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15494 CFS newsletter March 2014 8pp_August 2004 Newsletter 03/03/2014 12:55 Page 1 SIC FE U ST M I V M A A L H S O N E C T I E L T E Y H NEWSLETTER C March 2014 CHELTENHAM MUSIC FESTIVAL SOCIETY VOL. 34, NO. 1 www.cmfsoc.org.uk Chairman’s Message One of the compensations of this time of the year, In this we are helped by our quartet of Honorary Vice- particularly welcome in the present stormy weather, is to Presidents which is now complete. Dame Felicity Lott has hear about the pleasures in store for us in the Festival in graciously consented to join the vice-presidential trio of July. This Newsletter highlights some of the especially Lord Berkeley, Martin Brabbins and James Gilchrist whose exciting events that Meurig and his colleagues have acceptances were announced in our last newsletter. We also planned for us. welcome Joss Gregson as a new Life Benefactor and are pleased to announce that we have offered Christopher This year’s Festival will be the 70th and to mark this Cook Honorary Life Membership of the Cheltenham Music milestone we have agreed to increase the overall level of Festival Society in recognition of his sterling work for the support. We are increasing our support for the programme Cheltenham Music Festival over the years. book, which will be a bumper edition, and to the education programme. We shall also be joint sponsors of the new The Society can continue to support the Festival only opera, Tokaido Road and support the concert by the Smith with continued input from the members. Our reward is to Quartet and Joby Burgess. This does not mean that the help to ensure that the Festival can carry on to provide the Society is flush with cash (far from it) but in this special music of the wide range and high standard that is its year we agreed that a bigger effort than normal was called strength. The AGM is the occasion when thanks can be for. Incidentally, if anyone would like to make an extra expressed to members and by the members to Meurig and donation to celebrate this anniversary, we would be most his team who make the Festival happen. We are repeating grateful. the format that we found worked well last year, of having the AGM during the Festival immediately before the The Society is once again independent - as it was Reception. The official notice is included in the Newsletter. originally - and we expect no special privileges in return We hope to see you there. for our support. But we do get invited to a special Reception, which this year will be at the Parabola Arts Finally, I have sad news to report. Eleanor Budge, our Centre and we shall still hold a lunch for Benefactors when former Chairman and a long-standing supporter of the we shall be able to meet some of the artists performing on Music Festival passed away at the end of 2013. She will be the day. We intend to publicise our activities during the greatly missed. Do read Jeremy Tyndall’s tribute to her on Festival, notably in the programme book (which we page 2. support financially) and at the concerts we support, and we hope thereby to increase our membership. Jim Harrison Dates for Your Diary March 24th Wednesday July 2nd, 11 am Priority Booking starts for the Music Festival. Please note Start of 70th Cheltenham Music Festival, Pittville Pump that the Festivals Booking Office (Tel: 0844 880 8094) has Room now moved to 15 Suffolk Parade, GL50 2AE near The Daffodil and this concession is now restricted to subscribers to the Cheltenham Festivals’ Membership Scheme. Wednesday July 2nd, 3.30 pm (see back page) Annual General Meeting of Cheltenham Music Festival April 30th – May 5th Society Cheltenham Jazz Festival Parabola Arts Centre, Bayshill Road Various venues Members will have an opportunity to preview photos of June 3rd - 8th Nicola LeFanu’s new opera Tokkaido Road, an exhibition Cheltenham Science Festival of photos by Elizabeth Jacobs and a display of programme Various venues covers from all seventy Cheltenham Music Festivals. Continued on Page 2 15494 CFS newsletter March 2014 8pp_August 2004 Newsletter 03/03/2014 12:55 Page 2 Continued from previous page Friday July 4th, 10 pm Saturday, July 12th at 7 pm Recital by Smith Quartet and Joby Burgess, Parabola Arts Holst’s Suite: The Planets and the premiere of Richard Centre Blackford’s Great Animal Orchestra Sponsored by Cheltenham Music Festival Society Cheltenham Town Hall Sunday, July 6th, 4 pm Sunday, July 13th, 11 am Premiere of Nicola LeFanu’s opera Tokkaido Road. Final Event of Festival: Trio Medieval and Arve Parabola Arts Centre Hendrikson Co-commissioned and sponsored by Cheltenham Music Cheltenham College Chapel Festival Society Thursday, July 10th at 1.15 pm Cheltenham Music Festival Society