A fun evening of piano duos for all the family

Friday 3rd July
Duo Pleyel - Alexandra Nepomnyashchaya and Richard Egarr, present a magical pogramme for a summer evening, including Czerny's arrangement of Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony.

Watch a video preview here!

Programme
Beethoven - Symphony 6 (arr. Carl Czerny)
JC Bach - ‘Allegretto’ from Sonata in A
Tchaikovsky - Nutcracker excerpts
Faure - Berceuse from ‘Dolly’ suite
Ravel - ‘Laideronnette’ from Mother Goose suite
Mozart - Adagio & Presto molto from Sonata in B-flat

Family-friendly concert - free to children
This is a one-hour programme, with refreshments before and afterwards, with a mixture of classical items ideal for all ages to enjoy. Tickets for under-18s are FREE.

Booking information

Reviews
"Richly rewarding...technically near-flawless... they can be recommended without reservation" (Early Music Review)

[They] personlify style without pedantry. Their caprice and gallantry come as a breath of fresh  air" (International Piano)

"[Their] musical chemistry was palpable and the concert performance sounded like a shared intimacy [including] the audience as a genuine part of the concert experience." (Steve Crowther)

Concert news for 2026

We're looking forward to welcoming superstar baritone Roddy Williams this October, among other great concerts.

Here are some dates for your diary!

Saturday 11th April, 7pm
Matchbox Opera present a selection of favourite arias and choruses, with guest tenor Richard Rowe and pianist Jong-Gyung Park. Book tickets.

Friday 3rd July, 7pm
A summer night's entertainment with international piano duo Richard Egarr and Alexandra Nepomnyashchaya, whose programme includes Czerny's arrangement of Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony. Book tickets.

Saturday 10th October, 7pm
Roddy Williams and accompanist Christopher Glynn will perform an English song recital, featuring Vaughan Williams' Songs of Travel. Booking opens 1st May.

Saturday 17th October, 7pm
The Villiers Quartet perform unusual and beguiling works by Frederick Delius and Ailsa Dixon. 

DISCOUNTED TICKETS
Get cheaper tickets for many of our concerts: join the Tunbridge Wells International Music Festival mailing list.

Villiers Quartet to play at KCM

We're delighted to announced that the Villiers Quartet will be playing a concert on Saturday 17th October 2026, featuring the music of Frederick Delius and Ailsa Dixon. Find out more about the quartet in this little clip...

Coffee Concert 14th March

Saturday 14th March 11am: Coffee Concert for Spring. 

Seasonal music for all the family with the Lyndon Trio and others; a diverse mix including pieces for piano, violin and cello, from Beethoven to Piazzola. 45 minutes of great music in a relaxed format, with tea and coffee available. 

Programme inludes movements from Beethoven's Archduke Trio.

Free with retiring collection. 

International piano duo to visit in July 2026

Very excited to announce the return of Richard Egarr, with his duo partner Alexandra Nepomnyashchaya, for a fantastic summer concert on Friday 3rd July.

Here them this Tuesday (3rd February) on BBC Radio 3's In Tune.

Their programme includes a wonderful arrangement of Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony. Booking opens on 1st March.

Find out more.

Hear a winning pianist!

On Friday 23rd January, the Tunbridge Wells International Music Competition host a concert at King Charles the Martyr to raise funds towards the 2026 competition. Winner in 2024, pianist Xu Peng returns to Tunbridge Wells to showcase the phenmomal talent that amazed the judging panel.

Hear him for yourself! Tickets available now.

Xu Peng started playing piano at the age of four. In 2008, Xu entered the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, where he studied with Zhang Zhiwei. He received his MM and BM from the class of Jon Kimura Parker at Rice University (Houston, TX), where he also graduated with a Minor in French Studies and a Special Distinction in Creative Research. 

Having completed his AD at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (London) under the tutelage of Noriko Ogawa and Ronan O’Hora in May 2025, Xu is currently pursusing a Research Degree at the same institution, with a thesis on Debussy and Jankélévitch. 

 Xu is the winner at the Tunbridge Wells International Music Competition and the Macau-Asia International Piano Competition. Recently, Peng was also awarded the Golden Hand Prize with Special Jury Mention at the Carlos&Sofia Piano Competition, and Second Prize at the William Knabe Piano Concerto Competition. 

 Xu has performed recitals at notable venues, including the Barbican in London, the Stoller hall in Manchester, the Stude Concert Hall in Houston, and the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing. His interest in contemporary music has led to collaborations with composers and visual artists, presenting new compositions in thematic recitals and interdisciplinary productions at the Moody Center for the Visual Art in Houston. Xu made his concerto debut in 2019 with Khachaturian’s Piano Concerto in D-flat Minor.

Past performers 2006-2025

Happy New Year! This is an annual post, celebrating the growing list of eminent musicians we've had the privilege to welcome to King Charles since Rupert Preston Bell took over as Director of Music in 2006. 

