The Mayfield Festival of Music and the Arts is an English Arts Festival which is primarily devoted to classical music. It is a biennial event taking place in May and is centered in the ancient and beautiful village of Mayfield East Sussex, just south of the Spa Town of Royal Tunbridge Wells.
HISTORY
The Mayfield Festival was founded in the 1970 by Canon Donald Carter, Vicar of St Dunstan’s, Mayfield’sParishChurch, and Kenneth Pont then Director of Music at St. Dunstan’s and St Leonards-Mayfield School. Its original intention was to raise funds for a new village hall. That never happened; but the vision and scope of the festival gradually expanded and the Festival soon became recognised as one the highlights in the cultural/musical calendar of the South East.
Among the international artists who have appeared at the festival are Isobel Baillie, Malcolm Williamson, Christopher Hogwood, Paul Patterson, Paul Tortelier, John Ogden, Peter Donohoe, Victoria de los Angeles, Borodin String Quartet, Igor Oistrakh, Julian Bream, John Lill, Evelyn Glennie, Janos Starker, Felicity Lott and Anne Murray, Tasmin Little, Michala Petri, and James Galway in addition to commissioning new works from leading composers, hosting professional art exhibitions and developing outreach projects in local schools.
The festival has also commissioned new works from leading composers including Malcolm Williamson, hosted professional art exhibitions and developed outreach projects with schools, one of which linked with a French festival creating works performed by thousands of children and broadcast simultaneously live by the BBC and Radio France.
On a lighter note artists and performers such as Michael Bentine, Helen Shapiro with Humphrey Lyttleton, Ronnie Scott, Kenny Ball, Jacques Loussier, Cleo Laine and John Dankworth, Grimethorpe Colliery Band have also appeared.
THE FESTIVAL TODAY
Under the artistic leadership of the international tenor and teacher Neil Mackie CBE since 2004, the Festival has continued to attract musicians of international standing. Neil has also introduced many new rising classical stars of the future in addition to further developing and expanding its musical ethos to include jazz, gypsy and big band artists. The 2012 Festival programme provides an impressive array of artists and styles including Sir Thomas Allen, Tenebrae, John Wilson and The John Wilson Orchestra, the Finzi Quartet and The Rose Trio.
FESTIVAL PATRONS
Prof and Mrs Hans Rausing
Ms Lisbet Rausing and Mr Peter Baldwin
Mr and Mrs Simon Tindall
FESTIVAL COMMITTEE
Neil Mackie CBE (Artistic Director)
Jonathan Jones (Financial Director)
Deirdre Benians (Director and Publicity Manager)
Neil Wade (Director and Concert Manager)
Brian O’Connor (Director and Box Office Manager)
Kate Sanday (PR Consultant)
Tony Trevillion (Website Manager)
