LHF 2026
The London Handel Festival announces its 2026 Festival, From Heavenly Harmony
Five weeks of Handel-inspired performances across London from 18 February – 28 March 2026
- Arcangelo return as Principal Ensemble in Residence with Artistic Adviser Jonathan Cohen
- Handel Opera Studio presents a brand new production of Tamerlano
- Gabrieli Consort and players make their Festival debut with Paul McCreesh
- The English Concert, Opera Settecento and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment among returning ensembles
- An expanded Creative Learning & Participation programme including new family events, a major youth singing project and relaxed performances
- 2026 Festival launches pathway to LHF's 50th anniversary celebrations
It gives me great pleasure to unveil our 2026 Festival, From Heavenly Harmony. Across five weeks we will present Handel’s music in all its richness, from large-scale masterpieces to intimate recitals, from ground-breaking new stagings to inclusive events for families and young people. In a world that moves faster than ever, I believe Handel offers us a chance to pause, to connect, and to be lifted towards something truly heavenly.Gregory Batsleer Festival Director
The Festival opens on 18 February at Smith Square Hall with Handel’s monumental oratorio Saul, performed by Arcangelo under Jonathan Cohen as part of their LHF residency. Performances continue with violinist Rachel Podger and soprano Hilary Cronin for Handel’s Neun Deutsche Arien at St George’s, Hanover Square (21 February), followed the next day by Mr Handel and his Merry Musicians! at the Foundling Museum (22 February), a sparkling programme welcoming back Arcangelo’s New Ensemblists.
The Festival also welcomes the return of The English Concert, who appear at St George’s on 26 February in Splendour and Devotion: Music for Court and Chapel, a programme that pairs Handel’s Chandos Anthems with Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos. Opera Settecento and Leo Duarte return on 5 March with the modern-day London premiere of Handel’s abandoned pasticcio Titus L’Empereur. Meanwhile, the International Handel Singing Competition continues to showcase the finest young talent, with the Semi-Final on 7 March and the Gala Final on 11 March, presented by Petroc Trelawny with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment under Steven Devine.
LHF also welcomes the debut of Paul McCreesh and the Gabrieli Consort & Players, who appear at Smith Square Hall on 14 March with Acis and an Ode, pairing Handel’s pastoral masterpiece Acis and Galatea with his joyous Ode for St Cecilia’s Day.
Across three nights at Shoreditch Town Hall (26–28 March), the Handel Opera Studio presents a bold new staging of Tamerlano, its first fully staged opera. Directed by Orpha Phelan and designed by Madeleine Boyd, with Laurence Cummings conducting the Academy of Ancient Music, this landmark production unites a cast of outstanding Handelian singers to explore themes of power, loyalty and love in one of Handel’s most gripping psychological dramas.
The 2026 Festival will be staged in some of London’s most historic and atmospheric venues, each deeply connected to Handel’s legacy. The opening and closing concerts debut at Smith Square Hall, while St George’s, Hanover Square, Handel’s own parish church, hosts several major performances. The grandeur of Shoreditch Town Hall provides the setting for the Opera Studio’s Tamerlano, while more intimate experiences will be offered at Handel Hendrix House and The Charterhouse.
The Festival’s commitment to access and education is also reflected in an expanded Creative Learning & Participation programme, including relaxed performances, family-friendly events, and a major youth Singing Project with schools across Westminster. Families are invited into Handel’s own home for interactive concerts at Handel Hendrix House (1 March), the return of the ever-popular Come and Sing!, while the much-loved Lunchtime at the Charterhouse returns (24 February, 3 March, 10 March), featuring finalists of the 2025 International Handel Singing Competition and leading young ensembles including Ensemble Augelletti and Ensemble Théoroda.
