Buxton International Festival: The One Can't-Miss Festival of 2022
Buxton International Festival (BIF) announces its plans for summer 2022 with a bigger, bolder, and braver line up than ever before. Taking place from Thursday 7th July – Sunday 24th July 2022.
Five operas, an oratorio, a musical, a brand-new jazz programme, a books programme, and a world-class classical music series will provide a knock-out festival in the heart of Buxton, the Peak District’s most famous town.
“It’s a festival not to be missed”, says Artistic Director, Adrian Kelly. “Despite restrictions last summer, we enjoyed a hugely successful Festival in 2021 which delighted audiences and earned us 5* reviews. We feel emboldened. The Festival offers such extraordinary variety: exciting and unusual operas, including a collaboration with the Salzburg State Theatre, a first-rate classical music series, a challenging, thought-provoking book festival, and a revitalised jazz programme.”
CEO Michael Williams continues, “I don’t think there is another spa town in the world where you can breakfast with authors, take in a world-class recital after elevenses, enjoy an opera première or new musical before dinner and soak up some late-night jazz, all within a stone’s throw of each other. It’s an unbeatable 17 days of world-class entertainment.”
Highlights for 2022 include:
5 Operas:
- Salzburg State Theatre and BIF’s production of Donizetti’s Viva la Diva directed by Stephen Medcalf, conducted by Iwan Davies with the Northern Chamber Orchestra.
- BIF’s own production of Rossini’s La donna del lago directed by Jacopo Spirei, conducted by Adrian Kelly with the Northern Chamber Orchestra.
- BIF’s own production of Hasse’s Antonio e Cleopatra with libretto by Ricciardi, featuring the stars of our Young Artists programme.
- Music Theatre Wales’ Violet composed by Tom Coult with libretto by Alice Birch.
- Waterperry Festival Opera’s production of Jonathan Dove’s Mansfield Park.
An Oratorio:
Kate Whitley’s long-awaited oratorio Our Future in Your Hands, words by Laura Attridge, featuring 100-strong youth choir and the Northern Chamber Orchestra. With thanks to the PRS Foundation, Granada Foundation, Golden Jubilee Trust (via ROSL), The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust, Ida Carroll Trust, Borletti-Buitoni Trust, Samuel Gardner Memorial Trust, Andre Bernheim Charitable Trust, The Ida Carroll Trust, RVW Trust, The Bingham Trust, Orchestra Live.
A Musical:
Buxton Opera House and Buxton International Festival’s present Gypsy, A Musical Fable, book by Arthur Laurents, music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Suggested by memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee. Directed by Paul Kerryson, conducted by Ben Atkinson.
A Brand-New Jazz Programme:
BIF is pleased to welcome Neil Hughes as Jazz Director to the creative team for BIF 2022.
Commenting, Neil says: “I am delighted to bring my twenty years Jazz experience to Buxton. The talent we have booked for the festival highlights the strength in depth of UK artists. We will cover all genres from Basie to Bowie over seventeen wonderful concerts.”
Highlights include:
- Gwylim Simcock & Mike Walker will perform a special BIF programme with their award-winning band The Impossible Gentlemen.
- BBC Radio 2 and Jazz FM star, Clare Teal.
- The Manchester and Birmingham-based, AMC Gospel Choir.
- BBC Young Musician Jazz Finalist 2018, Xhosa Cole.
Festival Timeline
Booking for Gypsy and the Jazz Weekend will open in December 2021.
The full programme and festival brochure will be issued in March, with Priority Booking from 1st March 2022 and Public Booking on 29th March.