ANNUAL REVIEW 2009 cheltenhamfestivals.com
BOARD MEMBERS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT BOARD & PROGRAMME DIRECTORS Board Members to July 2010
Current Senior Management Board
Sir Michael McWilliam Chairman
Donna Renney Chief Executive
Peter Bond Deputy Chairman
Paul Jenkins Director of Finance
Lewis Carnie Chairman, Jazz Festival from July 2009
Helena Bibby HR and Office Manager
Jonathan Carr Chairman, Audit Committee
Ian George Jazz Festival Executive Director from July 2009
Christopher Cook Chairman, Music Festival
Sharon Bishop Science Festival Executive Director
Peter Elliott Member, Audit Committee
Steve Burgess Science Festival Development Director
James Heneage Chairman, Literature Festival
Meurig Bowen Music Festival Director
Virginia Isaac Member, Finance & General Purposes Committee
Clair Greenaway Literature Festival Executive Director
Dr Martin Knight Member, Finance & General Purposes Committee
Sarah Smyth Literature Festival Artistic Director
Dr Gill Samuels CBE
Si창n Morgan Director of Strategic Planning & Marketing on maternity leave
Dr David Wood Honorary Treasurer
Chris Pearson Head of Marketing interim Philippa Claridge Education Manager
Programme Directors Professor Kathy Sykes Science Festival Director Dr Mark Lythgoe Science Festival Director Tony Dudley-Evans Jazz Festival Artistic Director
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Annual Review 2009
Board Members, Senior Management Team & Programme Directors
CONTENTS Chairman’s Review Sir Michael McWilliam, Chairman
4–5
Chief Executive’s Report The Power Of Four
6–7
Finances
8–9
Jazz Festival
10 – 11
Science Festival
12 – 13
Music Festival
14 – 15
Literature Festival
16 – 17
Education
18 – 21
Jerwood Jazz Generation Performers
22
Nesta Famelab & Famelab International
23
Music Festival Commissions & Premieres
24
Festival Academy Players
24
Wellcome Trust Events
25
Sponsors & Supporters
26 – 27
Patrons
27
Annual Review 2009
Contents
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SIR MICHAEL MCWILLIAM, CHAIRMAN
CHAIRMAN’S REVIEW
In 2009 Cheltenham Festivals continued to enlarge the scope of its festival offerings, notably the Literature Festival which celebrated its 60th anniversary. The unfavourable economic climate did not affect adversely either sponsorship income or box office sales, thanks in part to increased marketing and development resource, but also to successful programming. Achieving a sustainable overall balance between recurrent revenues and operating expenditure remains a challenge, but Cheltenham Festivals was the fortunate beneficiary of a substantial gift as well as receiving tax refunds, so that there was a timely reinforcement of the company’s reserves during the year. The financial outlook for arts organisations has many uncertainties and broadening the basis of financial support for Cheltenham Festivals remains a high priority. The new membership scheme now has in excess of 4,000 members and provides a vital underpinning to box office sales. Our festival programmes testify to the diversity of corporate, trust and individual sponsors, and we believe there is scope for further growth even in these testing times. Strong media support has played a vital role in promoting awareness of what Cheltenham has to offer.
Our core relationship with Cheltenham Borough Council continues to evolve, as Cheltenham Festivals becomes more securely established as a free standing festivals organisation. The interdependence is complex and vital. Cheltenham Festivals uses the key venues of the Town Hall (and the Pump Room for the Music Festival) and the surrounding public space, and it depends on borough services and cooperation in mounting the festivals. In turn these events enhance Cheltenham’s reputation as a festival town for residents and visitors, and they bring wider benefits to the business community. Cheltenham Festivals has recently completed the separation of its accounting systems from those of the borough, so that it will not be affected by the financial reorganisation embracing a number of local authorities in the region. Consideration is being given to the self-management of festival box office administration, and there may even be scope for a more fundamental realignment of responsibilities in venue management. Our common aim must be that Cheltenham’s festival facilities should meet the rising expectations of modern audiences and sponsors. In a climate of financial stringency for local government and for arts organisations alike, this will call for both ingenuity and cooperation to forge durable solutions and we look forward to working with the borough to this end. The Board of Cheltenham Festivals loses three members this year. James Heneage, chair of the Literature Festival, David Wood the finance member, and Virginia Isaac have each contributed wise counsel and considerable time to our affairs and I record grateful thanks to them. Two new members have been elected to the Board, Professor Russell Foster, who will chair the Science Festival, and Dominic Collier who will chair the Literature Festival. Finally, I should record congratulations and thanks to the Chief Executive, Donna Renney, and the festival staff for a year of notable festival achievements and much hard work. Sir Michael McWilliam Chairman
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Annual Review 2009
Chairman’s Review
Annual Review 2009
Chairman’s Review
5
CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S REPORT
THE POWER OF FOUR
2009 saw strong growth across the Festivals with increases in ticket sales of 20% achieved by Science, 8% by Music and 11% by Literature. We took the decision to concentrate the Jazz experience around the smaller town centre venues rather than spreading out across the town to the larger Centaur venue at the Racecourse. Overall I am proud that so many more people were able to enjoy our festival experience. Despite the recession, we retained the loyalty of existing audiences as well as attracting new ticket buyers. To ensure an improved customer experience we expended considerable energy on continuing to define the Cheltenham Festival experience creating something that is hard to find elsewhere. Our key success factors remain the inventiveness of our staff and the strength of our relationships with the many partners and supporters who make up the broader Festival Family. These range from our key sponsors to performers and members of our advisory groups. One of the striking successes of 2009 has been to strengthen the power of four unique festivals under one dynamic organisation. When we first introduced our new anvil-shaped logo with a deliberately sharp point to highlight our determination to be “edgy”, collaborative programming between Festivals was one of the artistic goals we had in mind. It was a huge achievement for us when the Wellcome Trust agreed to support our cross-festival programming with Science at the end of 2008 and an immense pleasure to commence the project at the Jazz Festival in 2009 with “Martino Unstrung”. This is the story of legendary jazz guitarist Pat Martino who lost his memory and ability to play the guitar following surgery for a brain tumour. The film charting Pat Martino’s recovery made by Ian Knox was shown and discussed and Pat was with us in Cheltenham to give a breathtaking performance of his virtuosic ability as a jazz guitarist. Further cross-festival programming continued at the Literature Festival, see page 25 for further details.
