News

“Can there be too much of a good thing? The Cambridge Summer Music concert last night was so full of wonder, jaw-dropping beauty and aural rapture, that it is tempting to report that a banquet can sometimes be over indulgence. The combination of forces were astonishing: the Britten Sinfonia, the Bach Choir, two superb soloists, singers from Addenbrookes Hospital (yes you read that correctly), and all in the magnificent backdrop of King’s College Chapel; mighty organ and fan-vaulted heavens above.”

Read the full review of this concert by Cambridge Critique.

Concert details

Image: Britten Sinfonia

We are looking for a volunteer to take on this important and interesting role. The Friends of CSM are a committed and loyal group whose support for the Festival is invaluable. Their interest and financial contributions are essential to enable CSM to continue to bring world-class music to the city every summer.

We are looking for someone to become an integral part of the CSM team to help us with the administration required for the smooth and efficient operation of the Friends membership scheme.

The role of the Friends Administrator
The main responsibilities of the Administrator would be to:

• get to know the Friends and welcome them at Festival concerts and special events
• monitor renewals and new member sign ups and update membership records
• take charge of communications with the Friends including welcoming new members and acknowledging membership renewals, sending occasional newsletters and invitations to Friends events
• monitor non-renewals and feedback to help CSM improve the scheme and encourage continued support

As a benefit of the role the Administrator will enjoy free admission to all CSM concerts and other CSM Friends events.

It would be helpful if the Administrator already has experience of managing a membership scheme but the most important attributes are enthusiastic support for the Festival, strong organisational skills and the ability to engage with our Friends and make them feel appreciated.

Find out more
We are hoping to fill this position as soon as possible. If you are interested in the role, or would like to find out more, please email:
CSM Trustee Clare Gilmour: clare.gilmour2@gmail.com

The Trustees of Cambridge Summer Music are delighted to announce the appointment of Ben Johnson, the acclaimed international tenor, as its new Festival Director. Ben will bring a unique combination of an outstanding performance career with the experience of founding and managing his own music festival. Ben will take his position immediately.

Henry Edmundson, Chair of CSM commented: “As Cambridge Summer Music moves to increase its scope and diversity, I am thrilled that Ben will be leading the CSM team. With his formidable reputation as a performer and his proven experience in other festivals, I have no doubt that he will steer Cambridge’s oldest music festival to even greater heights and ambitions.”

Of his appointment to Cambridge Summer Music Ben says: “I am thrilled to be joining Cambridge Summer Music as Festival Director. I join a passionate and enthusiastic team, and I thank them for their warm welcome. In a turbulent time for the UK Arts industry, I am particularly mindful of the value and privilege of providing world class music in the historic and beautiful city of Cambridge, something of great value to performers and audiences alike.”

Press release

• A special focus on the music of Vaughan Williams, to mark the 150th anniversary of his birth, including performances of On Wenlock Edgeand the Lark Ascending 
• Guy Johnston and Tom Poster performing works for cello and piano by Beethoven, Poulenc and Brahms
• Imogen Cooper with an enticing programme of piano works by Schubert, Ravel and Liszt 
• Schubert’s Octet and Beethoven’s Septet, performed by the Wigmore Soloists

• Mozart’s opera Così fan tutte, performed at Childerley Hall

• A Family Concert featuring a thrilling range of pieces, from Star Wars and Frozen, to West Side Story and Bohemian Rhapsody
• The Aurora Orchestra performing Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony from memory. Tickets for this concert are already available from Saffron Hall (https://www.saffronhall.com/whats-on).

Cambridge Summer Music (CSM) is seeking new Trustees to help the organisation scope a fresh vision that aims to serve a wide cross-section of the Cambridge population, putting quality and access at the heart of a new strategy. We are particularly looking for people with legal, financial or fundraising expertise.

Trustees are asked to:

• Share a passion for music of the highest quality and the belief that every member of the community should have access to it
• Attend board meetings four times a year
• Think strategically about the long-term future and management of the organisation, including its long-term financial resilience in challenging times

Download further information and job descriptions via the links below.

Applications to be sent to the CSM Chair  (henry.edmundson@cantab.net) by Friday 22 April

• General trustee job description
• Financial trustee job description
• Legal trustee job description
• Fundraising trustee job description

This is an exciting opportunity to make a mark at one of the UK’s most renowned music festivals. The role focuses, in collaboration with CSM trustees and volunteers, on the preparation of and day-to-day administration of the main festival in July, as well as some further events outside of the festival season.

The position acts as the main point of contact for the festival and will assist in co-ordinating all concert schedules, venue liaison, contracting, marketing, PR, concert management and box office, as well as all other duties pertaining to the role.

Download full job description

As the Faust Chamber Orchestra conducted by David Hill put the final flourishes on Gershwin’s “American in Paris”, Cambridge Summer Music’s two-week 2021 festival of over 30 concerts came to a brilliant and successful conclusion.

It was a question of triumph over adversity, with every step of the way threatened by COVID restrictions and protocol. In the end, concert-goers were treated to a spectacular range of concerts—piano, violin and cello recitals, a large selection of chamber music, two orchestral concerts, baroque harpsichord and operatic recitals, lieder, a children’s concert and more. It would be invidious to mention names—the detailed programmes can be seen here. Suffice to mention that several distinguished artists from Continental Europe negotiated COVID restrictions successfully and were on hand to perform as planned. Generous grants from the Delius Trust and the Cavatina Chamber Music Trust contributed hugely to our success, the latter providing over 400 young people, aged 8 to 25, free access to selected concerts.

Looking ahead, plans are underway for our Christmas concert, and 2022 looms large already.

Henry Edmundson, Chair

Henry Edmundson, Chairman of Cambridge Summer Music, writes:

It gives me great pleasure that this year’s festival features so strongly the music of Frederick Delius, and we are much indebted to the Delius Trust for their associated funding. Delius’s music became a passion in my teens and remains for me the quintessential evocation of dreamy, tranquil English landscapes—somewhat surprising since Delius spent most of his life in the US and France. At the end of his life, at his home in Grez-sur-Loing south of Paris, he famously dictated his last compositions to the young amanuensis Eric Fenby. I do hope you enjoy our selection of his music, which includes his cello sonata and the large orchestral tone poem Paris–Song of a Great City.

Cambridge Summer Music is delighted to become a partner of the Cavatina Chamber Music Trust which aims to develop the next generation of chamber music lovers and players.  Through the Cavatina Chamber Music Trust, Cambridge Summer Music is able to offer free entry for 25-year olds and younger to the wide range of chamber music we will be presenting at this year’s festival during the last two weeks of July. Our joint objective is to encourage as many young people as possible to attend this summer’s festival and experience the joy of live chamber music.

– Henry Edmundson, Chairman of CSM

“After a year without live performance, it gives me great pleasure to announce this year’s Cambridge Summer Music Festival featuring more than 30 concerts and over 100 musicians. These challenging times have highlighted how crucial live music is to us all and it has been inspiring to be working with musicians once again to plan this festival for you.”

Welcome to the all-new Cambridge Summer Music website! The whole CSM team has been involved in this project with the aim of creating a site that’s inviting and easy to use. We’ve also taken the opportunity to give ourselves a fresh look with a new logo and branding from local designer Jonathan Williams.

The Cambridge Critique praises CSM’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.