The Hatfield House Music Festival turned fifteen with Sir András Schiff, The Sixteen and a new work by James MacMillan, built around John Dowland four centuries after his death.
The Hatfield House Music Festival, directed by the cellist Guy Johnston, held its 15th edition at Hatfield House in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, from Thursday 8 to Sunday 11 October 2026. Sir András Schiff and The Sixteen led the bill.
The house archive records John Dowland, the lutenist, and Nicolas Lanier, the first Master of the King’s Music, in the pay of the first Earl of Salisbury. Morley, Byrd and Gibbons dedicated pieces to him.
The festival dates from 2012, and Johnston also plays in it. Most concerts take place in the Marble Hall, where the front stalls can watch the bowing. Students from The Purcell School return every year.
The 2026 edition also marked Lord Salisbury’s 80th birthday and 400 years since Dowland’s death. The Sixteen and the viol consort Fretwork opened on the Thursday with Dowland beside Morley, Byrd, Lawes and Coprario. In the schools project, local children wrote new songs from his music.
Sir James MacMillan wrote a new work for Lord Salisbury. The Sixteen and Johnston gave it in the Old Palace to close the weekend.
The countertenor Iestyn Davies also sang during the weekend.