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Annual Review 2009
We initiated a new category of Festival Family this year with the launch of our Membership Scheme. We were most grateful to the two existing schemes, the Friends of the Literature Festival and Festival Society for becoming Founder Members and offering us much needed advice. Our programmes are wide ranging with the aim of attracting as many people as possible to experience our Festivals. Achieving this aim has to be supported by strong marketing initiatives and a public engagement campaign. Thanks to additional support from the Arts Council in the form of a one-off grant, we strengthened our general marketing resource as well as improving the content of our website and developing our digital strategy particularly through the use of social networking (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr) This enabled us to communicate more effectively with a younger audience. The website development followed the work undertaken in the previous year that had been generously funded by the Summerfield Trust and Oldham Foundation. These are two organisations whose support of the Festivals’ infrastructure at vital times has allowed Cheltenham Festivals to develop as a much stronger organisation. Infrastructure funding for cultural organisations is not always the most attractive activity for charitable trustees but without it, organisations end up without the tools to withstand stormy waters. It was with much gratitude that we received a major gift from Mr Alan Taylor dedicated to the support of the Music Festival and in particular young artists. The gift was made from the estate of his brother Clifford Taylor who had been a lifelong supporter of the Music Festival. With public sector cuts imminent, it is this kind of generous philanthropic support that will determine the winning organisations in the long term. This may be an uncomfortable message for many but one that we all have to face up to if we want to see the very best culture maintained for future generations.
Chief Executive’s Report
It is often difficult for cultural organisations to find the funds for staff training but we depend on highly motivated and highly skilled staff. We embarked on an improved training programme for all staff linked to staff development reviews. Many of the courses were subsidised by Government and I can not emphasise how important I think such training provision is. The courses included health & safety training for all employees as well as diversity training for both staff and board members. Our training in 2009 particularly focused on leadership development in our pursuit of establishing a strong Senior Management Board able to overcome the challenges ahead. We continued to develop and implement our Equal Opportunities Policy and this was well publicised and discussed within the organisation. In addition, we undertook a number of activities to increase the diversity of our workforce through placements, our internship programme and in partnership with the local University, the University of Gloucestershire. We set up a Sustainability Group to monitor and improve the environmental impact of our business and Festivals. During the year, as I rush from Festival to Festival and event to event, there are many times when a shiver runs down my spine and I experience a Cheltenham Festival “moment”. This is when I know for certain that we have got the programme just right, and the “buzz”, “bite” and “energy” are in perfect harmony. This happens not only in our professional programmes but also in our Education and Outreach work, when young people and those with little experience of traditional festival fare are challenged and inspired by one of our outstanding facilitators. So, this year, following a brief review of each Festival, I have highlighted the work of our Education and Outreach team in 2009 led by Philippa Claridge and ably supported by Nicola Tuxworth.
Donna Renney, Chief Executive
Annual Review 2009
Chief Executive’s Report
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FINANCES
The increased box office revenue was due to strong performances across 3 Festivals with Science, Music and Literature growing by 33%, 13% and 18% respectively. Jazz showed a substantial decrease of 44% from the 2008 Festivals, as a result of the decision to consolidate the Festival in the centre of town rather than use the large Centaur venue at Cheltenham Racecourse, and our decision to reduce Jazz Festival ticket prices in the face of the recession. The decision not to use the Centaur gave us considerably less capacity but the Festival maintained the same number of bookers as in 2008 which was very encouraging. The Literature Festival remains the organization’s largest Festival and continues to flourish through increasing ticket sales from 99,587 in 2008 to 110,297 in 2009. This figure excludes visitors to the free Festival events which are estimated to be in excess of 5,000.
£500 £450 £400 £350 £300
Income (k)
The increase in sponsorships, donations and miscellaneous grants has resulted from continuing success, particularly in Science and Literature, in attracting major partners to work with the Festivals. One of the reasons revenues increased so notably for Science was the running of the Famelab competition, supported by funding from NESTA. In Literature, Sky Arts and Kraft Foods were two important new sponsors.
Sponsorship Income
£250 £200 £150 £100 £50 £0
SF
JF
2008
MF Festivals
2009
LF
2008 £198,747 £323,288 £230,680 £207,865 £174,341
Jazz Science Music Literature General a/c
General a/c
2009 £182,187 £485,488 £249,037 £313,638 £263,254
Box Office Income £800 £700 £600 Income (k)
2009 was another year of growth with income 20% more than in 2008. This excludes the special gift made by Mr Alan Taylor in memory of his brother Mr Clifford Taylor. The main sources of growth have been sponsorships, donations and miscellaneous grants, 32% ahead of 2008, record box office sales of 162,585 tickets (an increase of 13,741 over 2008) yielding a 5% increase in box office revenue.
£500 £400 £300 £200
Investment in the infrastructure of the organisation has started to yield good results and further developments of the staffing structure took place during 2009 particularly in the Marketing function. This investment in the organisation’s resources has been enabled through the LABGI (Local Authority Business Growth Incentive) grant of £500k from Cheltenham Borough Council. The final instalment of this grant was made in 2009. The organisation also received £261k support from the Arts Council which represented 7% of the total income for the year.
The current Arts Council funding for the Festivals for 2010/2011 equates to 6% of the total income for the year. Grants and in-kind support from Cheltenham Borough Council are expected to contribute another 8% in 2010 leaving 86% to be raised from box office takings, other grants, donations, gifts and memberships stressing the importance of business and fundraising income streams to the operation. Tables showing box office and sponsorship income, expenditure analysis and number of tickets sold by festival are shown below.