Adrian Bradbury | Adriano Graziani | Aiso Quartet | Alessandra Testai | Alex Metcalfe | Alexandra Wood | Amanda Pitt | Ann Beilby | Anna Tilbrook | Anthony Zerpa-Falcon | Archaeus String Quartet | Archduke Trio | Archie Inns | Barbirolli Quartet | Bennett Memorial School Chamber Choir | Bérengère Mauduit | Bethany Horak-Hallett | Bojan Čičić | Callum Smart | Cambridge Taverner Choir | Cantabile: The London Quartet | Carl Jackson | Caroline Balding | Celionatus Ensemble | Cellists of the RPO | Charles Wiffen | Charlotte Bowden | Chelys Viol Consort | Choir of HM Chapel Royal, Hampton Court | Chris Hatt | Chris Parsons | Christopher Sayles | Ciara Hendrick | City of London Sinfonia | Clio Gould | Daniel Auchinloss | David Chatterton | David Campbell | David Williams | Daniel Edgar | Daniel Grimwood | Daniel Tong | David Owen-Norris | David Maw | David Owen Norris | Decimus Consort | Diana Moore | Dominic Bowe | Dulcinea Quartet | Eboracum Baroque | Edward Jowle | Eleanor Alberga | Ellen Smith | Emma Halnan | English Cornett and Sackbut Ensemble | Eyra Norman | Felicity Lott | Felix Buser | Fidelio Trio | Fiona Brown | Florian Stortz | Follia | Frances Yonge | Gail Hennessey | Galliarda | Gary Branch | Gerald Finley | Giles Davies | Gilfillan family | Greg Tassell | Guy Johnstone | Gwilym Bowen | Hannah Roberts | Harriet Mackenzie | Hugh Webb | Ibrahim Aziz | James Gilchrist | James Eastaway | Jamie McVinnie | Jane Gomm | Jennifer Snapes | Jenny Vizinet | Joely Koos | Jonathan Ayling | Jong-Gyung Park | Joseph Wolfe | Julian Black | Julian Broughton | Julius Drake | Karen Jones | Karina Lucas | Kate Andrews | Kate Semmens | Katharine Johns | Katie Stillman | Ken Aiso | Kokoschka Trio | Konevets Quartet | Kopernikus Ensemble | King Charles Singers | Lianna Jeffrey | Linarol Consort | Liz Partridge | London Bridge Ensemble | London Concertante | Marcus Andrews | Mark Chambers | Margaret Faultless | Marie-France Ouellet | Marie-Noelle Kendall | Mark Padmore | Martin Bloor | Martin Fogel | Martin Perkins | Masahiro Yamaguchi | Matchbox Opera | Matt Glendening | Matthew Spring | Merry Opera | Michael Bacon | Michael Collins | Michael Grant | Michael McHale | Miriam Cox | Mirriam Teppich | Musical & Amicable Society | Nigel Clayton | Oliver Davies | Owen Rees | Paul Clark | Paul Jeffrey | Paul Guinery | Pentagon Ensemble | Peter Arnold | Peter Barker | Rachel Godsill | Rachel Stroud | Rachel Threlfall | Raphael Wallfisch | Rebecca Leggett | Richard Egarr | Richard Uttley | Robert Gibbs | Robin Jeffrey | Rory Carver | Roselyne Martel-Bonnal | Rose Trio | Royal Tunbridge Wells Male Voice Choir | Ruairi Bowen | Ruth Beedham | St Andrews University Madrigal Group | Sam Haywood | Sara Lois Cunningham | Sarah Stuart-Pennink | Sasha Grynyuk | Schubert Ensemble | Simon Lane | Sophia Lisovskaya | Sophia Rahman | Steve Pierce | Steven Devine | Temenos Chamber Choir | Teresa Caudle | Thomas Ang | Tim Gill | Tim Lines | Tom Bowes | Tom Foster | Tom Kemp | Tom Lilburn | Trajecti Voices | Trevor Eliot Bowes | Trio Lavolta | Tristan Gurney | Twilight Ensemble | Unexpected Opera | William Bass | William Summers | Yeo Yat Soon | Yukiko Shinohara

Two brilliant concerts in the New Year

Friday 23rd January 2026, 7pm
Xu Peng, piano recital

In support of the Tunbridge Wells International Music Competition, we welcome the overall winner in 2024, Xu Peng, with a great programme of Beethoven, Liszt, Albeniz and more. 

Booking information.

Read more about the competition, which returns in 2026.

Saturday 7th February 2026, 6pm and 8pm
Classics by Candelight

We welcome back Harriet Mackenzie and the Celoniatus Enseble for another classical spectacular, presented by the charity Music in Action.

Two one-hour events to choose from, allowing for pre- or post-concert dining, featuring well-known masterpieces by Bach and Mozart.

Booking information

Concert going ahead despite water issues!

Tunbridge Wells has been suffering from a severe lack of water for the week leading up to our December concert (so ironic for a spa town, of course!) but the loos are flushing again, so the show can go on without discomfort. Just in case, we have also hired a couple of portable toilets.

However, we have been advised to boil the tap water before drinking, and we have decided not to offer interval drinks for this event. Members of the audience are nonetheless welcome to bring their own.

With less than three days to go, there remain a few tickets on sale, and we expect a full church. 

More about our December concert.

Book tickets.

See what else we have coming up.