Welcome to the Highgate International Chamber Music Festival (HICMF) – North London’s annual festival which brings together leading musicians from around the world to perform in unique combinations.
Tuesday 1st – Sunday 6th December 2026, St Anne’s, Highgate
“Top soloists blend to perfection” – ArtsDesk
“A week of stylish playing that shone a new light on familiar repertoire” – The Strad
“Something quite spectacular – world-class musicians playing truly lovely music.” – Camden New Journal
Every December, something special happens in Highgate. World-class musicians step away from the stages of the world’s great concert halls and come together in the intimate surroundings of St Anne’s Church to share music as it was meant to be experienced: up close, personal and alive.
This year’s festival brings together an extraordinary community of artists, friends and audiences for seven concerts filled with discovery, adventure and musical brilliance. From our opening concert featuring former BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist and ECHO Rising Star James Newby and the internationally acclaimed Carducci Quartet, to a glittering Gala Concert with internationally celebrated violinist Alina Ibragimova, the 2026 festival showcases some of the finest performers working today. Other highlight appearances include London Symphony Orchestra concert master Benjamin Marquise Gilmore, superstar Baroque violinist Rachel Podger, clarinet virtuoso Julian Bliss, and visionary piano and percussion duo Kateryna Titova and Bernhard Schimpelsberger.
Along the way, audiences can explore a characteristically wide range of repertoire. We have beloved masterpieces by Mozart, Schubert, Brahms, Dvořák and Bach; the folk-inspired colour of Bartók’s Romanian Folk Dances; the intimacy and storytelling of Schubert’s Die schöne Müllerin (in a fantastic new arrangement by Roderick Williams); a relaxed daytime concert for families; and a surprising evening of musical transformations, where familiar favourites are reimagined through accordion, percussion and inventive new arrangements. Our hugely popular Baroque Night returns, while the festival closes with the UK premiere of festival co-director Natalie Klouda’s Clarinet Quintet, ‘Charms & Chasms’.
What makes HICMF unique however is not only the quality of the performances but the spirit in which they are created. Many of our musicians have worked together for years (some since childhood!); others meet here for the first time and form new artistic friendships. Chamber music thrives on trust, communication and shared inspiration, and our audiences repeatedly tell us that they can feel that connection from the very first notes.
Whether you’re a long-standing supporter or visiting us for the first time, we hope you will experience the warmth, welcome and sense of belonging that have become hallmarks of our festival (along with the now customary mince pies and mulled wine!) Here, great music isn’t something distant and untouchable; it’s a shared human experience, created in the moment by remarkable artists and infused with the energy of curious, open-hearted listeners.
None of this would be possible without the generous support of our Friends, Supporters, sponsors and grant-making trusts.
If you would like to support HICMF, and help us continue to present festivals of the highest quality in the future, please consider signing up as a Friend or Supporter, or get in touch to discuss how we might work together.
We can’t wait to welcome you to the 2026 festival.
Natalie Klouda, Ashok Klouda & Irina Botan
Founders & Co-directors of the Highgate International Chamber Music Festival
Honorary Patrons: Elisabeth and Bob Boas
