Perform. Educate. Inspire.

Leicester MusicFest was founded in 2016 by a team of professional musicians and teachers who wanted to create more high-quality and accessible performance opportunities for young people and amateur musicians in Leicester.
 

The festival is intended to enrich the cultural life of the city and county, offering opportunities for amateur musicians of all ages and abilities to perform, learn and be inspired. We are committed to a policy of free entry for under-19s, and we heavily subsidise entry fees for the general public in order to make our events truly accessible to the whole community.

At each festival over 200 musicians take part in a varied programme including concerts, educational workshops and  competitions in piano, singing, pipe organ, classical guitar and composition. Each year we strive to further our reach within Leicester and further afield by running community-based outreach projects involving children and staff from local schools, and universities, together with professional musicians and emerging artists. In our 2018 community opera production of Dido & Aeneas, local school children performed alongside celebrated British baritone James Newby, and mezzo-soprano Stephanie Wake-Edwards, who has since graced the stage of the Royal Opera House.

As the festival expands, we look to provide opportunities to musicians throughout the year. We have introduced an award of a professional-quality classical guitar to a promising young guitarist in financial need; a £500 grant to aid further musical study; and we are currently curating a series of online music education resources which will soon be available through our website.