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Annual Review 2009
Finances
£0 JF
SF
MF
LF
Festivals 2008
2009
2008 £280,936 £79,752 £196,118 £670,607
Jazz Science Music Literature
2009 £158,496 £105,718 £221,570 £793,859
Ticket Sales 120,000 Number of tickets sold
The current economic climate and imminent public sector cuts following the general election means that 2010 will be a difficult year for many arts and culture organisations. Competition for sponsorship, donations and grants will be fierce. Cheltenham Festivals feels it is well placed to weather this with the new staff structure in place and to seek out relationships yielding sponsorship income in the future. This will be vital given the end of the LABGI investment grant.
£100
100,000 80,000 60,000 40,000 20,000 0
JF
SF
MF
LF
Festivals 2008
Jazz Science Music Literature
2009
2008 14,624 18,963 15,670 99,587
2009 11,690 22,719 16,616 110,297
Sources of Income 2009 £3,840,674
2008 £3,200,734 £112,806
£109,200 £150,000
£398,315 £109,200 £100,000
£231,537 £1,141,346
£1,500,157
£192,000
£228,432 £261,359
£1,227,413
£1,279,643
36%
Sponsorship,donations and misc grants
39%
Sponsorship,donations and misc grants
38%
Box Office
33%
Box Office
7%
Arts Council Grant
7%
Arts Council Grant
7%
CBC In Kind
5%
CBC In Kind
5%
CBC Infastructure aLABGI grant
3%
CBC Infastructure LABGI grant
3%
CBC cash grant
3%
CBC cash grant
4%
Other misc. income
10%
Other misc. income
Expenditure 2008 £3,230,400
2009 £3,741,965 £170,465
£198,432
£397,098
£455,265
£1,458,981 £1,380,867
£349,692
£469,921
£932,280
£1,159,096
43%
Programme
39%
29%
Fees and Salaries
31%
Fees and Salaries
11%
Marketing and Sponsorship
13%
Marketing and Sponsorship
12%
Administration
12%
Administration
5%
CBC Box Office and venue hire charged
5%
CBC Box Office and venue hire charged
Annual Review 2009
Programme
Finances
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The festival year got off to an excellent start artistically with a strong Jazz Festival programme. Once again the Festival inspired impressive critical acclaim, with The Guardian’s John Fordham stating “There are jazz festivals at which the same swing beat and hornchorus sounds start to merge … But Cheltenham’s bold programme does the opposite so effectively it can border on the disorientating”. The Festival continued on its path to reach national and international audiences; as well as strengthening its reach locally through an improved fringe programme. A key aim was to create the atmosphere of Cheltenham as a true ‘Jazz Town’ throughout the Festival period. Creating this festival buzz proved a valuable tool in providing benefits demanded by sponsors and local supporters, as well as effectively engaging with new festival-goers. The new fringe programme offered a lively and accessible series of concerts to complement the main programme – delighting local residents and visitors alike. One notable success was a salsa/jive flash mob which took to the bustling high street to surprise shoppers. The main programme opened in spectacular style with an opening night gospel concert featuring The London Ruach Mass Choir, Mica Paris, Ian Shaw and Alex Wilson at GL1 Leisure Centre in Gloucester. This Festival first featured 100 local school pupils and attracted an impressive new audience.
The journey to broaden the Festival’s appeal saw good audiences for more popular acts such as Madeleine Peyroux and BBC Radio 2’s Friday Night is Music Night - which this year told the tale of Billy Strayhorn and his relationship with Duke Ellington. The South African artist, Hugh Masekela, offered an outstanding performance to a packed Town Hall; and a stunning concert from the Dave Douglas Quintet was the highlight of the Festival for many jazz lovers. A love of Jazz remains at the Festival’s core and the Sunday programme saw some of the most exciting Jazz names in the world perform in Cheltenham. The programme ranged from outstanding young British talent such as the Portico Quartet; to the best international talent including the hugely expressive Norwegian performer, Arve Henriksen. Virtuoso performances characterised the programme with a memorable performance by guitarist Pat Martino and a grand festival finale with hugely celebrated violinist Nigel Kennedy. Alongside iconic performers, the Festival celebrated the stars of the future courtesy of the Jerwood Jazz Generation – a showcase for the very best young talent in the UK. James Allsop’s new trio The Golden Age of Steam, Robert Mitchell’s 3i0, and BBC Radio 3’s New Generation Artist Tom Arthurs all featured. With unique collaborations and refreshing energy, each concert of the Jerwood Jazz Generation confirmed Cheltenham’s position at the cutting edge of the UK jazz scene.
28 APRIL – 4 MAY 46 EVENTS 65 ARTISTS 11,690 TICKETS 10
Annual Review 2009
Cheltenham Jazz Festival 2009
Annual Review 2009
Cheltenham Jazz Festival 2009
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Inspired by a multitude of scientific anniversaries the 2009 programme embraced the Festival theme of ‘heresy’. This theme explored the challenges that scientists have faced in their quest to push forward the frontiers of discovery and defy conventional wisdom. Influential heretics Darwin, Galileo and Rutherford were all celebrated by speakers Jim Al-Khalili and James Moore – whilst journalist Ben Goldacre and science authors Simon Singh and Matt Ridley explored the fine line between genius and absurdity! Throughout the adult programme we delved into a huge range of topics: from Robot Surgeons to Making our Planet Better. Thought-provoking debate remains at the core of the Festival’s ethos and 2009 proved to be no exception. ‘Can we solve the climate change conundrum?’; ‘How much should we know about our own genes?’; and ‘Can we have faith and still believe in Evolution?’ were just a few of the big questions to come under the microscope. In The Cutting Edge strand, funded by a Wellcome Trust grant, we explored the gruesome history and innovative future of surgery as well as asking ‘how do you decide if pioneering new surgery is worth the risk?’. We also ran three Anatomy Workshops. Aimed at adults, these hands on sessions provided a unique opportunity for the public to experience dissecting animal organs, and were deemed a huge success by the 100 people who took part.
