New man picks up festival baton

THE husband of a former Culture Secretary has taken over as the new artistic director of Stratford-upon-Avon Music Festival.

David Mills, whose wife Tessa served in Tony Blair's Labour government, has taken over from the previous artistic director, Ambrose Miller, whose contract of several years expired after this autumn’s annual festival.

Mr Mills' first festival at the helm in September and October next year will include a final concert that is due to be broadcast by Classic FM.

“Many, many years ago I was chairman of the committee at Camden Council in London which put on the Camden Music Festival," said Mr Mills, who lives at Darlingscott, near Shipston.

"That was in the mid-1970s. We even put on rare operas, and one of our artists was Elisabeth Schwarzkopf!

“I hope we will bring people into classical music who have never experienced it before because all of these programmes have wonderful music in them.”

For a fuller interview with Mr Mills see the current edition of the Stratford-upon-Avon Herald, dated 24th November. To buy a e-edition CLICK HERE