Benefactors’ Lunch Details will be announced at a later date Eleanor Budge 1918-2013. An Appreciation On 11th December 2013 Eleanor Budge died at the age of most generous in her financial support for that project, too. 95. A staunch supporter of Cheltenham Music Festival since the 1950s she was a vice-president of Cheltenham Her greatest legacy, though, is probably the continuing Festivals and for many years chairman of the Cheltenham friendliness of the Festival. Not only did she give a (Music) Festival Society. personal welcome to indiviual members of the audience at concerts, she made many friends through her hosting of Born in Northumberland and educated in Yorkshire, artists and others, taking Lady Bliss to visit gardens and after a period as a science teacher, she moved on to geological sites and allowing Sir Lennox Berkeley the use become Head of Biology at St Mary’s Teacher Training of her home as a studio. Her house in Gloucester was also College. In 1962 married George Budge, Head of Music at a regular venue for extra rehearsals of artists, and she St Paul’s. George was heavily involved in the Cheltenham remembered with particular affection the Festival and followed Frank Howes as its Chairman until Frankl/Pauk/Kirshbaum Trio. his death in 1981. In her retirement Eleanor took up art, and specialised in Eleanor supported George in all these activities and watercolour painting and drawing botanical subjects. She also became involved with the Three Choirs Festival where was an active Art Club member exhibiting annually in the she organised a group of about sixty volunteer workers in Cotswolds, and she used to do demonstrations in Hurrans all the practicalities of the organisation of the Festival, Garden Centre in Gloucester. Sadly, after she suffered a including transport, accommodation and catering. For serious stroke she had to give up her painting, though she some years she was also treasurer of Gloucester Music was able to be encouraging and enthusiastic in her advice Society. to friends learning to paint themselves. She maintained a direct involvement with the Eventually her physical health deteriorated to a point Cheltenham Music Festival throughout, most notably where she had to sell her home in Estcourt Road and move through the Cheltenham Festival Society. She inevitably into Guild House, an excellent care home nearby in became its fine galvanising chairman who always urged Gloucester, and subsequently to Magdalene House in the Society members to make all visitors to the Festival same foundation, when her nursing needs became more welcome. “If you don’t know the person you are sitting demanding. She was treated well and with respect in both next to, introduce yourself,” she used to say. She always these homes, and with David and Barbara Seed (her former led by example, and remained active even after she next door neighbours) being her most regular visitors and relinquished the chairmanship at the age of 80 because of latterly looking after all her affairs, she was made as increasing deafness. comfortable as possible till the end. When George died, Eleanor was invited to become Vice Eleanor will be remembered by all who knew her as an President of Cheltenham Arts Festivals Ltd. She set up the exceptionally kind and friendly person. Her support for the George Budge Trust to perpetuate her husband’s memory Cheltenham Music Festival over the years is unsurpassed. which supported a concert each year at the Pump Room. She proof-read the programme book and carried on Jeremy Tyndall checking it through to the mid-1990s. When the Festival (Parts of this appreciation were first published in the 2008 was playing its part in helping Cheltenham Borough Festival programme book to coincide with Eleanor’s 90th Council to replace the Town Hall Steinway and to renovate birthday.) the existing one for the Pittville Pump Room Eleanor was 2 15494 CFS newsletter March 2014 8pp_August 2004 Newsletter 03/03/2014 12:55 Page 3 A Second Look at the Music Festival 2014 I had a feeling that this would be a vintage year for women 15 years, including the likes of Alison Balsom, Natalie Clein composers and I was right. There is now another name to be and Steven Osborne, so the three concerts by the present added to the list given in the last newsletter – that of Arlene crop should be well worth attending. And don’t forget Sierra – whose Butterflies will be premiered by Nicola talented local young musicians Catriona Holsgrove, Emily Benedetti and Friends on the evening of July 3rd. Harding and the 2014 Gloucestershire Young Musician of Composing Women will be the subject of a discussion with the Year who will perform at the Pump Room on Wednesday Judith Weir, Hannah Kendall and others in the Parliament 9th.