This year is the Hampstead and Highgate Festival's tenth anniversary. Miriam Craig finds out about an arts
festival helping to nourish the traditions of tomorrow
World-renowned organist Jennifer Bate learnt
early in life the importance of supporting contemporary composers.
She says: "That was something my father organist HA Bate believed in very much when he was teaching me - if young people don't pick up the work of living composers, who is ever going to be doing it at a later stage?"
Dr Bate is one of the
musicians who will perform as part of this year's Hampstead and Highgate Festival, performing works by Bach, Messiaen and Liszt on May 10, and taking part in a celebration of Messiaen's work on May 15, to mark the centenary of the composer's birth.
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In 1990, Dr Bate became the third ever British person, after Sir Georg Solti and Sir Yehudi (later Lord) Menuhin, to receive the Personnalité de l'Année award for outstanding contribution to music. She is recognised as the world authority on organ works of Olivier Messiaen, with whom she worked extensively.
Dr Bate, who lives in Muswell Hill, says: "I've been involved in another festival run by George Vass that was extremely exciting. He puts together such a beautiful mix of old and new, tried and tested and exciting new discoveries. And he's a great entrepreneur where living composers are concerned."
Every year, artistic director Mr Vass commissions new work from composers to be performed at the festival.
He says: "We try to support as many contemporary composers as we can, particularly those who have a connection with Hampstead and Highgate. For example Adam Gorb, whose new work will be performed in the opening concert, was born and brought up in Hampstead. If you don't support the people who are out there writing, nothing will actually get written."
Mr Vass worked as
an orchestral percussionist before becoming a full-time conductor. Then, 16 years ago, his interest in arts programming began when he took over the Presteigne Festival in Wales, and this is his fifth year running the Hampstead and Highgate Festival.
Although Mr Vass's area of expertise means the festival has a heavy classical music slant, there are also literary events planned by former Radio 4 senior producer Piers Plowright, as well as jazz, blues, and art exhibitions. This year also includes comedy and musical theatre for the first time.
Helena Blackman, who came to national attention in the BBC talent show How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? will perform cabaret at Lauderdale House, in Highgate.
Like Mr Vass, the 25-year-old Ms Blackman says there is something of an art of choosing a programme; she likes to include less well-known songs by composers such as Andrew Lloyd Webber, Frank Wildhorn, and Rogers and Hammer-stein, varying the tempo and building up a loose narrative to the performance.
But she adds: "I want to make it quite simple, just a chilled Sunday afternoon where people can sit down with a glass of wine and some cabaret."
The Hampstead and Highgate Festival runs from Wednesday to May 17 at various venues. Ticket prices range from £1 to £20.
For more information see hamandhighfest.co.uk or call the box office on
0870 033 2733.
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