Nestled in the picturesque spa town of Buxton, in the heart of the Peak District, the Buxton International Festival returns from 10–27 July 2025 with a huge programme of events spanning opera, classical music, jazz, and literature. Across six charming venues and 17 vibrant days, it’s a celebration of artistry and storytelling set against the breathtaking backdrop of Derbyshire.

Spotlight on Opera

This year’s opera offerings are both ambitious and eclectic:

• Ambroise Thomas’s Hamlet is making a powerful return to Buxton for the first time since 1980, performed by The Orchestra of Opera North and directed by Jack Furness. The festival opens with a red-carpet launch - a perfect stage for this dramatic revival.

• A thought-provoking double bill features Leonard Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti and Francis Poulenc’s La Voix Humaine, presented in partnership with Norwich Theatre Royal.

• Mozart’s The Impresario arrives via Opera Zuid, offering a playful, behind-the-scenes take on theatrical ego and ambition. The Director Christopher Gillett says, ‘It’s a comedy about putting on an opera. Part play, part opera, part satire and part Mozart’s greatest hits, with added Dutch pancakes!’ 

• “Shorts” brings bold innovation to the stage: four brand-new 20-minute operas by emerging composers - including Inevitable, Life Gets Stretched, Disorderly House, and Tears Are Not Meant to Stay Inside - spanning everything from a wartime love story to ancestral healing rituals.

Classical Music & Book Discussions

The festival’s classical performances promise mastery and nuance:

• The Tallis Scholars mark the 500th anniversary of composer Palestrina.

• Extraordinary performances of musicals inside Pools Cavern

• Versatile violinist Braimah Kanneh-Mason, who has performed throughout the UK, Europe, USA and Australia. He has appeared as a soloist with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Bath Philharmonia and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. 

• Concert and soloists like Benjamin Grosvenor, Imogen Cooper, Toby Spence, Roderick Williams, and Chloë Hanslip bring an afternoon and evening of artistry.

Elsewhere, the Books series shines a spotlight on “extraordinary women,” featuring guests like Diane Abbott MP, Sarah Rainsford, Baroness Lola Young. Jeremy Hunt MP, Petroc Trelawny, and Rev Richard Coles also feature. Expect thoughtful interviews, compelling stories, and stirring ideas.

Jazz & Soulful Sounds

The ever-popular Jazz Weekender (10–13 July) delivers a rich mix of genres - from Latin and Brazilian to soul and funk - culminating in a tribute to Oscar Peterson’s 100th birthday. 

 

Headliners include:

Rumer, performing her platinum-certified “Seasons of My Soul” on 20 July. The fantastic Clare Teal, Ineza, Baiana, Georgina Jackson, Lady Nade, and Barb Jungr, among others. Jazz fans can also pick from a range of single-day or evening tickets, ensuring flexible festival music-goer plans.

BIF events are compactly located in the historic Buxton Opera House and nearby venues - walking distance from cafés, lodging, and green trails. The festival keeps tradition alive while promoting the future, especially through the “Shorts” series spotlighting fresh voices in opera. It's been credited by The Times as one of the “15 best classical and jazz festivals for summer 2025,” Buxton stands out for its ambition and artistic quality!

 

Our top picks!


Hamlet – powerful staging of a rarely performed masterpiece, thanks to Opera North.

Shorts – inventive 20-minute contemporary operas pushing boundaries, multiple dates across July..

Rumer: Seasons of My Soul – her celebrated debut album in full, 20 July.

Take a look at the festival’s impressive programme of events right here: