The inaugural multi-arts Nevill Holt Festival of opera, classical concerts, art exhibitions, author and broadcaster conversations, theatre and comedy performances and contemporary music has sold 12,000 tickets, which represents a six fold increase on last year’s solely Opera offering, with 75% of audiences attending Nevill Holt for the first time.
The programme was conceived and curated by Guest Festival Director James Dacre across three and a half weeks in June and saw 150 artists collaborating across artistic genres to create 60 events including 6 world premiere commissions in Nevill Holt’s 400 seat theatre, 80 seat chapel and pop-up marquees across 10 acres of glorious gardens.
The Festival also engaged 2,000 young people in education and (with the support of generous partners) provided reduced price tickets for hundreds of young audience members and their families, and community groups across the East Midlands.
Chair of the Board, James Hunt, said “This year, our founding patron David Ross and the Board of Trustees at Nevill Holt Festival decided to significantly broaden our artistic offering in order to attract a new audience to Nevill Holt, and we’re thrilled that initial figures show that the Festival team have succeeded in doing so, with three quarters of all attendees visiting the festival for the first time, whether to attend exhibitions, our acclaimed run of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, sold out concerts of new music from Cécile McLorin Salvant, Jalen Ngonda, Ronnie Scott’s Orchestra and Alexis Ffrench, live podcasts from the likes of Elizabeth Day and Alice Roberts or packed talks from some of the world’s most celebrated artists.”