3 – 7 JUNE 131 EVENTS 190 PARTICIPANTS 22,719 TICKETS 12
Annual Review 2009
Cheltenham Science Festival 2009
We programmed Engineering Uncovered with three of our sponsors - Royal Academy of Engineering, Technology Strategy Board and EPSRC. This strand encompassed the broad applications of engineering today, for example in car design, preventing flood damage and in making our homes greener. ‘How Can Science Help Build a Better Future?’ was a question raised by The Impact! Debate featuring Science Minister Lord Paul Drayson and two young, successful technology entrepreneurs. In this key debate they discussed how this country needs science and engineering innovation even more than ever. The NESTA FameLab Grand Final was once again a highlight of the Festival programme. The national competition, sponsored by both NESTA and Channel 4, ran over many months seeking to identify and train the science communicators of the future who could promote science to a wider audience. Over 130 scientists and engineers competed at five regional heats, to reach the final held during the Festival and win the £10,000 first prize. A fantastic finale took place in the main arena, where we saw Tom Whyntie, an Imperial College graduate now working at CERN, winning with an astonishing performance about how ‘finding nothing can be a success!’ The FameLab® format is now rapidly expanding on an international basis supported by the British Council.
Annual Review 2009
Cheltenham Science Festival 2009
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The 2009 Music Festival’s main thematic areas were: a focus on the string quartet, in acknowledgment of the Haydn bicentenary; a focus on music by composers of Jewish heritage, in acknowledgment of the Mendelssohn bicentenary, and his own religious/cultural origins; and, to mark the Festival’s 65th anniversary, a celebration of premieres past and present. ‘World Quartets’ featured eight string quartets from around the world, and showed off the format’s diverse repertoire. Ensembles came to Cheltenham from Russia, France, Finland, Australia, Poland and the UK. The Jewish strand featured a huge range of repertoire. Composers such as Mendelssohn, Alkan, Bernstein, Bloch, Copland, Finzi, Mahler, Philip Glass and Steve Reich combined with émigré music from Henry VIII’s court and Hollywood film music, performed memorably by the John Wilson Orchestra.
3 – 18 JULY 69 EVENTS 125 ARTISTS 16,616 TICKETS 14
Annual Review 2009
Cheltenham Music Festival 2009
New music featured in 2009 included premieres by Harrison Birtwistle, Michael Zev Gordon and Matthias Pintscher, and previous Cheltenham premieres revisited included music by Britten, Hoddinott, Maw, Bennett and Ades. The Festival Academy, freshly minted in 2009 as an accomplished string ensemble, played a big part in this. The Music Festival took a great leap in the diversity of its musical offerings in 2009. There was klezmer from Kol Simcha, cabaret from Kit and the Widow, classically-geared jazz from the David Rees Williams Trio, a range of film screenings and a series of talks that featured Robert Winston, Toby Faber on Stradivarius and Martin Coath on the science of making string instruments. Two ambitious exhibitions also greatly enhanced the programme: the complete works of Gerard Hoffnung, 50 years after his death, and Painted Quartets, featuring a range of artists’ responses to the blank canvas of a recycled violin, viola or cello. The Music Festival’s progress in engaging more deeply with the local community was exemplified by the Fiesta in Pittville Park, collaboration with Cheltenham Strategic Partnership and Cheltenham Borough Council that celebrated Cheltenham’s diverse communities through music, food and entertainment
Annual Review 2009
Cheltenham Music Festival 2009
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Celebrating the Festival’s 60th anniversary, the theme Taking the Temperature united a celebration of the Festival’s past with forwardlooking debate exploring key current issues. 10 Guest Directors reflected the breadth of the programme, each programming 2-3 events on their Festival day. The Times also joined the celebration by giving the public the opportunity to vote for their 60 best-loved novels since 1949 in an online poll, with the winner being announced in a dedicated event at the Festival. In addition, the Waterstone’s Cheltenham Decades promotion raised the Festival’s literary profile in a large number of Waterstone’s stores. Our international programming included a event celebrating the 10th anniversary of The Caine Prize for African Writing with past winners Brian Chikwava and Binyavanga Wainaina, and shortlisted author Chika Unigwe. We gave three young, up-and-coming nonfiction writers the opportunity to be Writers in Residence throughout the Festival, which included contributing to a dedicated blog on Cheltenham Festivals’ website as well as presenting new work in a special Festival event. The Festival was also host to the first official public event with the Man Booker prize winner 2009, Hilary Mantel, following the announcement just before the Festival started.
Cross-Festival programming reached a new level in 2009, with Richard Williams talking about his Miles Davis biography (Jazz), Alfred Brendel about his life and work (Music), and Stephen Oppenheimer and Alice Roberts discussing the human journey (Science). One of our most successful outreach projects, The Big Read, experienced another year of growth, welcoming more local Festival goers and book groups than ever to join together in reading F Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Free discussion groups took place across Gloucestershire before the Festival, as well as in Festival venues during the Festival period. This project also went international in 2009, in collaboration with the Sydney Writers’ Festival. In 2009, the Festival further developed relationships with several key partners. SkyArts recorded two sessions of the Book Show programme in front of a live Festival audience. The Wellcome Book Trust Prize shortlist was announced at the Festival, reflecting the fascinating interaction between medicine and literature. Furthermore, Talking Science, a series of events supported by the Wellcome Trust as part of Cheltenham Festivals’ 3-year Society Award explored the challenges of organ donation. In collaboration with The Summerfield Trust, the Festival programmed two strands of events: one focusing on environmental issues and offering audiences the opportunity to approach the topic from different angles throughout one day; the other looking back at the 20th Anniversary of the “Velvet Revolution” which changed the political landscape of Eastern Europe. All in all, the Festival had an incredibly successful year, selling 110,297 tickets, increasing total number of tickets sold by 11% on 2008.
9 – 18 OCTOBER 440 EVENTS 600 SPEAKERS 110,297 TICKETS 16
Annual Review 2009
Cheltenham Literature Festival 2009
Annual Review 2009
Cheltenham Literature Festival 2009
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Education and Outreach is at the core of Cheltenham Festivals, as is demonstrated by a year round programme of rewarding activity for schools and community groups across Gloucestershire. Education projects often culminate in outstanding events and exhibitions at the Festivals.
