Our friends and RPS Corporate Members Deal Music and Arts hold their annual celebration of music, creativity, and cultural heritage in the historic coastal town of Deal. This year’s programme brings together world-class performances spanning classical, jazz, folk, opera, and contemporary music, alongside theatre, visual arts, and community events. 

The 2025 theme Coastlines celebrates the connection between music, place, and community in Dover and Deal. Since 2023, the Festival has collaborated with local schools, local musicians and professionals to create a three-part Coastlines project, including an Oratorio at Dover Town Hall, a Community Band performance in the Town Takeover, and a jazz collaboration featuring DMA’s Creative Jazz Orchestra and local jazz icon Norma Winstone. A central narrative within Coastlines follows fledgling herring gulls forced inland by erosion and habitat loss. Guided by their elders, they navigate new environments, overcoming challenges before returning to the sea for a poignant reunion – an allegory of migration, resilience, and the enduring connection between land and ocean. 

RPS Composer Blasio Kavuma will feature as Composer in Residence. Blasio blends classical and Afrodiasporic influences, and his recent work The Separating Line, commissioned by the Royal Philharmonic Society, was performed by AMC Gospel Choir and Manchester Camerata. Blasio’s compositions span theatre, opera, and dance, earning him the George Butterworth Award. His music will feature throughout the festival, including new commissions and existing works. 

Join the festival for a celebration of creativity, community, and the magic of the sea. You can find out more on Deal Music and Arts' website here, and in the festival brochure.