The Festival was founded in 2003 by the late Graham Kean, then Director of Music at St Marys’ Church, Tetbury and Elise Smith OBE, a life-long supporter and Patron of the Arts. The former Prince of Wales has been the Festival's patron from its inception.   Steven Isserlis became the first Artistic Director, followed by the conductor and ‘cellist Jonathan Cohen in 2013.

 

The Festival is planned and run by a volunteer Board of music lovers with a wide range of skills from marketing to finance to design who are committed to supporting the arts in this region. 

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From the very beginning, the festival has welcomed the finest classical musicians to the heart of the Cotswolds.  Previous performers include Julian Bliss, Felicity Lott, Thomas Allen, Ben Grosvenor, Pavel Kolesnikov, Angela Hewitt, Radu Lupu, Mark Padmore, The Sixteen, Sarah Connolly, Rachel Podger, Voces8 and many more.   

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You can see the past programmes here and see our press gallery here.