LDSM announces 2010 festival programme and new base for 2011
Wednesday, 14 April 2010
Launching their 2010 International Festival programme, Lake District Summer Music today also announced a new home for its International Summer Music Academy from August 2011: Windermere St Anne's School. Andrew Lucas, LDSM Senior Executive Officer, said: “The new base for our International Summer Music Academy will bring some exciting additional benefits and is an exciting development we have been working towards for several years.”
Facing a £20m deficit, the University of Cumbria announced that it is to "mothball" its Ambleside campus from September - for the past quarter of a century the home for LDSM's residential summer school for young professional musicians which runs alongside the Festival.
'But rumours of our demise have been greatly exaggerated,' says Andrew Lucas. 'The 2010 International Festival and Summer Music Academy launched today with one of our strongest programmes in our 25 year history. Our children's Young String Venture course is already based at Elleray, their preparatory school, and this prime site now fulfills our ambition to bring the whole summer school programme together.'
'The Lake District is well known to be the most beautiful countryside in the world, scientifically-proven by German scientists if proof were needed. We were already identified as the most beautifully located festival in the world, and with our inspiring new location at Windermere St Anne's, which hosts one of the best views over the Lakeland fells, we now have a campus to match!'
This year's International Festival runs from 30 July to 15 August in 2010. It features, amongst others, The King Singers, a rare opportunity to hear the Beethoven Diabelli Variations played by Andreas Staier on an instrument from Beethoven's own period, Gregor Horsch, principal cellist of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Raphael Wallfisch, Leon McCawley, the Chilingirian and Škampa quartets, amongst many other international musicians and ensembles.
Commenting on the move, Windermere St Anne's Headmaster Ian Lavender says: 'We are delighted to extend this partnership of Windermere St. Anne's School and the LDSM to host the International Summer Music Academy next summer in August 2011, and for many years to come.'
'This important event on the international music calendar not only brings wonderful opportunities to the school and increases our international profile, it also strengthens our shared message that the Lake District is a centre of excellence for the creative arts. We are keen to be involved with the local community and support this effort. As a Round Square school, this fits in with our ethos of serving the international community and music is a universal language which reaches out to all cultures.'
Copies of all LDSM's two summer school leaflets are published on their website. A full Festival Diary detailing all works, artists and other events in the 2010 International Festival will be available from the end of April.
For more information call LDSM on 08456 44 21 44.
For more information about this media release, to arrange interviews, or secure photographs please contact: Andrew Lucas, Senior Executive Officer, Lake District Summer Music on 07968 536368 or email andrew@ldsm.org.uk.
