HRH Duchess of Edinburgh celebrates Two Moors Festival's 25th anniversary

On Thursday 5th June, The Two Moors Festival held a celebratory 25th Anniversary dinner with HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh at Powderham Castle.

Penny Adie, Founder of the Festival and Tamsin Waley-Cohen, Artistic Director since 2020, attended with 120 Festival supporters.

Petroc Trelawny, the Radio 3 presenter in his after-dinner speech referred to the Festival as ‘A glittering jewel in the crown of music making a vital cultural force…of national importance.’

The event was hosted by Andrew Welch, Chair and the Trustees of The Two Moors Festival who brought friends and supporters to the party. The event was sponsored by Arbuthnot Latham. There was a silent auction and the whole event raised over £16,000 to go towards this year’s Festival held across both Exmoor and Dartmoor in October 2025.

Since 2001, the Two Moors Festival has evolved into one of the most distinctive classical music festivals in the UK. It usually welcomes over 4,000 people to its rural venues. The Festival also nurtures young artists through its Young Musicians’ Competition.

The Festival will have an exciting line up in October 2025. This includes the best of chamber music and song, spanning six centuries of musical tradition, as well as talks and workshops. Twenty-one events will be held in fifteen different venues on Exmoor from Wednesday 1st October until Sunday 5th October and on Dartmoor from Wednesday 8th October until Sunday 12th October.

Andrew Welch Chair of Trustees, said ‘It was lovely to have so many of our supporters with us to celebrate our 25th anniversary with our Patron HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves and the silent auction with its wide range of prizes, was a huge success.’

Rob Salisbury, Director | Head of Exeter Office at Arbuthnot Latham said ‘It was a real pleasure to support the 25th anniversary of the Two Moors Festival. Held at the impressive Powderham Castle, ancestorial home of The Earl of Devon, attended by HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh and over 120 guests. The evening reflected the strength of the region’s cultural life, and we were proud to play a part in celebrating such an important milestone.’