​When Elise Smith, Graham Kean and Steven Isserlis sat down to plan the first Tetbury Music Festival in 2003 they could not possibly have known that two decades later their project would have become an established part of the musical calendar for loyal supporters and musicians alike. It is a huge achievement and I send my heartfelt congratulations to Elise and Steven and remember with gratitude the late Graham Kean on this the 20th Anniversary.

The founding trio went from a standing start to full speed ahead with a programme that set the high standard for the years that followed. They also cleverly picked a venue with a welcoming clergy, large capacity and a strikingly good acoustic! Many here this week were at that first festival and in fact the 2003 Dolphins have banded together to form an ‘Anniversary Syndicate’ which has sponsored the Steinway piano. A special thank you to them for their wonderful support over two decades. 

Keen-eyed visitors to the festival’s website may have found the Past Programmes page, where they will note that a young cellist called Jonathan Cohen played at that first Festival. Since then his career has gone from strength to strength, founding the period performance ensemble Arcangelo in 2010 and taking over from Steven Isserlis as Artistic Director of Tetbury Music Festival in 2013, where he is a vital guiding hand and support. In the last few years Jonny has become the Artistic Director of Montreal’s Les Violons du Roy and more
recently the Artistic Director of Boston’s eminent Handel & Haydn Society. These are exceptional international roles and on behalf of the Festival I send my congratulations in this the tenth anniversary of his role with the Tetbury Music Festival.

Finally I express my thanks to my fellow Trustees, our current Dolphins, our audience and volunteers, and especially the newest among them who have recently developed the laudable habit of ring fencing the first weekend in October for Tetbury. Your all important support will ensure that the pleasures of the Festival will continue to be enjoyed in the years to come. I dare to hope that I shall be reading this column, undoubtedly penned by someone else, in 2043…