Recent news
Registered Charity 260887
President:
Gavin Henderson
Vice-Presidents:
Mrs Sheila McFarlane and Dr Michael Barley
European Festivals Association
elect Gavin Henderson as President
The President of the Brighton Orpheus Choir, Gavin Henderson, has
recently been elected as President of the European Festivals Association.
As the second director of the Brighton Festival in the 1970s, Gavin was responsible for
broadening its programme and introducing several features which remain today, such as the
literature festival and the children's parade. He also built up the open art houses, dance
and theatre in the Festival, now the biggest in England.
At the European Festivals Association's annual assembly in Wroclaw, Poland, at the end of
October 2003, he was elected for a
four-year term. More than 90 festivals are members and the national associations which
are included bring the festivals covered to more than 500.
Gavin Henderson said: "We must recognise that our family of festivals goes well
beyond the EU.
"Festivals are powerful gatherings, moments to share contradictions, times to
question established practice and, above all, celebrate the indefinable quality of human
achievement manifest in the arts."
Gavin Henderson is Principal of Trinity College of Music,
Artistic Director of the Dartington International Summer School and Chairman of the
National Foundation for Youth Music. He was Artistic Director of the Brighton Festival
from 1983 to 1994, prior to which he ran the South Hill Part Arts Centre at Bracknell,
where he created the Wide Theatre. In both Brighton and Bracknell he was closely involved
in producing dance work at both an international level and with projects of local
participation. He was Director of the York Festival and Mystery Plays in 1973 and 1976.
Gavin Henderson is Chairman of the Arts Council of England's Music Panel and Vice
President of the British Arts Festivals Association. His wide experience of working with
orchestras included a period as Chief Executive of the New Philharmonia Orchestra.
In our own area he has been a Governor of the University of Brighton from 1987 onward, and
is an Honorary Fellow of both the University of Sussex and of Brighton. He is chairman of
the Regency Society in Brighton and Hove, chairman of the Brighton Youth Orchestra,
President of the National Piers Society, a member of the board of the Brighton West Pier
Trust.
His many other roles include being President of the National Piers Society, a governor of
Chethams School Manchester, Chairman of Arts Worldwide/World Circuit Arts and also the
independent film and television company Palindrome Productions. From time to time he has
written for Classical Music, Tempo, The Musical Times, Stage and The Listener. He says his
recreations are cooking seafood and vintage motor-racing.