The Norfolk & Norwich Festival, which evolved from the old Norfolk & Norwich Triennial, blazes a cultural trail for the East Anglian region.

Norfolk & Norwich Festival opening event in 2022

By far the largest arts festival in the East of England and the fourth largest in the UK, the 2025 Norfolk & Norwich Festival (which has been held on an annual basis since 1988) runs from Friday 9th to Sunday 25th May offering a huge variety of work staged in and around the fine city of Norwich.

Poster for Norfolk & Norwich Festival in early 20th century

Established in 1772, the Norfolk & Norwich Festival continues the tradition of presenting world-class international performances and this year’s edition gets underway with Grammy Award winner, Pakistani-born singer, composer and music producer, Arooj Aftab (9 May), who’s primarily active in the field of minimal music performing in the medieval and gracious space of Norwich Cathedral. Declared ‘the coolest rock star in the world right now’ by ‘Uncut’ magazine, Aftab has earned her position at the vanguard of creative music for her embrace of risk and nonconformity.  

Following Ms Aftab into Norwich Cathedral (10 May) comes Gilles Peterson, a French-born DJ, broadcaster, avid record collector, curator and music-label owner whose musical spectrum includes dub, reggae, jazz, nu jazz, broken beat, house, drum-and-bass and hip-hop. He has played a pivotal role in supporting and promoting underground music in the UK and beyond over the past three decades. In what he describes is ‘a unique sit-down affair’ he’ll join the musical dots while playing and chatting about some of his favourite sounds past, present and future. Much like a radio programme but in front of your very own eyes!

Another highlight comes with Scottish-born composer/producer Liam Shortall aka corto.alto (22 May) who fuses jazz improvisation, electronic production and bass-heavy dub into a heady mix which saw his 2023 début album, ‘Bad With Names’ nominated for the 2024 Mercury Prize. Always pushing sonic boundaries, his performance in the Adnam's Spiegeltent promises subverted expectations and transcendent grooves.

And demonstrating the extraordinary range of her lovely warm mezzo-soprano voice, Lotte Betts-Dean (18 May, Octagon Chapel) will be joined by pianist Joseph Havlat in performing Messiaen’s Harawi - Chant d’amour et de mort, a piece widely regarded to be his grandest song-cycle. Harawi, in fact, is the first part of his ‘Tristan’ trilogy, a collection of works inspired by the medieval myth of Tristan and Isolde.

And star guitarist, Sean Shibe, will play lute, acoustic guitar and electric guitar over the course of three shows. In the first, entitled ‘Forgotten Dances’ (15 May, Maddermarket Theatre) he’ll explore overlooked corners of the guitar repertoire at the venue in which Julian Bream made his final appearance. The programme also includes Martin’s Quatre pièces brèves pour guitare, a largely neglected piece until championed by Bream in the 1960s.  

The following day (16 May, St Peter Mancroft Church) Shibe teams up with 12 Ensemble and the GBSR Duo to perform Oliver Leith’s recreation of the imaginary band Doom and the Dooms’ only concert, the centrepiece of this wistful programme celebrating the porousness of high and low art ranging from the stylistic magpies of the Scottish Lute Manuscripts to brand-new work by genre-hopping composer, violinist and electronic musician, Sasha Scott.

The final concert sees Shibe pick up his lute in the quietness of Norwich Castle Museum after hours offering 15-minute recitals from 5 to 8pm. With a backdrop provided by The Paston Treasure (a mysterious painting by an unknown Flemish artist depicting objects found at Norfolk’s Oxnead Hall) he’ll perform short but exquisite pieces of music that engage with stories found in the painting.

A rare and interesting concert of music coming from Corsica, Greece and Mallorca is on offer by the singers and instrumentalists of the Idrîsî Ensemble (11 May, Norwich Cathedral) who’ll also include in their specialised programme Gaelic Psalms and Old Roman Chant in a celebration of human imagination whilst also providing a powerful encounter with sounds on the brink of extinction.  

