Finale to the 2023 festival

Another festival year is done – the dust is only just starting to settle – and, as I said earlier today to a friend, it felt like one of the best (out of fifteen!). Thank you so much to all who performed, attended, supported and helped in a myriad of ways.

For me it was one of the most technically and musically challenging festivals, but also one of the most rewarding – I felt we delved into all sorts of musical landscapes and hope we drew you in too. Chatting to flautist Tim Munro after one of the concerts, he told me he asks the audience after a show or festival: “What did you love? What did you hate?” I hope you felt a bit of both: a gauge that lets me know it was a thought-provoking but absorbing program.

One highlight this year was hearing Melody Eötvös’s new piece for string trio Once to Find. Melody was a delight to work with and I feel honoured that she was able to find time to compose this remarkable work for us. And another high point was Kristin Berardi and Sam Anning’s Saturday-night show – beguiling, intimate and personal yet virtuosic.

The whole team of performers were magnificent this year. I know we asked a lot of them to pull off a program that was rather obscure in some ways, but they did so with panache and grace (as you can see from the images in our photo gallery)! Thank you everyone – Kristin Berardi, Sam Anning, Eric de Wit, Stephen Emmerson, Marian Heckenberg, Caroline Henbest, Anne Horton, Louise King, Sara Macliver, Nick Mooney, Tim Munro, Alex Raineri, Sophie Rowell, Elizabeth Woolnough and Rianne Wischut.

Plans for next year’s festival are well under way. Please save the dates: 19–21 July 2024.

Warm wishes

Rachel