Hastings Chamber Music Festival 2026 – Transfiguration
Hastings Chamber Music Festival 2026 presents four varied programmes united by the theme Transfiguration, exploring music shaped by change, reflection, conflict and the search for peace. The Festival opens with the return of the Felix Ensemble and features outstanding artists, including the critically acclaimed Rautio Piano Trio, prize-winning Elmore String Quartet and Ensemble Molière, a former BBC New Generation ensemble.
Opening with Schoenberg’s extraordinary Verklärte Nacht (one of the most beautiful and evocative pieces of music ever) alongside Brahms’s Sextet No. 1 in B-flat, the festival traces a journey of musical and emotional transformation.A central focus on 20th-century voices includes works by Ravel, Frank Bridge and Amy Beach, while historical perspectives are woven in through a French Baroque programme performed on period instruments. The festival culminates in the world premiere of J. Rautio’s Akhmatova Requiem, a setting of Anna Akhmatova’s poetry for soprano and chamber ensemble.
Curated by Festival Artistic Director and violinist Jane Gordon, audiences are also invited into the creative process through open rehearsals and Artists in Conversation events, offering special insights into the composers and music from the artists themselves. www.hemf.co.uk
Full programme details: https://hemf.co.uk/festival-2026/. Free Open Rehearsals, Drop in 3–5pm, Christ Church: Thursday 22 October: Felix Ensemble, Saturday 24 October: Ensemble Molière: www.ticketsource.com/hastings-chamber-music-festival. Kino concerts: https://www.ticketsource.com/kinoteatr/t-aaykqxz https://www.ticketsource.com/kinoteatr/t-glygagx
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