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The Banbury Early Music Festival, held in Oxfordshire, is a unique event that celebrates music from the medieval, renaissance, and baroque periods. This festival features instruments like the lute, crumhorn, and baroque violin, which are not often seen in modern concerts. Even though the festival only started three years ago, it has already gained a lot of attention and respect. This year, the festival has been nominated for the Audience Project of the Year at the REMA Awards 2026, which is a major international recognition. The festival will take place on 26 and 27 September in Banbury’s town centre, and after that, the team will travel to Bruges, Belgium, for the awards ceremony on 25 November.

The directors of the festival have always wanted to make early music more accessible to everyone. They know that some people think early music is only for specialists or is hard to enjoy, but they have worked hard to change that idea. The REMA awards are given to projects that are creative and have a big impact on the early music scene in Europe and beyond. Early music in Europe covers the years from 1250 to 1750, and the festival tries to recreate the sound of that time by using original instruments.

The Banbury Early Music Festival was started in 2023 by Dylan McCaig, Heidi Fardell, and Alison Kinder, who are all early music musicians. Their goal was to bring together professional musicians, young performers, instrument makers, local organizations, and audiences. The festival also encourages amateurs and newcomers to join in. Because of the nomination, the festival will represent the UK at the REMA Awards, along with Team Recorder, a project led by Sarah Jeffery, who is a recorder player and educator. The directors said they are very proud to see their festival on the international shortlist. They wanted to create something that was rooted in Banbury but also big enough to attract top musicians and audiences from all over the country. They believe that people should not have to travel to big cities to experience world-class music and culture. The festival is exciting because it brings together famous artists, local musicians, students, amateurs, and people who are new to music. The directors said the nomination is not just for them, but for everyone involved in the festival, including the audience, volunteers, musicians, workshop participants, supporters, and the whole Banbury community.