Cheltenham Music Festival Names New Artistic Director

Conductor and arts administrator Jack Bazalgette will step into the role

The UK's Cheltenham Music Festival recently announced that Jack Bazalgette will be its new Artistic Director. He has been appointed for an initial term of three years, and will present his first program for the festival in 2025 — the event's eightieth year.

Bazalgette is co-founder of the music production company through the noise, which presents classical music concerts in innovative and accessible formats and venues around London. He is also a conductor, singer, and animator.

As a conductor, Bazalgette is Associate Director of Tiffin Boys' Choir, has been chorusmaster of the Prague Symphony Orchestra, conducts the Malcolm Street Orchestra, and was Senior Conductor of the Cambridge University Symphony Orchestra.

The 2024 Cheltenham Festival will feature artists including Claire Hammond, Roderick Williams, and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.

"Cheltenham Music Festival has been at the heart of the UK’s classical music landscape for nearly 80 years," Bazalgette said. "It’s a real honor to have the opportunity to help take it into a vibrant future."

"Cheltenham has an astonishing history of commissioning new works and showcasing the world's most talented musicians," he continued. "Its year-round work with young people and schools is also crucial to introducing diverse audiences to the joy of classical music. As Cheltenham’s Artistic Director, I will be continuing this work while also seeking to expand its audiences – and our understandings of what live classical music can and should be in the twenty-first century."

"We could not be more excited about our future with Jack coming onboard for 2025," said Ian George, co-CEO of the Cheltenham Festivals charity. "In his trail-blazing concerts at KOKO, Camden Jazz Cafe and elsewhere, he has shown that it is possible to expand classical audiences while placing an absolute premium on artistic integrity and quality. That’s the place where we want Cheltenham Music Festival’s sustainable future to be located. We can’t wait to welcome audiences returning and new, this summer and many more to come."