The Festival takes place annually in the autumn at different locations in and around the City of Birmingham. Each year a theme is chosen around which the Festival builds its programme of performances and education projects, working with regionally based performers, promoters and educationalists as well as importing national and international artists of the highest calibre.

The Festival aims to:

• Bring to Birmingham groups specialising in the authentic performance of music from classical and earlier periods
• Provide audiences with performances of the highest calibre by artists from home and abroad
• Encourage performers actively to participate in the wide range of high quality educational projects that take place around each Festival theme
• Where possible work with other arts disciplines to create a broader audience base and a wider understanding of early music

Education work

An integral part of the Festival's objectives is the belief that it is vitally important to provide opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to experience early music and understand its cultural significance.

The Festival continues to develop a structured and informed education programme encompassing primary, secondary and tertiary education, community projects and schemes to extend the knowledge of those who already have some experience of historically informed performance.