The Hatfield House Music Festival (9 – 12 October 2025) is a long weekend of concerts, curated by Artistic Director Guy Johnston, held annually at Hatfield House. The setting, musicians and audiences make this a warm, friendly festival with exceptionally high artistic standards. Now in its 14th year, the Festival has grown into a very successful and much-anticipated event by both locals and also by those who make a special journey to attend the Festival.
The gift of music is one of the most precious things we can receive. In a fractured world, it sings of harmony. The Gift of Music is therefore a timely theme for the 2025 Hatfield House Music Festival, which will be exploring many aspects of generosity shown by composers and performers through the ages.
Handel shows us a very practical example of this. His gift of a score and royalties from Messiah to the Foundling Hospital helped establish this charity, which incidentally was built on land formerly owned by the Earl of Salisbury. The final concert of the Festival will pair Messiah with a visionary work by John Tavener – The Protecting Veil – an invitation to contemplation and consolation.
The Festival will open with a fascinating recital by pianist Mishka Rushdie Momen, a musical give-and-take across the centuries, and later that evening Guy will be performing the première of a gift of a new piece for solo cello from contemporary composer, Matthew Kaner.
A hallmark of every Festival is music-making shared by friends and among friends. This year is no exception and the Festival also welcomes some new friends, including Pete Letanka and his exciting Jazz Trio, and distinguished pianist, Imogen Cooper, who will play Schubert’s complete Impromptus, the composer’s inspired contribution to this miniature form – like spur of the moment improvisations, but lingering long in the memory.
Ravel and Shostakovich are this year’s anniversary composers, plus Orlando Gibbons with a very apt piece to open the Festival. The first two are very different musicians, inhabiting contrasting worlds, but united in their belief that music matters and their desire to communicate that to audiences.
Learning and participation remain at the core of the Festival’s activities and gifted musicians from the Purcell School will share their musical enthusiasms and discoveries as they lead this year’s Family Concert. Meanwhile, our Come and Sing will offer the chance for everyone to get inside some of the great Handel Choruses.
We look forward to welcoming you in the autumn.
For the full 2025 Festival programme and to book tickets please visit: programme page.
