Music lovers will be hitting the right note as a Staffordshire music festival gets into full swing. The two-week annual event in Stafford is now in its eighth year.

It brings musicians from the classical, pop and jazz worlds together to perform. It started yesterday and will run until May 24 ending with Hayley Di Ray and Blue Yates performing from 2pm to 4pm at Victoria Park Bandstand. Ralph Cooke, the chairman of Stafford Music Festival said one of the key themes of this year’s event was “access for all”.

He said that organisers of the festival were fighting against the elitist image often associated with classical music and wanted to show that it could be enjoyed by people of all backgrounds and ages.

He said that a series of workshops and performances in venues including schools and residential care homes were designed to highlight to people the appeal of the music, which was often unfairly associated with “snobbery”.

Classical music highlights include a performance by the Manchester Camerata at the Gatehouse Theatre at 7.30pm tonight.

Jazz lovers can enjoy a performance by the Heart of England Jazz Band at the Stafford Rangers Club from 12.30pm to 2.30pm on Sunday and Staffordshire Youth Jazz Festival at the same location from 12.30pm to 7.30pm on May 17.

Market Square in the town centre will also become a centre for music on May 23 with the United Co-op Milnrow Brass Band performing from 10am to noon.

The Fair Oak College Steel Band will be playing from 12.10pm to 1pm and the Marvin Oates Brit Pop Band from 2pm.

The opening concert of the festival will be featuring the Manchester Camerata’s star cellist Guy Johnston.

A former BBC Young Musician of the Year, he will be playing Haydn’s Cello Concerto in C in the month of the 200th anniversary of the composer’s death.

Harry Hitchen and H2O Organ and Choir will be performing at a free coffee morning concert at St Mary’s Church in Stafford from 11am to noon on May 16.

The coffee concert of French organ and choral music is being performed.