World-Class English Symphony Orchestra at Cheltenham Town Hall 2025-26
English Symphony Orchestra launches 2025-26 Cheltenham Residency
The English Symphony Orchestra (ESO), under their Conductor and Artistic Director Kenneth Woods, has unveiled details of their 2025-26 season at Cheltenham Town Hall, home of their residency for the past two years. The five concert programmes will feature classical favourites – Mozart, Beethoven, Mahler, Rachmaninov, Elgar and Richard Strauss – alongside accessible works by composers working today.
The season opens on Friday 19 September 2025 with Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No.2 and Sibelius’s Symphony No.4, featuring guest soloist, pianist Freddy Kempf.
World-Class English Symphony Orchestra
Firmly established as ‘The International Orchestra of Elgar country’, the ESO has become synonymous with artistic excellence, visionary programming and distinctive commissioning. In recent years, the Worcester-based orchestra has earned an international reputation for innovative concerts and ground-breaking recordings.
Working in partnership with Music at Cheltenham and supported by Arts Council England, ESO will bring a dynamic series of concerts to one of the UK’s leading cultural venues, Cheltenham Town Hall.
Classical Favourites, New Discoveries and Guest Artists
Highlights of the season include Richard Strauss’s Four Last Songs with soprano April Fredrick, Mahler’s Symphony No.9, Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht, and Elgar’s Violin Concerto performed by Zoë Beyers. Julian Bliss will feature in Copland’s Clarinet Concerto, while other programmes include works by Vaughan Williams, Mozart and Beethoven.
The season will also present contemporary works, including Philip Sawyers’ Symphony No.6, A Pastoral, Matthew Taylor’s Romance for Strings, and the world premiere of David Matthews’ Early Spring, dedicated to the ESO.
Kenneth Woods said: “These two iconic masterpieces were both written in response to moments of intense personal adversity. The Fourth Symphony reflects Sibelius’s ultimately successful battle against cancer, while the Second Piano Concerto sees Rachmaninov regaining his confidence and inspiration following a period of profound creative crisis, resulting in what is quite possibly the most popular piece in the entire classical repertoire.”
Described by Gramophone as “a symphonic conductor of stature”, Woods has directed the ESO since 2013, building an acclaimed body of work and ambitious series of concerts across the Midlands.
The ESO is also recognised for its transformative youth programmes and community engagement, including performances in care homes for those living with dementia and other conditions.
English Symphony Orchestra Season Dates – Cheltenham Town Hall
Friday 19 September 2025 – Sibelius: Symphony No.4, Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No.2 – Freddy Kempf, piano
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Tuesday 2 December 2025 – Strauss: Four Last Songs, Mahler: Symphony No.9 – April Fredrick, soprano
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Sunday 1 February 2026 – Vaughan Williams, Sawyers, Elgar: Violin Concerto – Zoë Beyers, violin
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Sunday 22 March 2026 – David Matthews: Early Spring (World Premiere), Mozart: Sinfonia Concertante, Beethoven: Symphony No.7 – Zoë Beyers, violin & Kate Musker, viola
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Friday 22 May 2026 – Elgar: Serenade for Strings, Taylor, Copland: Clarinet Concerto – Julian Bliss, clarinet; Schoenberg: Verklärte Nacht
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15 September 2025
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