And a lovely and spiritual (free) event takes place in Norwich Cathedral (Tuesday, 13 May, 9pm) when the Senior Girl Choristers, Lay Clerks and Choral Scholars of Norwich Cathedral Choir sing the ancient monastic office of Compline in a warm and inviting candlelight setting. Deriving its name from the Latin word ‘completorium’ meaning ‘completion’, Compline is a meditative service of quietness and reflection before the end of the day.  

Founded in 2019 in Berlin, the Leonkoro String Quartet, who made their Norfolk & Norwich Festival début in 2023 as one of the BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists, makes a welcome return visit to the city to give a performance at Norwich Playhouse (12 May) of Haydn’s Quartet in F major (‘The Dream’), Berg’s Lyric Suite and Mendelssohn’s Quartet No.4 in F minor.

The young American cellist, Sterling Elliott, who has established an exciting reputation for his effortless, joyous musicianship, will be joined by pianist Joseph Havlat performing works by modern American composers such as Amy Beach, George Walker and William Grant at a lunchtime concert (13 May, Octagon Chapel, 1pm) while an evening concert in the same venue (7.30pm) features the 23-year-old saxophonist, Emma Rawicz. Her performances are distinct, engaging and full of thrilling interplay and with over 70 international shows in the past year, she has become one of the most sought-after artists of her generation.

Another Octagon show (14 May) that looks more than promising features the multi-award-winning Chaos String Quartet who return to the festival for a second year. Formed by musicians from Germany, Hungary, Italy and the Netherlands, they have quickly garnered a reputation for their expressive and boundary-pushing performances. Here they’ll present a blend of classic and contemporary works comprising Haydn’s String Quartet in G minor, No.3, Francesca Verunelli’s String Quartet No.2 and Beethoven’s String Quartet in G major, Op.18, No.2.

In the majestic surrounds of St Peter Mancroft (17 May) the Gurdjieff Ensemble will play and preserve music from a variety of ancient folk traditions coming from Armenian, Greek, Arabic, Assyrian, Kurdish, Persian and Caucasian cultures. Their haunting, mysterious and atmospheric performances reflect a clear contemporary vitality with one foot firmly planted in the here and now and resonances echoing through past, present and future.

Celebrating their 30th anniversary in a concert tailor-made for the Octagon Chapel (19 May) the iconic contemporary ensemble, Apartment House, well known for their advocacy of experimental and avant-garde music, meld together a rarely-heard work by Philip Glass (Music in Eight Parts) alongside John Cage’s subtle, graceful hymnal piece, Harmonies.  

They’ll also include in their programme a new arrangement of Erik Satie’s elegant Socrate plus a brand-new work for cello and ensemble by Cassandra Miller, especially written for the British-Lithuanian cellist, composer and visual artist, Anton Lukoszevieze, director and founder of Apartment House and an alumnus of the Royal College of Music.

Over the past years the immensely popular Adnams Spiegeltent in Chapel Field Gardens has built a fine and fierce reputation for staging awe-inspiring circus shows. This year, therefore, is no exception and sees Upswing present their brand-new show ‘Showdown’ (14-25 May), a heavy mix of circus skills and thrills peppered with cheeky humour witnessing six contestants battling it to the top spot in a fast-paced gameshow-style competition.

Mind your step! Norwich’s own Alex McAleer is about to read your mind. This man possesses the uncanny ability to apparently tap into his audiences’ minds and read their thoughts at will. Therefore, over a couple of unforgettable shows (Adnams Spiegeltent: Tuesday 20 May, 7pm / Wednesday 21 May, 9.30pm) Alex will show off his mind-boggling skills in an unbelievable demonstration of psychological skill as he combines contemporary mind reading with sharp wit and a flair for showmanship. A ‘champion’ of his art, as Alex joined the cast of the illusion show ‘Champions of Magic’ in 2013 and toured extensively throughout the USA, Mexico, Canada and the UK for a decade which included a celebrated run in London’s West End.  

When Martin Hayes, a musician with an insatiable appetite for adventure whose 2023 lauded album ‘Peggy’s Dream’ with the Common Ground Ensemble found a big audience, takes to its stage of the Adnams Spiegeltent (18 May) he’ll deliver an innovative, emotive interpretations of traditional Irish music so one can expect an evening of superb artistry as he showcases his virtuoso mastery of the Irish fiddle.  

