HAILED by Gramophone Magazine as ‘a symphonic conductor of stature’, American conductor Kenneth Woods was appointed artistic director and principal conductor of the English Symphony Orchestra in 2013.

He has quickly built up an impressive and acclaimed body of work with them.

Woods is also the artistic director of both the Colorado MahlerFest — the only US organisation other than the New York Philharmonic to receive the International Gustav Mahler Society’s Gold Medal — and the Elgar Festival in Worcester.

This year’s festival, in its sixth year, runs from Monday, May 27 until Sunday, June 2 and Woods believes it has something for everybody.

He said: “Edward Elgar’s music is some of the most beloved and enduring music in the world.

“By celebrating his music, his life and his contributions to British culture in the city of his birth and the region in which he spent most of his life, the festival is able to transcend being simply a musical event and to become a celebration of place, of history and of community.

“Community is particularly important to us. Our motto is ‘Elgar for Everyone’ and we really try to live by those words.

“Importantly, this isn’t a festival that serves just hardcore classical music fans.

“Our offer includes all kinds of music, free events, events for children and families and events for people living with health challenges and disabilities.

“We believe music is one of the strongest forces binding us as friends, neighbours and families.”

On how Woods got involved with the festival, he said: “Worcester City Council passed a resolution establishing something called Elgar Day and a number of local organisations and partners formed a working group to see what Elgar Day might mean.

“At some point, as the conductor of the English Symphony Orchestra, I was invited along and after a few meetings I put my hand up and said something along the lines that what we really needed was an Elgar Festival — not an Elgar Day — and that I should probably be the one to lead it.

“I was expecting a chorus of, ‘Are you crazy?’ but there was a somewhat encouraging sigh of relief although one chap did storm out.

“We got straight to work and a year later in 2018 we had our first festival. The rest, as they say, is history!”

On how it has progressed since, Woods continued: “Any would-be artistic director is like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz.

“I can’t get where I need to go without the help of the friends I find on my journey. When we started, the Elgar Festival didn’t even exist as an official entity — we didn’t have a bank account, we weren’t a charity, we had no money.

“In the first year, the English Symphony Orchestra put the festival on its shoulders, took the financial risk, paid for the printing and booked the venues.

“At the end of that first gala concert, the wonderful Anne Renshaw, whose contributions to musical life in Worcester could fill a book, approached me and said she’d be willing to help develop the Festival for the following year.

“Over many coffees, we rethought our mission, our branding, our motto, our vision.

“We decided that the festival had to embrace the audiences and communities of today and tomorrow, not just to look back nostalgically at a bygone era. Elgar for Everyone was born.

“If Anne was my Scarecrow, we’ve since been joined by a wonderful team of Cowardly Lions and Tin Men.

“We’ve built the organisational framework and seen the festival grow in both scope and quality. Quality was always our first concern. We were lucky that our first festival in 2018 was a Critics Pick in the Guardian and we’ve since been singled out as one of the country’s most important festivals in the Telegraph and The Times.

“In 2022, the Guardian listed the Elgar Festival as one of the top 15 celebrations nationwide for the Royal Platinum Jubilee.

“This year, we appointed our first salaried member of staff, Sue Voysey, as our executive director.

“Sue is one of the best in the business. She’s held leading roles at The Hallé and the Broadway Arts Festival and she’s brought tremendous expertise, energy and vision to the administration and development of the festival.

“With her arrival, I think the Emerald City is closer than ever!”

On past events, Woods added: “The first festival was so touch and go!

“I felt much more like Professor Marvel behind the curtain than Dorothy at that point.

“Trying to make it look like we were a proper festival when we had nothing!

“Somehow, the ESO musicians managed to deliver a really thrilling performance at that first gala in spite of all the challenges.

“It’s because they rose to the challenge that we have a festival today.

“Being part of the official 100th anniversary performance of the Elgar Cello Concerto with Raphael Wallfisch had huge personal significance for me as a cellist.

“That piece has been so close to my heart since I discovered it as a young cellist in Wisconsin.

“I remember listening to the LP, reading the liner notes and imagining what those mystical Malvern Hills might look like.

“That life would take me on a journey to that moment remains kind of amazing to me.

“It was heartbreaking to abandon plans for the 2020 festival in the face of the Covid pandemic but when we returned at last in October of 2021 with the Enigma Variations it felt like the musicians really did unleash two years of pent-up passion, virtuosity and excitement.

“Finally, doing Elgar’s First Symphony was another concert I’ll never forget.

“This year it’s got to be Steve Elcock’s music, particularly Wreck, which is an amazing piece, and the Elgar Violin Concerto with my dear friend Zoë Beyers who is the ESO’s leader and principal artist.

“Zoë is one of the best violinists on the planet and she and I both share a deep, deep affinity for the Violin Concerto. It should be very special.”

For a full list of events, costs and booking information, please visit www.elgarfestival.org. Tickets are now on sale.