About the Festival
About Us
Shakespeare in Music is the inspiration of a handful of musicians and lovers of Shakespeare who set up a charity in 2024 (number 1208674) to give his musical legacy a new focus in an annual Festival. With successful backgrounds in composition and arrangement, performance and conducting, music criticism and arts management, we are organising the first of these in May 2025. The range of performers runs from those at the height of their careers to young aspirants, all inspired by what musicians can make of Shakespeare’s exceptional inheritance.
Our Mission
Shakespeare in Music brings a new light to bear on the Bard’s musical legacy. From courtly to bawdy, from Renaissance to Rap, from opera to improvisation, the spirit of Shakespeare lives on in innovative music-making in the classical music tradition and beyond. From songs used in Shakespeare’s plays through more than 400 years of compositions inspired by his works, this vast field provided the impetus and will remain the focus for the annual Shakespeare in Music Festival in Stratford-upon-Avon. The 2025 Festival is the start of a new tradition that brings together inspiring student performers and professional musicians, local musical groups and internationally renowned stars, gathering for one magical weekend. The Festival will provide a crucible of learning and performance for local, national and international audiences.