Buxton is a picturesque spa town in the heart of England’s Peak District, with a chocolate-box opera house brought back to life largely as a result of the endeavours of the administrators, sponsors, volunteers and creatives of the Buxton International Festival. The festival presents more than 100 events and performances encompassing opera, classical music, jazz and literature across multiple venues over two weeks.

Festival organisers recognise the need to bring the next generation along on the tide of enthusiasm for the arts. To that end, the BIF provides a training ground for emerging artists through its Young Artists programme, while its Next Gen membership programme offers an accessible pricing system for under-35s to attend book events (£5) and general performances (£10).

Buxton Opera House. Photo supplied

This festival isn’t afraid to take risks, and most of them pay off. Known for putting on lesser-known operas, this year’s offerings included Handel’s Amadigi di Gaula, Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito, Francesca Caccini’s La Liberazione di Ruggiero – purported to be the first opera written by a woman – and Pauline Viardot’s Le Dernier Sorcier. Throw in crowd-pleasers such as The Merry Widow and...