Bringing their vibrant and driving energy to this year’s festival for the first time (23 May) in the Adnams Spiegeltent is the Ghanian Frafra Gospel Choir under the direction of Alogte Oho. Their show promises a lively and upbeat affair which includes a selection of songs from their acclaimed sophomore album, ‘O Yinne!’ recorded deep in the tropical rainforest of Ghana. ‘Expect the band to transcend this world for our audience to give them all the joy it can,’ said Alogte Oho. ‘They are the sounds of joy.’ Indeed, they are!  

I’m glad to see that Cinema City (St Andrew’s Street, Norwich) is being used as a festival venue for the first time hosting a ‘free’ event (booking required) entitled ‘MONSTERS’ a joint commission by Norfolk & Norwich Festival, SPILL Festival, First Light Festival, Nene Park Trust and Sheringham Little Theatre and supported through public funds from the National Lottery through Arts Council England.  

The work has been created by Andy Field and Beckie Darlington and features children from Gladstone Primary Academy (Peterborough), Sheringham Primary School (Norfolk), Rushmere Hall Primary School (Ipswich) and Somerleyton Primary School (Suffolk).  

A post-apocalyptic East Anglian fairytale ‘MONSTERS’ focuses on an event that hasn’t happened (yet) created by and starring dozens of ordinary children from across the East Anglian region. In derelict barns and abandoned theatres they’ve imagined a world very different to our own and what they would need to do to survive in it.  

Therefore, in the film they’ll tell one about the world they imagine, a world after monsters have arrived, exploring survival, change and uncertainty. The film blends fantasy and reality, reinterpreting disaster tropes through the eyes of a generation familiar with crisis. A real story in an imaginary world or an imaginary story in the real world? Go and find out!

The wonderful and inspiring voices of the BBC Singers (23 May) will be gloriously heard in the Roman Catholic Cathedral of St John the Baptist (Earlham Road) directed by Sir James MacMillan in a grand and uplifting programme offering several of his choral compositions juxtaposed with a selection of well-loved early works.  

Awarded the Royal Philharmonic Society’s prestigious Ensemble Award in March 2024, the BBC Singers celebrate their 100th anniversary this year and, of course, are always welcome visitors to the festival. Their all-embracing programme comprises Britten’s Hymn to the Virgin, Tavener’s Hymn to the Mother of God, Judith Weir’s Ave Regina Caelorum, Palestrina’s Missa Papae Marcelli plus two lovely pieces by James MacMillan - The Culham Motets and O Virgo Prudentissima.

On the following day (24 May) in Norwich (Anglican) Cathedral, the principal trumpet of the Britten Sinfonia, Imogen Whitehead, features as soloist in Hummel’s beloved 1803 concerto in a programme that also includes the haunting Fratres as part of Britten Sinfonia’s celebrations of Estonian composer Arvo Pärt’s 90th year. The programme also includes Wagner’s Siegfried Idyll and Beethoven’s Symphony No.1.

Following the tradition of the past few years the festival will kick-off with the Welcome Weekend (9-11 May) inviting audiences to enjoy a host of free outdoor events spanning the centre of Norwich therefore on Friday 9th May, Speak Percussion, a modern-day mash-up of dance, music and performance, come together in their High Voltage show featuring 150 guitarists from across the region as a Garage band in a showcase of musical talent that, hopefully will tick the box and make you want to rock!

And woven throughout the festival is a series of thematic programme stories under the umbrella of Magic & Mystery with The Dirty Work (14-15 May) offering a new solo show by Jo Bannon blending the trickery of magic with the lived experience of visual impairment while the extraordinary Gandini Juggling Company will present ‘Heka’ (13-14 May) their brand-new show combining magic and contemporary choreography with juggling at its heart to explore the boundaries between reality and illusion.

