Enjoy two classics of the operatic canon, Verdi’s La Traviata and Lehár’s The Merry Widow, alongside a concert performance of Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito
Appreciate two enchanting, less familiar works: Francesca Caccini’s La Liberazione di Ruggiero and Pauline Viardot’s Le dernier sorcier
Journey into the surrounding countryside to visit the iconic Chatsworth House as well as Tissington Hall, a delightful Jacobean estate built in 1609
“Russell is outstanding. He is very much part of the group, always there for a question or a friendly discussion”
“The Buxton Festival excels in finding operas that are rarely performed but very much worth hearing”
- Tour Director Russell Keable
Every summer the Derbyshire spa town of Buxton, surrounded by the glorious hills of the Peak District, presents a feast of opera, literature and music. The combination of established and promising up-and-coming performers makes for one of the UK’s most stimulating arts festivals, and over the years it has become both nationally and internationally acclaimed.
“[Russell] is the best music specialist I have come across with other companies as well as ACE”
- ACE customer in 2025
The festival is beloved for its enticing blend of familiar and less familiar works, which allows audiences to be both entertained and develop a knowledge of more obscure repertoire. This process is particularly strong on our tour, which benefits from the expertise of Tour Director Russell Keable, whose pre-performance talks and lively post-performance discussions consistently elevate and enhance the festival experience.
Our 2026 departure will feature two beloved operatic classics alongside a pair of lesser-known pieces, together spanning multiple genres, styles and subjects while retaining a wonderfully creative sense of cohesiveness. In addition, we are delighted to be including a special concert performance of Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito, composed towards the end of his life.
“The ACE tour to Buxton is such a highlight of my year. Getting to hear winning performances of real rarities (this year operas by Caccini and Viardot, leaping from early 1600s to the mid-19th-century) and two, much-loved staples: Verdi’s magnificent La Traviata, and the glorious sparkling Merry Widow (Lehár’s great masterpiece). And even more riches: a concert performance of Mozart’s least well-known mature opera, La Clemenza di Tito. With the intimacy of Buxton’s mini grand opera house, excellent casts and exciting productions, this is a winning programme. The weather will be what it will be; but the company is always excellent. Do come and join us!”
– Tour Director Russell Keable
Fantastical comedy punctuates the schedule, beginning with Pauline Viardot’s late 19th century Le dernier sorcier, whose playful whimsy belies its seriousness, featuring a libretto by Viardot’s frequent collaborator and lover Ivan Turgenev. The historical context is fascinating: originally developed as an opportunity for Viardot’s students to practise small-scale operas, the work’s first performance was private and attended by invited guests including Clara Schumann and the German Empress Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. Professional performances soon followed, both large and small scale, and we look forward to exploring the festival’s own interpretation together with the work’s ever-resonant themes of gender equality and responsibility for the natural world.
We return to the world of magic for Francesca Caccini’s 17th century La Liberazione di Ruggiero (The Liberation of Ruggiero from the island of Alcina), the first opera written by a female composer and the only one of Caccini’s to survive. Surreal, sensual and full of enchantment, the work pits the sorceress Alcina against her morally upstanding counterpart Melissa as they vie for the body and soul of the warrior Ruggiero. We will not only appreciate the work itself, but its significance within the operatic canon and wider historical context.
Verdi’s seminal work La Traviata will take the theme of gender on a more tragic course as we are plunged into the life of the courtesan Violetta and her relationships with the powerful male characters that compete for her love, as well as a society that both pursues and ostracizes her. We will also step back to consider the significance of a ‘fallen woman’ protagonist during the time of La Traviata’s composition, and the 19th century audiences that both celebrated Verdi’s work and questioned its morality.
Equally passionate and affecting, Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito will be performed in concert just twice during the 2026 festival, and we are particularly pleased to be featuring it at the heart of our tour.
“The Festival embraces this extraordinary work for what it is, a testament to Mozart’s genius, and a story that still speaks to power, loyalty and compassion today”
– Buxton International Festival
Humour and lightness return for our final performance, Lehár’s “great masterpiece” The Merry Widow, whose plot centres on the attempts of an ambassador of a poor Balkan principality to control the vast fortune of one widow by convincing her to marry. With elements of both romance and farce, the operetta has a famously sweeping musical score and many memorable melodies – the perfect finale to this rich and stimulating tour.
An immersive experience
The festival operas will be complemented by introductory lectures given by our Tour Director, and opportunities for informal post-performance discussions. In addition to the main performances, we will also incorporate one festival fringe event (subject to final scheduling) alongside special guest talks, to be announced nearer to departure. Stretches of free time have been built into the itinerary to accommodate these, and to allow participants to reflect on what they have experienced, explore Buxton and relax between performances.
Making the most of our time in the region, we look forward to not one but two excursions into the surrounding area, famous for its spectacular country estates. Chatsworth needs no introduction: home to a world-class art collection, the house with its sprawling parkland has been home to generations of Devonshires for over 500 years, including Bess of Hardwick; in its early days, Chatsworth also housed the imprisoned Mary Queen of Scots. We also hope to make a private visit to Tissington Hall: built in the early 17th century by Francis FitzHerbert and still lived in today by his descendants, this handsome Jacobean manor possesses a wonderful library.
We will stay throughout at the four-star Best Western Plus Buxton Lee Wood Hotel, a comfortable and welcoming hotel located in a Georgian building set in its own mature gardens.
Russell Keable
This tour will be led by Russell Keable, BA, MMus. Russell trained at the universities of Nottingham and London and studied conducting with George Hurst and Norman Del Mar at London’s Royal College of Music. He currently teaches at the University of Surrey and is active as a composer, arranger, lecturer, broadcaster and performer.
6
£2195
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