop and folk, you don’t have to audition to be part of the choir. Just come along and join us for an hour of singing led by Bella Hardy each Tuesday from 1pm. The … Continued

Buxton International Festival is delighted to announce the opera season for our 2026 Festival, taking place from Thursday 9 July to Sunday 26 July 2026.   Commenting, Michael Williams, BIF’s CEO said, “Next year’s opera season offers something for everyone. We’re thrilled to continue the festival’s journey with Verdi, presenting a new production of La … Continued

The red carpet was rolled out at Buxton Opera House on Saturday 12 July for the much-anticipated opening night of Hamlet. Guests arrived to live music from a string quartet, setting the tone for an elegant evening celebrating the return of Ambroise Thomas’s rarely staged opera – performed in Buxton for the first time since … Continued

This year the start of the Buxton International Festival coincides with the Buxton Carnival and Well Dressing. Please aware of the following road closures and timings.

What connects a solo French opera and a sharp American satire? In Daisy Evans’ double bill, La voix humaine and Trouble in Tahiti become two sides of the same story, both set in the same 1950s apartment block. In this interview, Daisy shares how she brought them together and why their themes of loneliness and … Continued

Ahead of his appearance at Buxton International Festival, author and historian Peter Parker reflects on the criminalisation of gay men in post-war Britain — and the quiet acts of resistance that helped change the law. How did this period lay  the ground for the modern gay rights movement? A lot of people assume gay rights … Continued