Classical music will be key to this year’s Brighton Festival

The festival will offer more than 120 events “celebrating shared endeavour, the miraculous in the everyday and the beauty in the extraordinary” – an extensive line-up of events from national and international artists across music, theatre, dance, circus, art, film, literature, debate, outdoor and community events, in venues and locations across Brighton, Hove and East Sussex.

Classical music features strongly.

A spokesman said: “The classical programme opens with The London Symphony Orchestra under its new chief conductor designate, Sir Antonio Pappano with a thrilling programme of Barber, Ravel and Rachmaninov. In Metamorphosis, transformative music from trail-blazing string players 12 Ensemble combines with an immersive, AI-generated holographic world. Other classical highlights include Class of 1685 from leading international Baroque ensemble Solomon’s Knot, celebrating music from three of the era’s defining composers; an evening of song from Glyndebourne’s leading lady Danielle de Niese; and a performance from the award-winning Heath Quartet in the spectacular Royal Pavilion Music Room.

“For booklovers, bestselling author Sarah Perry (The Essex Serpent) presents Enlightenment, an unforgettable story of love, faith and science and comedian Sara Pascoe discusses her new novel Weirdo. Poets Brian Bilston and Henry Normal appear together to perform crowd favourites alongside new work and Caroline Lucas shares her new book, Another England. Writer and journalist Jason Okundaye presents his astonishing new work of social history Revolutionary Acts: Love & Brotherhood in Black Gay Britain. Following an acclaimed collaboration at last year’s Festival, award-winning poet Joelle Taylor performs a staged reading from her debut novel The Night Alphabet, directed by acclaimed theatre-maker Neil Bartlett. Young readers can also take part in workshops with children’s and young adult authors and illustrators including Alexandra Sheppard, Laura Ellen Anderson and Sophy Henn.

“In the comedy programme, supported by Mayo Wynne Baxter, Brighton Dome’s flagship comedy night Live at Brighton Dome returns with a Brighton Festival special, spotlighting up and coming stand ups alongside big names. Comedy duo Shelf bring sketch comedy to children of all ages in The Kids Show plus anecdotes, songs and jokes to adults with Teenage Men, while play Fishbowl is a laugh-out-loud silent comedy from award-winning French company Le Fils du Grand Réseau.

“A diverse and thought-provoking dance programme includes Triptych by Project Female, a triple bill of hip-hop inspired dance performances that use multimedia, spoken word and technology to amplify youth voices; High Performance Packing Tape, an edge-of-seat show that pushes packing materials to breaking point; and Fault Lines, which follows characters navigating the world’s changing landscape, from sun-scorched plains to roaring waves and smoking forests.”

Until May 26.