BUDVAR CHELTENHAM JAZZ FESTIVAL 2009
THE TIMES CHELTENHAM SCIENCE FESTIVAL 2009
Jazz It Up! 195 pupils 12 bands from 10 Schools 22 workshops
Science for Schools Bookings increased by 17% from 2008. 3701 pupils and teachers from 60 schools attended over 2 events each.
2009 saw the eighth year of Jazz It Up! The project has two key objectives: to offer school jazz bands the chance to perform at an internationally renowned jazz festival, and to give a young professional jazz musician the experience of working in schools as both mentor and composer.
Demand from schools for high-quality, stimulating Science events proved stronger than ever.
Our theme for 2009 was cartoons, and guitarist and improvisation specialist Sid Peacock led two workshops with each of the 11 bands taking part. The project culminated in performances over the Bank Holiday weekend, taking prime position on the Budvar Stage.
Young Scientists’ Day 6 schools 35 pupils 6 visiting staff
Ruach Gospel Project 100 pupils 2 schools 4 workshops The London Ruach Mass Choir opened this year’s Jazz Festival with a spectacular, roof-raising concert of soul and gospel music at GL1 Leisure Centre in Gloucester – our first community event in Gloucester – joined by 100 pupils from two Gloucestershire schools. The pupils had a very short time for rehearsals, but they produced an inspiring and polished performance on the night of the concert, in front of a large and wildly enthusiastic audience of over 800 people.
2009 also saw the introduction of day packages which proved to be a huge success.
Jim Walton and colleagues planned an amazing Darwin-themed day for 35 gifted and talented children and their teachers at Cheltenham College Junior School. Working in groups of ten, the children got a chance to plan an attempt on the Everest summit with successful summiteer Dom Faulkner; test their reflexes and endurance with Jim Walton; and, perhaps most exciting of all, find out the energy content of popular foods by setting fire to them! We were delighted that Professor Lord Winston was able to join the children for part of the day.
Sid was fantastic and gave our young musicians so much confidence. Lisa Thornhill, Pittville School (Jazz It Up!)
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Annual Review 2009
Education
Creative Seeds An outreach project funded by The Environment Agency and delivered by artist and scientist Dr Lizzie Burns with administrative support from the Education team. Exhibition at Times Cheltenham Science Festival: 3 – 7 June 8 workshops Over 200 participants from 9 community groups. Over 200 people took part in Lizzie’s workshops, creating beautiful and striking images based on their thoughts about their surroundings and how they could be improved. These images were displayed at the Town Hall during the Science Festival itself. The Environment Agency will continue working with the Springbank Centre on a long-term basis.
The Discover Zone was highlighted by all students as a real plus. They enjoyed the equipment and it really developed their thinking and questioning of what goes on around them in their everyday lives. Teacher, Cleeve School (Science for Schools)
I think it’s a really good way of saving the environment but a fun way. I thought it was amazing. Paige, aged 10 (Creative Seeds)
I would like to thank you sincerely for inviting us both to see our pupils rise to the expectations of these fabulous musicians and to share an experience that will be with them forever!! Lynne Burr, Beaufort Community School, Gloucester (Ruach Gospel Choir)
Annual Review 2009
Education
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HSBC CHELTENHAM MUSIC FESTIVAL 2009 The Festival Academy and the National Star College 14 students 12 musicians 6 co-ordinators This was a unique collaboration between the Festival Academy’s brilliant young musicians and students from the National Star College (NSC), a world-renowned centre for young adults with acquired brain injuries. Now in its fifth year, the project was led by the talented young conductor William Carslake. Will led workshops over two days with all the students playing a range of percussion instruments and the Soundbeam - a machine which emits an ultrasonic ray through a device which is positioned so that the player can interrupt the ray with any physical movement. Sing East Sing West 186 children 7 schools 24 workshops This year’s singing project was the most ambitious yet. Starring 186 primary school pupils, it took as its theme the music of the Jewish Diaspora. Led by experienced singing teachers Liz Terry and Rachel Gay, both teachers and pupils rose to the challenge of mastering 15 songs, nearly all of which were in a foreign language. Poet and author Brenda Read-Brown visited the schools and, with input from the children, wrote a lively and engaging script to link the songs together. Generous funding from Sing Up enabled us to engage Joglaresa, a captivating ensemble specialising in Judeo-Arabic rhythms and music, to visit all the schools taking part. Tunde Jegede and HKB Finn 2009 saw the culmination of a 3-year project, generously funded by the Steel Charitable Trust, to bring classical music written and performed by individuals of black and minority ethnic backgrounds to the Cheltenham Music Festival. The project centred around Tunde Jegede, a composer, performer, producer and multiinstrumentalist whose work straddles traditional West African and Western classical music, as well as hip hop and R and B. He specialises in playing the kora, a complex and beautiful ancient stringed instrument from West Africa, and cello.
THE TIMES CHELTENHAM LITERATURE FESTIVAL Painted Quartets 27 schools, 3 children’s centres, 2 day centres, 1 leisure centre, The National Star College, 1 troop of Brownies, 1 library
Time Will Tell A short story slam Funded by BBC Outreach In association with BBC Radio Gloucestershire
A visual arts companion to the Music Festival, Painted Quartets was a major exhibition which saw redundant violas, violins and cellos transformed into unique works of art by artists. The outreach component gave schools and community groups the opportunity to participate by painting and decorating two-dimensional violins made of card. Accompanying notes and a CD introducing string quartet music added an extra dimension to this popular project. 1468 violins made a fantastically eye-catching exhibition at the Brewery Complex in Cheltenham town centre throughout the duration of the Festival.
