Feedback 2010
Feedback from our Young Professionals 2010

About our Mentors 2010 -
Presenting the Artistic Director, Levon Chillingirian and his team of Mentors

Biographies of the Young Performers 2010

Music Programme 2010
Who is playing what and where - your definitive guide to the Festival

Programme Notes 2010
The definitive stories behind the music of the Festival by Richard Jeffcoat

Friends of Mendelssohn on Mull
Details of the Friend and how you too can help

Contact us

The Festival and its setting
Set in the outstanding natural beauty of the Inner Hebrides ....

About the Festival
How it began and also Who's Who in the Mendelssohn on Mull Trust

Funding

Useful Links
Links to ferry and accommdation, shopping, places of interest and things to do

THE FESTIVAL - THE FUTURE IN OUR HANDS 

Another festival over, and already we are planning next year. In the spirit of the age, we are looking for your input. Please tell us what we are doing right, so that we can do more of it, and what we are doing wrong so that we can change it.

Levon is writing separately about our musical ambitions and achievements, but I do have to say a few words on the subject. Sometimes I think I take our musical excellence for granted, so it is useful to be reminded just how good it is. New people turn up at a concert in a remote village hall on a Scottish island expecting I don’t know what, but leave utterly dumbfounded by the standard.

Yes, we are here to help young professionals and their more established colleagues, make music together, but what we have also been doing over the last 22 years is to build an ever bigger and ever more discerning audience. Even those who find us by mistake realise what a joy it is to hear such music played so well and come back year after year, on purpose, to find out more, to explore the repertoire and to follow the careers of the musicians. It would be good to think that by growing an audience we are contributing to the future of this most exacting art form.

It will be ever more difficult to raise funds for the arts from established sources. We have never been dependent on government funding, but we have relied on a small number of Trusts, who are themselves finding life very difficult with capital values following the stock market, and income dramatically reduced. It is really important therefore that we have such loyal Friends, who are willing to pay an annual subscription, and then still make extra donations, so that we can continue to keep the festival free to participants and to audiences. A new category of donor, our Guardians made the festival possible this year. Total funds raised from individuals in 2010 was nearly £20,000 or 50% of our Budget. Thank you.

We are always looking for new ways to engage with our musicians and our audiences, to promote the music as well as to raise funds. This year we can announce the formation of a new quartet, the Aros quartet, comprising Zhanna, Julia, Emma and Sabina, who were in Levon’s group. Through Friends spread throughout the country they already have engagements planned in Inverness, Wigtown, Manchester and Armagh. If you belong to a music society, perhaps you could invite them too. Would a database of  ‘alumni’ on the website be helpful/interesting? Are there any changes you would like to our printed programme? Is there anybody out there who would like to advertise in the programme to help defray costs?

Do you have any other ideas? For example, to make it easy to raise small sums from a larger number of people, I joined the Just Giving website but I don't know how to use it. Any help would be gratefully received. Would someone like to take this on? Would it help for instance if we were able to offer this possibility at any concerts held by any of our musicians? Kat set up a Facebook page last year but it is hardly used. Should we try to promote ourselves on Facebook or even on Twitter? If anyone has any specific expertise please do not feel shy about telling us, and offering us your skills.

I look forward to hearing from you, and to seeing you on Mull in 2011.

MARILYN JEFFCOAT, chairman of Mendelssohn on Mull Trust

What do you think? Click here to email me with your views and ideas or how you can help

PLEASE DO TELL US WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT THE FESTIVAL - email us, write to us! all comments will be welcome, whether bouquets, suggestions, information ....
HAVE YOUR SAY! Use this link

Last modified on Friday, July 23, 2010

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