Now in its 44th year, the internationally acclaimed Presteigne Festival brings world-class musicians, composers, artists and writers to the Welsh Marches for five inspiring days of music, ideas and imagination over the August Bank Holiday weekend.

The 2026 Festival celebrates the outstanding contribution of women composers of the 20th and 21st centuries while marking the anniversaries of Cecilia McDowall (75), Sally Beamish (70) and the Festival’s founding Artistic Director, Adrian Williams (70). Michael Zev Gordon is composer-in-residence, with a special focus on rising Dutch composer Mathilde Wantenaar.

Contemporary music sits alongside timeless masterpieces, with new and recent works by leading composers including Michael Berkeley, Gabriel Jackson, Cheryl Frances-Hoad and Emma-Ruth Richards, complemented by classics from Bach, Beethoven, Elgar, Ravel and Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale in a semi-staged production. Together, they reflect the creativity, innovation and diversity shaping today’s classical music scene.

Beyond the concert hall, audiences can enjoy a three-film retrospective of director Jane Campion, thought-provoking talks and the Festival’s popular partnership with Presteigne Open Studios, which celebrates the town’s thriving community of artists and makers.

Featured performers include the HearAndNow Collective from Amsterdam, violinist Fenella Humphreys, Clare Hammond, James Gilchrist, Rowan Pierce, Ben Goldscheider, the Choir of King’s College, London and the much-lauded Presteigne Festival Orchestra and Ensemble conducted by Artistic Director George Vass.