6 schools 143 pupils 24 workshops 1 performance at Cheltenham Town Hall
Gamelan - Fiesta in the Park In collaboration with the Cheltenham Strategic Partnership, and as part of the Virtual School activities programme this major community event brought together free and outdoor Festival events and performances with a host of local community groups. The Cheltenham Gamelan featured in two performances at this fun-packed family afternoon. Children attended six gamelan workshops where they explored the cultural background of the gamelan, learned to play three traditional pieces, and sang Javanese songs, accompanied by the Community Gamelan Players. Gamelan - HMP Eastwood Park 20 prisoners 11 Community Players In collaboration with Good Vibrations our gamelan made its second visit to Eastwood Park women’s prison for a week of intensive workshops with 20 prisoners culminating in a concert in the prison. Free for Schools 10 schools 11 concerts 244 tickets This year, we once again offered free tickets to school groups for any of the Music Festival concerts, subject to availability.
The Mantra Project: Musical Conversations across the Indian Ocean 2 workshops 3 musicians 34 pupils This year saw an exciting collaboration between young musicians from Chosen Hill School in Churchdown, the critically-acclaimed Orlando Consort, and a clutch of brilliant and awardwinning musicians specialising in Indian instruments and music. Pupils were introduced to diverse musical traditions and helped to devise their own improvisations and compositions.
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Annual Review 2009
Education
We celebrated the Literature Festival’s 60th birthday with an outstanding Short Story Slam – Time Will Tell. Taking a decade from the Festival’s history as their inspiration, six Gloucestershire schools each wrote a short story – and with the help of an experienced drama practitioner and their own ‘Decade Detective’ developed the story into a final performance fit for the Festival stage. Young Writers’ Day In association with Cheltenham College Junior School 30 children 7 participating teachers As part of our programme for Gifted and Talented primary schoolchildren, we held our second Young Writers’ Day at Cheltenham College Junior School – especially designed to engage local children (year 5-6) who have been identified as gifted and talented. In this day of literary creativity teachers accompany the students meaning that they are equipped with the perfect tools to take the enthusiasm for creative writing back to their classrooms. This year the theme was Writing for Laughs, and the day was led by the popular comic author Tony Bradman (Dilly the Dinosaur, the Bluebeards series, and many more titles for children). We considered such questions as “What is funny?” “Why is timing important?” “How do you write a joke?” Book It! for Schools 2009 Revenue up by 21% (£16,165 in 2008, £19,639 in 2009) 5577 pupils and their teachers attended one event or more 56 schools Our Book It! for schools programme continues to be a keenly anticipated highlight of the new school year. In 2009 we were delighted to welcome the literary superstar Anthony Horowitz, ex-children’s Laureates Anne Fine and Michael Morpurgo and Julia Donaldson, creator of the much-loved Gruffalo stories. New initiatives such as our themed packages featuring a workshop and a linked author event were very popular. A busy programme of 22 events peaked on Friday 16 October, when nearly 2,000 teachers and pupils arrived at the Town Hall within an hour.
The day was very good, and sparked mass enthusiasm which continued into school over half term. Tiffany Baker, St Marks C of E Junior School
The women gained so much again from the project this year... Their contributions were very moving. Not only did their social skills markedly improve over the week but they found it very relaxing and, for a brief period, it helped them to forget all their troubles. Caroline Thompson, education officer at Eastwood Park
Annual Review 2009
Education
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JERWOOD JAZZ GENERATION PERFORMERS The Golden Age of Steam This new commission came about following James Allsopp and Tim Giles’ previous appearance at Cheltenham with the band Fraud which is one of the all time successes of the Jerwood scheme. Following their performance in Cheltenham, Fraud went on to make a BBC Jazz Award winning recording and to perform two national tours becoming one of the top young UK bands. This new project, The Golden Age of Steam was a more contemplative trio which featured the young pianist and keyboard player Kit Downes alongside Alsopp and Giles. The gig was recorded for BBC Radio 3’s Jazz on 3 programme. James Allsopp Baritone Saxophone Kit Downes Hammond Organ Tim Giles Drums Nikki Yeoh Trio Infinitum with John Surman This was a new commission and also a special collaboration between renowned reeds player John Surman and Jerwood artist Nikki Yeoh. This idea was a result of Nikki’s participation at the Jerwood Take 5 Seminar, where John is a Musical Director. The Festival commissioned Nikki to write a series of pieces to feature John Surman, who acted as a mentor to Nikki throughout the project. Unfortunately there was a major power cut at the Everyman Theatre on the Saturday afternoon which led to the cancellation of the gig. However one piece was performed on the Sunday before the Jack DeJohnette concert and was very well received. Nikki Yeoh Piano John Surman Saxophones/Clarinets Michael Mondesir Bass Mark Mondesir Drums
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Annual Review 2009
Tom Arthurs’ Subtopia Trumpeter Tom played in two concerts and gave one masterclass at Cheltenham this year. As well as playing with this new group of his, he was part of the Jack DeJohnette Jerwood Allstars. Tom has been resident in Berlin for a little time and this new band consisted of people he works with there, plus longstanding colleague Ingrid Laubrock, also German, but now resident in London and New York. Tom’s writing has always shown a lot of classical influences in his writing and this music was attractive yet introspective. Tom Arthurs Flügelhorn, Trumpet Ingrid Laubrock Saxophone Lothar Ohlmeier Bass Clarinet, Clarinet Andreas Willers Guitar Rudi Fischerlehner Drums Jack DeJohnette & Jerwood Allstars This project came about as a result of Jack’s presence at the 2008 festival when our Chief Executive was discussing with him Cheltenham Festivals ambition for young artists. He then expressed a desire to work with young UK musicians. The band selected included a mix of players from the Jerwood Rising Stars and Jerwood Take 5 schemes. Each member of the band was invited to contribute material and Jack brought some of his own compositions. They rehearsed extensively in London the day before the concert and it was clear that the UK band members found the experience of working with Jack Dejohnette very inspiring. BBC Radio 3’s Jazz on 3 programme also recorded this set at the Festival. Jack DeJohnette Drums Tom Arthurs Trumpet Nathaniel Facey Alto Saxophone Shabaka Hutchings Tenor Saxophone & Clarinets Gareth Lockrane Flute Tom Cawley Piano Neil Charles Bass Chris Sharkey Guitar
