PETER
SMITH RETIRES FROM AUTUMN IN MALVERN
By
Christopher Morley
A footballer hangs up his boots when he comes to the end of
his playing career. I’m not sure what a veteran festival-planner does when he
retires, but whatever it is, Peter Smith will be doing it next month when he
completes 35 years as founder and director of Autumn in Malvern.
The festival does exactly what it says on the tin, marking
the beginning of this season of mists and mellow fruitfulness in this
beautiful, evocative, hilly corner of Worcestershire, and at the time of
writing this year’s programme is just about to begin.
Peter’s day job was actually as a
Scientific Officer in Materials Research for the MoD, Royal Signals & Radar
Establishment, Malvern. Malvern-born, he also served for 14 years as elected
member for the Priory Ward on Malvern Town Council, in which role he instigated
and delivered the large Buzzard and Skylark sculptures by Walenty Pytel in
Rosebank Gardens.
But it was his love of singing
that led to his founding of Autumn in Malvern. Fascinated by the music at Worcester
Cathedral and the Three Choirs Festivals, Peter formed and ran the vocal chamber group Aldwyn Voices, still
proudly performing today under Adrian Lucas, the latest in an impressive
sequence of professional conductors. At first he began modestly, promoting
weekends of classical music showcasing the Aldwyns and other musicians
alongside literary and visual events, until it developed into the six-week
event Autumn in Malvern has now become.
An element in the story was the demise of the Malvern
Festival, originally founded by Sir Barry Jackson in 1929, reborn in 1977
before after 15 years experiencing financial and other difficulties. Aldwyn Voices
had participated in every one of those festivals, and Peter picked up a few
pointers.
“From
the sidelines, I was able to closely observe how fundamental errors were made,
especially concerning financial matters, and despite that festival receiving
huge sums of money from the Arts Council and the Local Authority,” he
remembers. “I felt by starting modestly, I could establish a festival in the
autumn, with high quality artists, and specific themes each year.”
Thanks
to shrewd cultivation of generous and enlightened sponsors, Peter was able to
set up his festival on a firmer financial footing. “The Autumn in Malvern Festival, even with quite
specialist events, off the beaten track, gradually grew year after year. The
lesson learnt was to have enough funds, at the outset - before ticket sales -
to pay everyone. Relying on imagined ticket sales is dangerous.”
During its 35 years Autumn in Malvern has brought
performers, speakers and composers of the highest order, as well as a dazzling
array of visual and sculptural artists to these atmospheric hills. They include
the BBC National Orchestra of Wales (CBSO Music Director Kazuki Yamada
conducting the concert I reviewed a few years ag), the European Union Chamber
Orchestra, the Britten Sinfonia, instrumental groups from the CBSO, Michel Dalberto, Mark Bebbington, Mark
Padmore, Carlo Curley, Nigel Kennedy, Gyorgy Pauk, the Allegri String Quartet,
Roxanna Panufnik, Oleg Prokofiev (son of the great Sergei), Howard Jacobson…
These are just a few names picked out of a dazzling list.
Malvern Theatres will be inheriting an enviable history when they take over Autumn in Malvern after Peter’s retirement, along which way he has been awarded an MBE and a Fellowship of the Royal Society of Arts.
Also along that way he has followed a firmly defined
path.
“In one way it is more
than regrettable that you have received little, if any, public funding”, I
observe during our interview. “On the positive side, has this enabled you to be
independent and bloody-minded in your programming and recruitment of artists?”
Peter’s response is firm
and immediate. “Certainly independence is key to success regarding artistic and
financial control. In my experience, committees are not a good idea in this
context. Of course everyone is entitled to an opinion, but are these opinions
informed and based on deeper knowledge of the subject, and realistic in terms
of delivery within a limited budget? To deliver a festival over a long
period, year after year, requires sharp focus, mental endurance and
determination.”
Peter Smith has certainly
shown himself capable of those qualities.
Now approaching a well-deserved retirement, what are his plans?
Peter’s response is typically
matter-of-fact and business-like. “I have writing projects which need to be
completed, now that I will have time, without the distraction of the festival.”
His quiet, busy presence, with
all its organisational brilliance, will be missed every autumn in Malvern.
*Thia year’s Autumn in Malvern
Festival runs until October 29. All details on 01684 892277; www.malvernfestival.co.uk; malvernmusic@outlook.com
ends