Our World Class Festival
Tilford Bach Festival presents live classical music events featuring leading performers from around the world in intimate venues centred around the picturesque village of Tilford which is 45 miles outside London.
Our aim is to bring to our community the very best Baroque music, which honours the excellence established by our Founder, Denys Darlow.
Working closely with our Musical Director, Adrian Butterfield, we present music of the highest calibre with many world famous ensembles, soloists and choirs.
As well as the excellence of our music, our focus is to:
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Expand the reach of the Festival to include greater engagement with the wider community in and around Tilford
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Provide opportunities for emerging musicians
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Introduce broader aspects of Baroque music through our dance events
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Provide schools outreach opportunities and events.
We are supported by our ensemble-in-residence, The London Handel Players, and regular choir, Pegasus.
Our new team are steering Tilford Bach Festival on a three year path which will take us through to our 75th Anniversary year in 2027 and beyond.
Reflections on the 2025 Festival
The first steps on our three year project were taken in 2025. The Festival that year, curated by Adrian Butterfield, offered a remarkable weekend journey of musical experiences. The festivities commenced on Friday with a Celebration of Scottish Baroque Music, highlighted by a lively Ceilidh for those who were eager to embrace the spirit of Scottish tradition. On Saturday evening, audiences were treated to an outstanding performance of Bach’s Mass in B Minor, widely regarded as one of the most profound works in the Baroque repertoire. The weekend concluded on Sunday with a Best of Baroque special, featuring outstanding choral and orchestral performances from emerging talent including some of the brightest vocal talent from Toronto. You can read more about last year’s Festival on our Performers page.
Our School Outreach Programme
In 2025 we also established our schools outreach. Rachel Brown and Adrian Butterfield spent a day teaching local school children some basic music principles sufficient for them to perform in a concert for their parents – a wonderful curtain raiser for the Festival. Details of our school outreach activities last year can be found on our Outreach page.
Introducing the 2026 Festival
We are now very excited to introduce our Festival for 2026. We are continuing last year's focus on showcasing fabulous music, Baroque dance and wonderful young musicians. We are keeping a focus on Tilford with our Saturday major event held at our home in Tilford Church. We will also provide our schools opportunities in Tilford and there will be a Father’s Day church service with music provided by Festival musicians. But we are expanding our reach into the wider community:
Friday night is dance night
Our Friday "Dance Night" takes place in the Aldridge Theatre at Frensham Heights School on 19th June. The larger auditorium gives an opportunity for members of the audience to try some basic Baroque Dancing after the performance. We will provide light refreshments and there will be a cash/credit card bar to keep the dancing vibe strong.
Our young musicians will star in Godalming
Our Sunday concert not only allows us to re-acquaint ourselves with Harmony of Life orchestra led by Sara Matović, but also sees the Festival reach out to one of our partner organisations - Godalming Conservatoire CIO. The concert will be held in Godalming Baptist Church and gives us a chance to take the Festival message to Godalming.
Christmas in Grayshott
Looking further ahead to Christmas 2026, we have entered into an association with Grayshott Concerts to present Bach’s Christmas Oratorio on 12th December 2026. The musicians will be our very own London Handel Players conducted by Adrian Butterfield and Pegasus and we will be hosted for the event at St. Luke’s Church in Grayshott. It will be a memorable night and another opportunity for the Festival to reach a wider audience.