Jazz Generation Performers
Robert Mitchell 3io Robert was one of the first Jerwood Rising Stars with his group Panacea and having made a new album it was time to have Robert back. This performance by his relatively new trio sold out the Pillar Room and was extremely well received by the audience. The interaction between Robert on piano and the drummer Richard Spaven, who subtly brings in a variety of rhythms from hip hop and other urban forms into his drumming, gives the trio a different feel from the general jazz piano trio. BBC Radio 3’s Jazz on 3 programme also recorded this set at the Festival. Robert Mitchell Piano Tom Mason Bass Richard Spaven Drums Chris Bowden’s Tomorrow Band This trio is led by Chris Bowden who has been an inspirational player on the Birmingham and London scenes for many years and has a unique voice on saxophone. He has been working with the trio for a few years and it is beginning to get recognition beyond Birmingham. Chris Bowden Alto Saxophone Ben Markland Bass Neil Bullock Drums
NESTA FAMELAB & FAMELAB INTERNATIONAL A highlight in 2009 was NESTA FameLab, our exciting national competition to find the new voices of science. It ran for the 4th time in the UK, uncovering an amazing amount of new talent from across the country. 109 scientists, engineers and mathematicians came to the 5 regional audition heats. These were held in Manchester, Bristol, Edinburgh, Oxford and London. We also introduced a new entry route – with participants able to enter by video. At each of the 5 regional heats one video entrant was chosen to leap directly into that regional final. This increased the number of participants by 34% allowing even more people to enter from across the country. Ten finalists were chosen from the 5 heats and they all took part in a weekend masterclass in Bristol, where they were able to develop their presenting skills and experience filming and TV presenting. The grand final took place at The Times Cheltenham Science Festival on 5th June, where Tom Whyntie was crowned the national champion and winner of £10,000. Tom and three other finals also won the chance to film ‘three minute wonders’ for Channel 4. For the third year in a row, FameLab international ran in 9 South East European countries in 2009. The winners from each of the national competitions won a trip to the UK to take part in FameLab International competition and to be part of The Times Cheltenham Science Festival. Mirko Djordjevic from Serbia won the competition with an exceptional talk about the science of sexual attraction in mammals. The legacy of FameLab continues with many FameLabbers from the three previous UK competitions taking part in the festival in various capacities – adult events, schools and family events and free activities in the gardens.
Annual Review 2009
Famelab International Winners & Finalists
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MUSIC FESTIVAL COMMISSIONS & PREMIERES 2009
FESTIVAL ACADEMY PLAYERS
Harrison Birtwistle Bogenstrich (UK) Performed by Roderick Williams, voice, Adrian Brendel, cello and Till Fellner, piano Pittville Pump Room UK Première
Philip Grange Cloud Atlas Performed by the National Youth Wind Ensemble and National Youth Chamber Orchestra Pittville Pump Room World Première
Artists Neil Thomson Tom Hankey Alex Wood Caroline Henbest Robin Michael
Conductor Violin Violin Viola Cello
Felix Mendelssohn Variations Performed by Steven Isserlis, cello Pittville Pump Room UK Première
Shiva Feshareki insistent distortions Performed by the National Youth Wind Ensemble and National Youth Chamber Orchestra Pittville Pump Room World Première
Students Guy Button Alexandru-Catalin Chelaru Lucy McKay Kathryn Riley Ruth Rimer James Sandalls Sarah Sew Maria Wernberg Bethany Britt Manuela Mocanu Kirsten Jensen Jonathan Rees David Cousins
Violin Violin Violin Violin Violin Violin Violin Violin Viola Viola Cello Cello Double Bass
Michael Zev Gordon A Pebble in the Pond (world) Performed by the Festival Academy Soloists Holy Apostles Church World Première Huw Watkins Four Inventions Performed by Huw Watkins, piano Holy Apostles Church World Première Tunde Jegede Reminiscent Mirror (world) Performed by the Festival Academy Pittville Pump Room World Première Alexander Goehr Manere (UK) Performed by the Nash Ensemble Pittville Pump Room UK Première
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Annual Review 2009
Matthias Pintscher Study IV for Treatise on the Viel Performed by Quatuor Diotima Pittville Pump Room UK Première Michael Zev Gordon Mandelstam Settings (world) Performed by Catherine Hopper, mezzo-soprano, and Simon Lepper, piano Pittville Pump Room World Première Sasha Siem from the white dictionary (world) Performed by Catherine Hopper, mezzo-soprano, and Tanya Houghton, harp Pittville Pump Room World Première
Music Festival Commissions & Premieres 2009
WELLCOME TRUST EVENTS LabOratory In January, 2009 the Wellcome Trust awarded Cheltenham Festivals a grant of £200,000 to undertake a project to increase public engagement in biomedical science. LabOratory, as it has subsequently become known, is a hugely exciting initiative which works across the four festivals, weaving biomedical strands into the event programming. During the first part of 2009 a Think Tank was appointed to provide creative input into the project. Membership of the group includes Dr Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, Mr Quentin Cooper, Ms Maggie Gee, Professor Anthony Grayling, Dr Dan Glaser, Mr Robin Ince, Professor Raymond Tallis and Aaron Williamon. The first LabOratory events appeared at the Jazz Festival in April 2009 with a series of events exploring the impact of brain surgery on Pat Martino. Including a screening of Ian Knox’s Martino Unsung, and a question and answer session with Pat Martino himself this provided an inspiring start to the partnership. At the Literature Festival in October, Cheltenham audiences were invited to consider the challenges of organ donation. Following complementary sessions exploring the ethical and scientific background of the issues, the series concluded in a high profile panel debate. The Festival also marked the inaugural Wellcome Trust Book Prize in an exclusive event with the award judges, which also saw the announcement of the 2009 shortlist. The relationship with the Wellcome Trust continued outside of LabOratory at the Science Festival in June with ‘The Cutting Edge’ series. These events delved into the nature of healing and the enormous risks that pioneering surgeons, patients and engineers take to advance surgical technique and prolong human life. Events even included the chance for the public to try their hand at on site dissection.
