A Record Breaking Year for Bath Mozartfest
Against a grim backdrop of recession, austerity and vicious cuts in arts funding, Bath’s Mozartfest has revealed that this November’s 9-day feast of classical music was the most successful in the festival’s twenty year history.
Long heralded as a major success story of the UK’s national as well as local scene, the Mozartfest this year recorded a sales increase on 2009’s record breaking total, despite a ticket price increase below inflation, and achieved total audience capacity of 92%.
Sir David Bell, who took over as Chairman of the festival at the end of 2009, commented today: This is a remarkable achievement, particularly in the current economic climate. I’d like to pay tribute to our artistic director, Amelia Freedman, whose peerless programming attracts ever-increasing and amazingly loyal audiences, plus the small, mainly part-time, team which delivers the festival each year.
The Mozartfest receives no direct public funding. It was created as a result of a trust set up by Mrs Mary Purnell in memory of her late son Mark, who had two great passions – the City of Bath and the music of W A Mozart. Today the majority of its funding comes from private and corporate supporters plus ticket sales. Highlights of this year’s programme included the internationally renowned pianist András Schiff, the Gabrieli Consort & Players performing Monteverdi’s Vespers in Bath Abbey, and the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s concert conducted by the young Ukrainian conductor, Kirill Karabits at the Forum, which was attended by nearly 1400 people.
It has also been announced that well-known local businessman, Trevor Osborne, has joined the Board of Directors of Bath Mozartfest. Trevor Osborne is the Chairman of the Trevor Osborne Property Group, which has offices in Bath, London, Oxford and Cornwall. He is now based in Bath and has been an enthusiastic supporter of many projects and initiatives in the City, in particular the redevelopment of the Holburne Museum, of which he is a trustee. He is a passionate fan of classical music and served as a member of the Royal Opera House’s Development Board, and is a Board member of the Buxton Festival.