Music-lovers are eagerly awaiting this year’s main event.

The Music@Malling Festival will run from September 24 to September 30, at various venues across Malling such as St Mary’s Church in West Malling, Malling Abbey, All Saints’ Church in Tudeley and at Ightham Mote.

The festival is an opportunity for people from across Kent to experience world-class contemporary classical performances and even hear works by famous composers being performed for the first time.

Additionally, the National Trust has already hosted the first performance of famed sculptor Sir Anish Kapoor with composer Brian Elias in their collaborative installation, Echo, on Tuesday, this week, ahead of the main festival.

This year’s artists include Chamber Domaine, Mark Padmore, Sholto Kynoch, James Pearson, Fretwork, the Marian Consort, the Fidelio Trio, and the Smith Quartet.

There will also be a performance of György Ligeti’s Poéme Symphonique for 100 metronomes to mark the centenary of his birth.

This year’s premieres include Brian Elias’s Ancestral Voices, inspired by the poetry of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, on September 26; plus Gavin Bryars’ String Quartet No.4 played by the Smith Quartet to mark the composer’s 80th birthday also on September 26.

Three days later, on September 29, the Marian Consort will give the UK premiere of Deborah Pritchard’s Audivi Vocem.

Tenor Mark Padmore and pianist Sholto will perform Schubert’s Winterreise, setting the poetry of Wilhelm Müller, whose descendant Beatrice Müller lived at Ightham Mote in the 19th century.

Amanda-Jane Doran, the curator of Ightham Mote, will give a talk about the historical context of the performance.

Music@Malling is under the artistic directorship of Thomas Kemp.

For more information, visit www.musicatmalling.com

Tickets range from £15 to £25 for individual concerts. A season ticket is £120.