About

Nottingham Chamber Music Festival
Thursday 9 – Sunday 12 July, 2026
Various Venues across Nottingham City Centre

Tickets: Click on BOOK NOW button above to discover more

The Nottingham Chamber Music Festival (NCMF2026) returns for a weekend packed with concerts in Nottingham’s cultural spaces!

Nottingham’s only classical music festival welcomes newbies and culture vultures to hear some of the UK’s top classical artists. Join this celebration of classical music in Nottingham!

For bookings and information on events, visit the main website via the link or BOOK NOW button above and visit our social media channels for news and updates.​​​

Events at a glance...

 

NCMF Busk n' Brew

Sunday 28 June 2026

FREE Admission - No advance booking necessary

When: Sunday, 28th June, 2.30pm - 4.30pm

Where: Blend Cafe at Nottingham Contemporary, Weekday Cross, Nottingham NG1 2GB

 

Accessibility: This venue is wheelchair accessible.

Our popular music pop-up event “Busk n’ Brew” returns to Blend Cafe in Nottingham Contemporary. Join us for live chamber music from young musicians local groups, all in a relaxed cafe setting. Enjoy great coffee and music – the perfect warm-up to our Festival Weekend!

 

Festival Talk: "So, what is chamber music, really?"

Thursday 9 July 2026

Festival Talk with William Ruff and Carmen Flores

When: Thursday, 9th July, 5:00pm
Where: Nottingham Central Library, 1 Carrington Street, Nottingham NG1 7FH

Tickets: £7 advance booking | £10 on the door

This event will last approximately 1 hour. This venue is wheelchair accessible.

“So, what is chamber music really…?”

If you’ve ever wondered what chamber music actually is, this is your perfect starting point. For our welcoming Festival Talk with Nottingham Post music writer and NCMF Director Carmen Flores, we’ll get to the heart of the etiquette, the traditions, and the “wait, do I clap now?” moments to see how chamber music has evolved for today’s listeners. Expect stories and live music – the ideal launch into the Festival weekend.

 

Music & Wine: Delilah Fine Foods

 

Thursday, 9th July 2026

7.00pm

Aquilae Duo at Delilah Fine Foods

Nottingham’s beloved food hall Delilah Fine Foods sets the scene for a luminous summer evening of music and wine. The harp-and-flute combo Aquilae Duo take you on a journey “Songs in an Evening Glow” across four centuries of music – from fiery Spanish baroque to a spirited Irish finale – alongside other favourites by Mozart, Kate Bush, Vaughan Williams, and more. A perfect concert to light up your summer evening.

Tickets: £45.00, includes wine & canapés service. Places are limited, so book early.

When: Thursday 9th July. Doors open 6:30pm / Concert 7:00pm, ending at approximately 8:30pm

Where: Delilah Fine Foods, 12 Victoria Street, Nottingham NG1 2EX

Accessibility: This venue is not wheelchair accessible and you will be required to navigate steps.

 

Beethoven Op.59/1 Play Along - VQ Discovery

Friday 10th July 2026

Tickets: £30 General participant / £15 Student (under 21yrs) / £10 Observer
When: 1:00pm – 2:30pm
Where: St Mary’s in the Lace Market, High Pavement, Nottingham NG1 1HN
Accessibility: This venue is wheelchair accessible.

Bring your instrument and step into the sound world of Beethoven’s Razumovsky Quartet Op. 59/1 with Villiers Quartet! This friendly play-along workshop offers you the chance to play alongside a string quartet and explore the music from the inside, all within the stunning setting of St Mary’s in the Lace Market. Open to students of all ages. Suitable for playing levels Grade 5 and above. We also welcome observers to the workshop.

 

Villiers Quartet & Marcus Farnsworth, baritone

Friday 10th July 2026

Tickets: £17 advance booking | £20 on the door | £8 under 17yrs
When: 7:30pm
Where: St Mary’s in the Lace Market, High Pavement, Nottingham NG1 1HN
Accessibility: This venue is wheelchair accessible. This concert will end at approximately 9:15pm. A bar will be available for drinks.

Concert Programme
Caroline Shaw – Valencia
Caroline Shaw – By & By, for voice and string quartet
Ludwig van Beethoven – “Razumovsky” String Quartet in F major, Op. 59/1

The Villiers Quartet are long-time NCMF favourites, and this year they’re joined by baritone powerhouse and Southwell Music Festival founder, Marcus Farnsworth, in a concert about the enduring power of folk song. Caroline Shaw’s By & By is an intimate work for voice and string quartet, inspired by hymn and folk song. Beethoven’s “Razumovsky” Quartet, op. 59/1, originally a play on Russian folk melodies, pushes the string quartet into bold, symphonic territory. Expect gorgeous music and world-class performers, all amidst the magic of St Mary’s in the Lace Market.

