Dartington Music Summer School & Festival 2020 – Update 2 April 2020

The Dartington Hall Trust announced its decision today to cancel this year’s Dartington Music Summer School & Festival due to the uncertainly caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis.

Alan Boldon, Managing Director, The Dartington Hall Trust ‘It is with great sadness that we have taken the difficult decision to cancel the Summer School & Festival 2020, but due to the uncertainty around travel and safely gathering people together, we cannot risk the health and wellbeing of our artists, participants and audiences. This is the first time the Summer School & Festival has had to be cancelled in 72 years. We are particularly sad that these steps have been taken during the first year of the incoming Artistic Director, Sara Mohr-Pietsch, but we are committed to planning the 2021 programme which we will announce later this year.

We recognise the impact this will have on our artists, and our unique community of music makers who come to the beautiful Dartington Hall Estate to be inspired by music every summer. We look forward to welcoming people back to Devon in 2021.’

Sara Mohr-Pietsch, Artistic Director ‘I am incredibly sad that we won’t be able to come together as a community for what would have been a glorious summer of music – something we all long for now more than ever. I have been humbled by the generosity of the remarkable artists whose creativity and curiosity were at the heart of the 2020 Festival programme. I have also been touched by the warmth and dedication of the participants who come regularly to our historic Summer School, and by the openness of the new listeners I have encountered through our Listening Clubs. I applaud the hard work and resilience of the arts team at Dartington, and am grateful for their support. I am deeply sorry to let down everyone who was to be involved. I sincerely hope that we will gather next summer to play music, sing joyfully, lament, listen, and find our way through this frightening and uncertain time together.’