Annual Review 2009
Wellcome Trust Events
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SPONSORS & SUPPORTERS Title Sponsors
Media Partners BBC Radio 3 Channel 4 Gloucestershire Media Plush Music Sky Arts The Daily Telegraph Education Partner EDF Energy Major Sponsors Bond Aviation Group CHK Charities Conservatoires UK HSBC Lexus Lord Ashcroft Mackwoods Fine Tea Messier-Dowty Notgrove Charitable Trust Research Councils UK The Oldham Foundation UCAS University of Gloucestershire Willans LLP Festival Partners Amec British Council Charles Russell Chosen Hill School Foresight GE Aviation Gullivers Highland Park IOP Publishing Jazzwise Kier Moss King's College London Peace Pennels Rensburg Sheppards Technology Strategy Board The Booker Prize Foundation The Daffodil The London Library The Royal Academy of Engineering UCL Winton Woman and Home Yamaha
Prinicipal Sponsors
Regular Funders
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Annual Review 2009
Sponsors & Supporters
Associate Sponsors ALCS BCS Berkhampstead School Bonne Maman Chase Distillery Cheltenham College Cheltenham Racecourse City of London School Cotswold Life Country Life Coutts Cowley Manor Creed Catering Dean Close School Document Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust GQ Hotel Du Vin Keats Shelley Memorial Association King's School Gloucester Lords of the Manor Malvern College Mills and Boon Mobenn Marquees Molton Brown Morning Advertiser NC3Rs Nelson Thornes Norwegian Embassy Salsa Squad Savills Shooting Food Sign Craft Sing Up Spirax Sarco Stuart Holmes Taylor Brothers The Brewery The Cheltenham Ladies' College The Fiery Beacon Gallery The Premises The Royal Socity Thinwhite Wiggin Osborne Fullerlove
PATRONS Single Event and In-Kind Sponsors Battledown Brewery BBC British Pharmacological Society Comfort Control Design Daphne Jackson Trust Fosters Glide Media Marketing Lower Slaughter Manor Majorlift Hydraulic Mercure Cheltenham Queen's Hotel MRG Systems Ltd Royal Well Tavern Techniquest The Curry Corner The Department of Meteorology, University of Reading The Greenway Hotel The Open University The Science Museum The Wheatsheaf Individual Supporters Anonymous Eleanor Budge Beryl Calver-Jones Kamala Chelliah-Boardman Michael and Angela Cronk Clive Coates and Ann Murray John Eaden Rosemary Harvey Elizabeth Jacobs Graham and Eileen Lockwood Sir Peter and Lady Marychurch Sir Michael McWilliam Mary Mackenzie, Richard Walton and Friends Gerry Mattock Neil and Ann Parrack Patricia Routledge CBE Anne and Lloyd Surgenor Jonathan Taylor Diana Woolley
Trusts and Foundations Alan Cadbury Trust Alkan Society Berners Trust Britten Pears Foundation Delius Trust Delius Trust D'Oyly Carte Charitable Trust Garfield Weston George Budge Trust Helena Oldacre Trust Holst Foundation Honeybourne Trust Lincoln Financial Group PRSF Quenington Sculpture Trust RVW Trust Sammermar Trust Steel Charitable Trust The Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust Clifford Taylor Young Artist Series (Alan Taylor)
Acknowledgements President Dame Judi Dench CH Vice-Presidents Eleanor Budge Charles Fisher Sir John Manduell CBE Sir Peter Marychurch KCMG Graham Lockwood Edward Gillespie Ion Trewin
Life Patron Charles Fisher Graham and Eileen Lockwood Corporate Patron HSBC Willans LLP Solicitors Platinum Patron Peter and Anne Bond Jennifer Bryant-Pearson Dominic Collier in memory of Karen Hood Michael and Angela Cronk Jeremy Hitchins Jonathan and Cassinha Hitchins Stephen and Tania Hitchins Simon and Emma Keswick Howard and Jay Milton In memory of Jørgen Philip-Sørensen Gold Patron Anonymous David and Clare Astor Jack and Dora Black Sue and Mark Blanchfield Eleanor Budge Charlie Chan Clive Coates and Ann Murray Stuart and Gillian Corbyn Janet and Jean-François Cristau Michael and Felicia Crystal Wallace and Morag Dobbin Peter and Sue Elliott Lord and Lady Hoffmann Elizabeth Jacobs Sir Peter and Lady Marychurch Fiona McLeod Sir Michael McWilliam The Helena Oldacre Trust Esther and Peter Smedvig Fiona and David Symondson Giles and Michelle Thorley Janet Wedge and Charles Middleton Steve and Eugenia Winwood Peter and Alison Yiangou
Annual Review 2009
Patrons
Festival Patron Kate Adie Anonymous Chris Baylis Mark and Maria Bentley Stephen and Victoria Bond Jonathan and Daphne Carr Robert Cawthorne and Catherine White Simon Collings Christopher Dreyfus Viscount and Viscountess Esher James Fleming Kate Fleming Maurice Gran Professor A C Grayling Huw and Nicki Gwynn-Jones Marianne Hinton Stephen Hodge Anthony Hoffman and Dr Christine Facer Hoffman Richard and Peta Hoyle Keith Jago Michael and Elizabeth Jones Martin Knight Lady Elaine Marriott Rosamund and Geoff Marshall Mark McKergow and Jenny Clarke Mary and Timothy Mitchell Professor Angela Newing Robert Padgett Sir David and Lady Pepper Leslie Perrin Maggie Phillips Hugh Poole-Warren Jonathon Porritt Patricia Routledge CBE Keith Salway Lavinia Sidgwick Jonathan and Gail Taylor Professor Lord Winston Anne Wood Michael and Jacqueline Woof For further information on the Patrons’ Scheme please contact Arlene McGlynn, Patrons Manager 01242 775857 arlene.mcglynn@ cheltenhamfestivals.com
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