4.1.26

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.

31.12.25

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

6.12.25

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. 




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

4.12.25

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.

25.11.25

All-star cast for Bach's Magnificat

Bojan Čičic [photo Nick Rutter]
Leader of The Academy of Ancient Music, Bojan Čičic, takes part in our performance of Bach's Christmas Magnificat on Saturday 6th December, with Steven Devine directing from the harpsichord.

Last few tickets available here.

Watch Bojan in action in this beautiful video.

Also taking part:

  • Kate Semmens, soprano
  • Diana Moore, mezzo
  • Archie Inns, tenor
  • Trevor Eliot Bowes, bass

"Bojan Čičić's interpretations are both visceral and thoughtful, underpinned by a magisterial virtuosity" ... BBC Music Magazine

"Čičic has mastered the illusion of musician as conduit - the music just seems to pour out of him, and his playing conveys that he has to do very little to make it work so well. Excellent and always stylish ornamentation is the most obvious evidence of this - there's not even the trace of wet ink in these embellishments: rather, they are thrown out as corporeal gestures - a flick of the hair here, a shrug of the shoulders there - and it's enviously spontaneous and carefree …" Gromophone

"Diana Moore is a singer to cherish, with a genuine contralto tone not often heard outside recordings of Ferrier or Janet Baker." The Times

[Diana Moore] "A mixture of intelligence with musicianship and beauty of tone and perfect restraint that highlights the emotional depth of each moment." The Guardian

Kate Semmens sings widely as a soloist and has also sung with some of the most eminent choirs and consorts, including the Monteverdi Choir, Dunedin Consort, Gabrieli Consort and Eric Whitacre Singers. She has been closely involved with education projects working with The Orchestra of Age of Enlightenment and is increasingly known for her teaching and coaching skills.

Archie Inns' roles include Alfred in Die Fledermaus (WOCO), Mopsa & Phoebus in The Fairy Queen (Gabrieli Consort), and other Purcell roles, with appearances as an Emerging Artist for Westminster Opera Company, Vache Baroque and as an Associate Artist with Oxford Opera.

Trevor Eliot Bowes' recent opera performances have included Basilio/ Il Barbiere di Siviglia at Longborough Festival Opera, Antonio/The Marriage of Figaro at ENO, Haydn's Paukenmesse with the LPO and Vladimir Jurowski, Bartolo/Le Nozze di Figaro with The Mozartists, Collatinus/The Rape of Lucretia. Father Trulove/The Rake's Progress, Seneca/L'incoronazione di Poppea, Colline/La Boheme with English Touring Opera, Alidoro/La Cenerentola with Nevill Holt Opera, Sergeant of Police/The Pirates of Penzance with Opera Holland Park, and Father Trulove/The Rake's Progress with the Munich Philharmonic.

Steven Devine is renowned as a keyboard player specialising historic instruments and a Music Director who has worked with many of the leading musicians and groups around the world.  His repertoire encompasses a huge variety of music from the 15th century to the present day.  He is Principal Keyboard Player for the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (OAE) and Director of their hugely successful “Bach, the Universe and Everything” series. In addition he is Artistic Advisor of The English Haydn Festival and Music Director of New Chamber Opera, Oxford.  Recent releases have included Bach Harpsichord Concertos with the OAE (Res10318), the complete harpsichord music of Bach’s favourite student, Johann Ludwig Krebs and Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, Books 1 and 2.  Steven teaches harpsichord, fortepiano and continuo at the Royal Academy of Music and is Early Keyboard Consultant to the Royal Welsh and Royal Birmingham Conservatoires.


7.11.25

Three seasonal events coming up!

Saturday 22nd November, 11am
Coffee Concert
A relaxed morning concert for everyone, with a seasonal theme 
Free with retiring collection 

Saturday 6th December, 7pm 
Bach's Magnificat, directed by Steven Devine 
The annual Baroque Christmas concert with soloists, orchestra and chorus. Performed by The Devine Musick and The Decimus Ensemble 
Use code BACH25 before 1st December for £2 off 

Thursday 11th December, 6:30pm
"Wassail & Wine" 
An informal carol sing-a-long with refreshments (no booking required)

10.9.25

Special Finchcocks Collection open evening

Waterdown House, Frant Road
Tuesday 14th October, 6:30-8:00pm

The wonderful collection of keyboard instruments at the Finchcocks Charity in Tunbridge Wells, will be opening its doors for the first time in conjunction with the Tunbridge Wells International Music Festival. 

Fourteen original and important period keyboard instruments from the seventeenth to the mid nineteen centuries are displayed and used regularly by keyboard players, professionals, amateurs, students and children. 

These instruments have been collected over the years by Richard Burnett and form the “Richard Burnett Collection”. Dating from 1700 – 1866, the collection features a spinet, harpsichord, clavichord, English and Viennese pianos from renowned makers such as Clementi, Erard, Pleyel, Graf, Kirckman, Rosenberger and Walter. 

The evening will include a guided tour of the instruments and a chance to play some of the them yourselves.

For more information, see Tunbridge Wells International Music Festival.

11.8.25

Opera night opens the Music Festival

Saturday 27th September, 7:30pm

The Tunbridge Wells International Music Festival opens its 2025 season with a stunning concert of opera arias and songs by the up-and-coming star Eyra Norman.

Expect an evening of Mozartian magic, Bellini beauty and sublime song. Booking information here.

Check out the rest of the Festival at www.tunbridgewellsfestival.co.uk. There’s a recital of stunning French organ showpieces, and opportunities for young musicians to take part in an advanced performance masterclass. Also featured in the line-up are the Royal Tunbridge Wells Symphony Orchestra’s October concert, launching their new season with a resounding programme of Wagner, Berlioz and Saint-Saens, and a recital by violinist Yixuan Ren, who was a finalist at last year’s Tunbridge Wells International Music Competition. 

One particularly special event will be a cabaret evening at Club Quantum on Linden Park Road with the award-winning West End star singer Lorna Want and Chris Hatt, the musical director of Hamilton. And the season’s finale features one of the country’s leading singers, Mark Padmore, with a delicious programme of English song. 

Eyra Norman is a Malaysian-born British soprano, celebrated for her “sweet soprano tone and natural presence” (The Guardian) in both opera and song. 

Recently, she won first place in the London Song Festival Schubert Song Prize, 2024, further establishing her as an emerging talent in the classical music world.

Eyra graduated with distinction in the Master of Performance program at the Royal College of Music, having completed her Bachelor of Music with first-class honours.

She was awarded the Drake Calleja Trust Scholarship for 2023-2024, named a Shipston Rising Star in 2024, and joined Opera Prelude as a young artist in 2025. 

Eyra’s national debut came in 2019 as Belinda in Dido and Aeneas with the English National Opera and Unicorn Theatre. Since then, she has performed as a soloist at venues including the Royal Opera House (Cover), Royal Festival Hall, Wigmore Hall, and Royal Albert Hall. In Hong Kong, she had the pleasure of performing for the Prince of Liechtenstein at St. John’s Cathedral.

14.7.25

Hymns and Pimm's

Sunday 10th August, 5:30pm

We’re throwing an afternoon hymn party! Come along to raise the roof with some favourite hymns and a cup of tea or glass of Pimm’s, accompanied by the superb organ at King Charles the Martyr. 

There’ll be quizzes, fun facts and special requests. New hymns and old, great ones and strange ones, the tuneful and soulful: all in one big sing-song. 

With organists Gavin Barrett, Paul Clark and David Williams. 

Retiring collection for Hall4All.