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The Bath International Music Festival was held late each spring in
Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Pl ...
,
South West England South West England, or the South West of England, is one of nine official regions of England. It consists of the counties of Bristol, Cornwall (including the Isles of Scilly), Dorset, Devon, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. Cities ...
between 1948 and 2016. The festival included many genres such as Jazz, Classical, World and Folk and merged with the Bath Literature Festival in 2017 to create a new multi-arts festival, The Bath Festival.


History

Originally known as the Bath Assembly, the festival was first directed by the impresario Ian Hunter in 1948. After the first year the city tried to run the festival itself, but in 1955 asked Hunter back. In 1959, Hunter invited
Yehudi Menuhin Yehudi or Jehudi (Hebrew: יהודי, endonym for Jew) is a common Hebrew name: * Yehudi Menuhin (1916–1999), violinist and conductor ** Yehudi Menuhin School, a music school in Surrey, England ** Who's Yehoodi?, a catchphrase referring to t ...
to become artistic director of the Festival, a post he held until 1968. The Festival has in the past included non-musical events such as talks and guided walks around the city.


Programme

The festival took place annually over 12 days in late May, and staged a range of events featuring orchestral and classical virtuosos, jazz, folk, roots and world musicians, with collaborations and commissioned works. The musicians included established and emerging artists, students from a wide range of conservatoires, universities and colleges, and local musicians, both professional and amateur. The programme was supported with films, talks, multi media events, music theatre, exhibitions, dance and site specific projects. In 2013, the Bath International Music Festival celebrated its 65th anniversary.


Directors

* Ian Hunter (1948) *John Boddington (1949–1955) *
Sir Thomas Beecham Sir Thomas Beecham, 2nd Baronet, CH (29 April 18798 March 1961) was an English conductor and impresario best known for his association with the London Philharmonic and the Royal Philharmonic orchestras. He was also closely associated with th ...
,
Oliver Messel Oliver Hilary Sambourne Messel (13 January 1904 – 13 July 1978) was an English artist and one of the foremost stage designers of the 20th century. Early life Messel was born in London, the second son of Lieutenant-Colonel Leonard Messel a ...
,
Hugh Beaumont Eugene Hugh Beaumont (February 16, 1909 – May 14, 1982) was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of Ward Cleaver on the television series '' Leave It to Beaver'', originally broadcast from 1957 to 1963; and as private detec ...
(1955) *
Yehudi Menuhin Yehudi or Jehudi (Hebrew: יהודי, endonym for Jew) is a common Hebrew name: * Yehudi Menuhin (1916–1999), violinist and conductor ** Yehudi Menuhin School, a music school in Surrey, England ** Who's Yehoodi?, a catchphrase referring to t ...
(1959–1968) * Sir Michael Tippett (1969–1974) *
Sir Colin Davis Sir Colin Rex Davis (25 September 1927 – 14 April 2013) was an English conductor, known for his association with the London Symphony Orchestra, having first conducted it in 1959. His repertoire was broad, but among the composers with whom h ...
, Jack Phipps (1969) *Sir
William Glock Sir William Frederick Glock, CBE (3 May 190828 June 2000) was a British music critic and musical administrator who was instrumental in introducing the Continental avant-garde, notably promoting the career of Pierre Boulez. Biography Glock was bo ...
(1975–1984) *William Mann (1985) *Amelia Freedman MBE (1986–1993) *Nod Knowles, Nicholas Kraemer and Jolyon Laycock (1994) *Tim Joss (1995–2005) * Joanna MacGregor (2006–2012) *Alasdair Nicolson (2013–2014) *James Waters & David Jones (2015–present)


Bath Festivals

The Bath International Music Festival is organized by Bath Festivals Ltd., a long-established charitably registered independent arts company with charitable status. Bath Festivals Ltd. also run the
Bath Literature Festival The Bath Literature Festival, held annually in Bath, Somerset, England, was an important date in the national literary calendar, playing host to an array of journalists, novelists, poets, politicians, actors, comedians, writers and biograph ...
, as well as a year-round arts-in-education programme. It receives core funding from
Bath and North East Somerset Council Bath and North East Somerset Council is the local council for the district of Bath and North East Somerset in Somerset, England. It is a unitary authority, with the powers and functions of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined ...
(B&NES) and
Arts Council England Arts Council England is an arm's length non-departmental public body of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is also a registered charity. It was formed in 1994 when the Arts Council of Great Britain was divided into three s ...
. Other key sources of income are ticket and other sales, contributions from trust funds, private donors and a range of commercial sponsors. Since 1981, the
Bath Fringe Festival The Bath Fringe Festival is an annual art festival, held in Bath, England. Bath Fringe was founded in 1981 as a counterbalance to the 'classical'-dominated Bath Music Festival, which some people perceived to be elitist and out-of-touch with w ...
has taken place at the same time as the music festival.


References

{{Authority control Recurring events established in 1948
International Music Festival International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...
International Music Festival International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...
Classical music festivals in England Music festivals in Somerset Music festivals established in 1948