The History of Chipping Campden Music Festival
The Chipping Campden Music Festival is an International classical music festival based in the ancient town of Chipping Campden, ‘the jewel of the Cotswolds' nestled in the heart of rural England in an area of outstanding beauty. The Music Festival was established in 2002 over a bottle of wine between friends in the kitchen of the Festival Founder, Charlie Bennett, and since then has grown into one of the UK’s most prestigious Classical Music events.T he Music Festival runs for a fortnight annually in May, stages around 20 concerts, performed by some of the world's greatest musicians to an audience totalling over 5000 people. The majestic 800 year old St James' Church is our concert hall and it is the extraordinary acoustic in this historic building that attracts both musician and audience from around the world, an acoustic described by Sir Alfred Brendel as “one of the finest acoustics I encountered in my 60 year career”.
The Music Festival firmly believes in supporting and inspiring the next generation of musicians and integrated into and around the Festival are several well established, long term schemes dedicated to this aim.
We have built a highly acclaimed side by side teaching orchestra, The Chipping Campden Festival Academy Orchestra or CCFAO (est. 2008) for Conservatoire graduates on the cusp of their professional career who spend a week at the Festival working alongside seasoned pros hand-picked from Europe's best orchestras. This unique scheme (50% experienced professionals and 50% students) creates a bespoke orchestra each year, auditioning around 200 graduates for the 25 student chairs. During the Festival the CCFAO performs 3 concerts to sell out audiences, sharing the stage with world class soloists in concerto performances. Many of our alumni now work in orchestras around the world. The whole community supports this scheme offering accommodation, refreshments, transport, and a listening ear to the 50-member orchestra during their stay in the town.
For younger musicians, we have developed a vibrant, immersive year-round education programme reaching around 700 children annually, offering local students free instrumental lessons from experienced musicians, a tiered youth orchestra scheme, free Festival concert tickets and inspirational workshops from Festival performers.
For the wider community, we have established and support the Campden Community Chorus (est. 2013) with around 60 members ranging in age from 17 - 87, meeting weekly and performing regularly to local audiences.
In 2010, The Chipping Campden Literature Festival was founded as a complimentary Festival to the Music Festival, and takes place in the week prior to the Music Festival. It is renowned for presenting a series of thought provoking, original, and wide-ranging events featuring some of the world's greatest writers. Since 2010 the Literature Festival has grown in size, reputation and popularity, now attracting over 3000 audience members to over 50 events - a mix of intimate and large scale talks, lectures and discussions, held in venues around the town of Chipping Campden and reaching into the heart of the community.
The two Festivals are overseen by the same board of Trustees under the umbrella of The Chipping Campden Music Festival Charity.
Our Charitable Objectives
Promotion and arrangement of concert performances, literature events and music educational activities.
Governing committee
The Chipping Campden Music Festival received Charitable status in 2005, and is governed by a board of Trustees who are:
Ailsa Scott, David Roberts, Arthur Cunynghame and Suzanne Smith.
Suzanne Smith was appointed in 2024 to replace Richard Stephens, one of the original trustees who stepped down in 2023, due to age and health. Founder Charlie Bennett was an original Trustee, but stood down when he became Festival Director in 2007.
More information about us on The Charity Commission of England and Wales website can be found here
Current Management
Festival Founder, Charlie Bennett served as Artistic Director of the Music Festival until 2023 when he stepped back to focus on the Literature Festival. The Music Festival is now run by Charlie’s two colleagues, Jessica May (Co Director) and Thomas Hull (Artistic Director). Tom and Jessica have both been closely involved in the Festival from the early days and are supported by a seasonal team of 6 paid members of staff and a network of over 20 volunteers who offer their services as front of house, hosting and catering staff. Their first two Festivals (2024 and 2025) have been met with universal approval, growth in ticket sales and increased financial support from key donors.
The Literature Festival is run by Charlie Bennett (Co-Artistic Director) and Vicky Bennett (Co-Artistic Director and Founder) supported by a seasonal team of 2 paid members of staff and a network of over 15 volunteers who help with the day to day operations of the Literature Festival. Since 2023, the ticket sales and audience size has doubled from c1600 - c3100 due to a more ambitious and wide-reaching programme of events as well as the opening of a new community theatre with a bigger auditorium and a perfect venue for the spoken word. In 2025, the Literature Festival produced their first play – Samuel Becket’s Waiting for Godot – to great acclaim. The success of this production will pave the way to similar projects from the Literature Festival team.
Our Mission
To build on our achievements and reputation to date and establish Chipping Campden as a world-renowned centre of music and literature excellence, providing world class concerts and events with the development of young talent at our heart.
Music Festival Core Values
- Excellence in all we do – not compromising on quality of performance and keeping music at the core of our output.
- Artistic Integrity – working with world class artists and emerging artists on the cusp of major international careers. Curating thought provoking and beautiful programmes and bringing the best musicians in the world to this pocket of rural England.
- Cultural Development – stimulating and developing the minds of our youth, our community, our audiences and our performers.
- Mutual Respect – treating all with respect and consideration.
Music Festival Short/Medium term Goals
- To build on our reputation as an internationally recognised festival and continue to bring the very best musicians to the region.
- To continue to stage concert performances of the highest quality to our supporters in the Cotswolds.
- To develop a programme of practical and inspirational musical education for local students of every level.
- To inspire confidence in future donors, by demonstrating tangible and successful outcomes from these projects and securing funding for long term goals.
Education Ambitions
- To sustain a long-term programme of practical and inspirational musical education for local students through the support of benefactors aligned with this as a focus.
- To inspire greater uptake in classical music instrumental lessons for next generation performers.
- To see young musicians in the region go through a 15 cycle: learn an instrument through involvement in CCMF projects; study at Conservatoire/Tertiary Education; return as student of CCFAO or young artists scheme; become a music professional and ‘pass it on’ to the next generation.
Literature Festival Goals
To continue to bring a diverse range of literature events and people to engage with audiences in Chipping Campden.
Past and Current Activities
The programme for the May 2026 Festivals can be found here.
Student applications for the May Orchestra can be submitted between September and November 2025. We will audition all candidates in January and February 2026.
Our past Festivals can be found via this link https://www.campdenmayfestivals.co.uk/music/past-music-festivals
Currently we have 7 schools involved in our education work, involving over 700 children. Our education work can be found here: https://www.campdenmayfestivals.co.uk/music/community
Future planned activities
In addition to the May Festival planning, we are exploring the possibility of a summer performance of West Side Story in St James Church, reconvening our May orchestra, building a youth/community chorus alongside world class soloists.
This will provide more opportunities for our players, students and give our audiences a thoroughly exhilarating summer show.
Last word from a legend
Sir Bernard Haitink, the late Maestro and long-time supporter of the Festival said the following, just a year before he left us. “The Chipping Campden Music Festival brings world class artists – and also young musicians starting their professional journeys – to a wonderful venue. After a long lifetime as a performer, having the chance to be part of the audience and to hear concerts of outstanding quality in such a setting is the purest joy”.