 

Family Concert: BabyGigs “The Great Shuffle Show”

Saturday 11th July 2026

FREE Admission | Donations suggested
When: 11:00am
Where: St. Peter’s Church, St Peter’s Square, Nottingham NG1 2NW
Accessibility: This venue is wheelchair accessible.

Join BabyGigs for a fun family concert created especially for children, with a special twist! Have you ever wanted to be in control of a show? Now’s your chance! 10 playing cards, 10 pieces of music and 10 puppets….YOU decide what comes next.

Musicians and story-telling combine in this brilliant, funny performance created in collaboration with Ricardo Insua-Cao’s Puppet Hinge Theatre. Designed especially for 0 to 7-year-olds and their grown-ups, expect captivating classical music, spell-binding puppetry and imaginative audience interaction.

The show includes music by Lecuona, Ginastera, Mozart, Grieg and Chopin, alongside flavours of jazz, samba and the odd children’s classic!

This performance lasts approximately 50 minutes with no interval.

“Wild and shimmering piano gems” – The Guardian
“Appealing and pioneering in equal measure” – Gramophone Magazine

 

NYMY Showcase at Nottingham Contemporary

Saturday 11th July 2026

Nottingham Contemporary hosts our Miniature concerts, featuring musicians from the Nottingham Young Musician of the Year competition. Visit the galleries to hear these extraordinary young artists for a musical adventure on your Saturday afternoon.

FREE Admission | Donations suggested

When: Performances from 1:30pm, 2:30pm, and 3:30pm. Each performance lasts approximately 30 minutes

Where: Nottingham Contemporary, Weekday Cross, Nottingham NG1 2GB

Access: This venue is wheelchair accessible.

 

The People’s Hall – Music for Violin

Saturday 11 July 2026
Darragh Morgan, violin

When: Doors open 6:15pm | Tour begins 7:00pm
Where: The People’s Hall, Heathcote Street, Nottingham NG1 3AA
Tickets: £14 advance booking | £17 on the door | £7 under17yrs
Access: This venue is not wheelchair accessible and you will be required to navigate steps. A bar will be available for drinks, card payments only.

Concert “Exploding Stars”
Telemann – Fantasias 7 & 10
Philip Glass – Knee Play 2 from Einstein on the Beach
Linda Buckley – Exploding Stars
Donnacha Dennehy – Overstrung
Skopso Oro – Angel Nancewski
Errolyn Wallen – For Airi
Alex Paxton – Lurv Ya

NCMF welcomes renowned contemporary violinist Darragh Morgan — described by The Strad as a “New Music wizard” — for a special Salon‑style concert at the Grade II* listed The People’s Hall on Heathcoat Street. Back in the 18th century, Salon concerts were intimate gatherings where people heard live music up close. This concert brings that vibe into the present: part low‑fi, part hi‑fi, and all-immersive. And if you haven’t been to the People’s Hall before, you’re in for a treat, with an exclusive tour around the building before the concert.

You might remember Darragh from his NCMF appearance five years ago with the Fidelio Trio. A boundary-hopping musician, he’s equally at home as a soloist with orchestras, playing in chamber groups, or performing on period instruments. He returns with a  programme Exploding Stars — a set where one violin becomes an entire universe. The concert features music by Philip Glass, Georg Philipp Telemann, and more, plus a special work for violin by Errollyn Wallen, Master of the King’s Music.

The ticket includes a short tour of The People’s Hall, and the evening is approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes long in total.

 

Tunnel Vision: Vivaldi Four Seasons

Sunday 12 July 2026

6.00 pm

The Park Tunnel, Nottingham

Admission:
£13 - Seated general admission

Antonio Vivaldi – The Four Seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter
Antonio Vivaldi – “Al Santo Sepolcro” Sinfonia in B minor
Festival Musicians:

Festival Musicians:
Sophie Rosa – Violin solo
Darragh Morgan – Violin solo
Jenny Sacha – Violin solo
Rose Redgrave – Viola
Tim Smedley – Cello
Petra Hajduchova – harpsichord

For our final concert of NCMF26, we invite you into one of Nottingham’s extraordinary spaces: the Victorian-era Park Tunnel, carved in 1855 as a grand passageway to the Park Estate. In this atmospheric cavern, Vivaldi’s Four Seasons comes to life, with nature as part of the performance. These dazzling violin concertos are performed with virtuosity by our incredible ensemble of Festival Musicians. It’s a joyful finale to the summer weekend! 

Presented in association with the Nottingham Park Residents Association supporting their campaign to enhance the wildlife and biodiversity of the Park Estate.