Packed with humour and philosophy, ‘Heka’ challenges audience perception through repetition, counterpoint and misdirection reimagining magic as a choreographic art form. Acclaimed magician Vincent Gambini will also be working his intimate ‘one-to-one’ performance entitled ‘Close-Up’ (16-24 May) at the Yard café (Red Lion Street, Norwich) blending sleight-of-hand magic with the dreamlike nature of cinema.

Another pertinent strand in this year’s programme celebrates our country’s diverse coastline - home to communities, nature, industry and endless stories. As part of this strand ‘River of Hope’ (9-25 May) explores the Norfolk rivers which empty into the North Sea bringing together the work of around 500 young people in a large installation while in the delightful North Norfolk coastal town of Cromer one can enjoy ‘Sea Like a Mirror’ (15-26 May), an ambitious national partnership programme led by Cement Fields and commissioned to mark the 200th anniversary of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. At the heart of the project is ‘White Horses’ - a brand-new artwork by Ivan Morison.

And yet another strand surrounds programme stories therefore ‘Create and Share’ celebrates the festival’s year-round work with young people, schools and communities. Highlights which have been created by artists with people from across the region include The Norwich Nine (11 May), an intergenerational collaboration between Bootworks Theatre Co. and a group of nine-year-old children born the year the UK voted to leave the European Union with Rebel Resistors Radio Club (21-24 May) offering a new project by Action Hero in which they’ll work with a group of girls on analogue radios broadcasting their manifestos for the future.  

Presented in partnership with the National Centre for Writing, the City of Literature Weekend (23-25 May) returns with a lively and inviting programme of events and talks with writers including the likes of Hattie Crisell, Nicola Dinan, Erica Hesketh, Seán Hewitt, M.G. Leonard, Val McDermid, Noreen Masud and Nicola Streeten, Emma Jane Unsworth - to name but a few.  

The last word goes to the charismatic artistic director and chief executive of the festival, Daniel Brine, who had this to say: ‘This year’s Norfolk & Norwich Festival programme, I feel, has a vibrant and dynamic mix to it with a host of international voices peppering the music programme with some exciting new performance pieces and some fascinating literary conversations. The festival has a strong sense of community therefore many of our events showcases our participation work.’   

You want more! Just click on www.nnfestival.org.uk to open up a treasure-chest of cultural activity like no other!

• Box office: 01603 531800; online: nnfestival.org.uk; in person: Norwich Guildhall by Norwich marketplace.
• YoungNNF / Under-18s tickets: £10. Concessions available.
• Twitter: @NNFest
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/NNFestival
• Instagram: @NNFest

Never miss out on future posts by following us

The blog is free, but I'd be delighted if you were to show your appreciation by buying me a coffee.

Elsewhere on this blog

• Real musical riches: Thea Musgrave's Mary, Queen of Scots returns to the UK after an embarrassing period of neglect - opera review
• Philip Glass Festival: the Hallé & Royal Northern College of Music proudly mounted a three-day mini-festival - concert review
• Reclaiming Love: An Alternative Valentines Song in the City's contribution to LGBT History Month including rare Smyth & Grieg plus Brahms' Love Song Waltzes - review 
  
• An enormously intense, personal experience: composer Michael Zev Gordon on writing A Kind of Haunting, his new piece inspired by his family's experience of the Holocaust - interview
• Letter from Florida: It is hard to imagine any orchestra getting closer to playing as one, though, than The Cleveland Orchestra - concert review
  
• A woman on the edge: Cherubini's Médée in the original French version yet given a powerful modern twist with Joyce El-Khoury - opera review
• To create modern culture through the thoughts of the past: George Petrou artistic director of the Göttingen International Handel Festival introduces this year's festival - interview
• Another crazy day: Joe Hill-Gibbins' production of Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro returns to ENO reinvigorated - opera review
• My Heart's in the Highlands: the debut recital from tenor Glen Cunningham mixes Stuart MacRae's new songs with other composers with 'Scotland in Mind' - record review
• Unbearable intensity: musically strong revival of Janáček's Jenůfa at the Royal Opera with incoming music director Jakub Hrůša on searing form in the pit - opera review
• Home