It is with great sadness that the 2020 Music at Paxton Chamber Music Festival has been cancelled due to the Covid-19 crisis. While we welcome expert opinion that suggests the overall situation may have improved by July, we must also acknowledge the likelihood that any return to restriction-free normality will be further down the line. With health and safety considerations for our audience, musicians, staff and volunteers being our top priority, the decision to cancel has therefore become unavoidable.
There has been extensive planning in the preparation of the 2020 Festival, not least the collaboration with many individuals and partnership organisations. We are especially conscious of the seismic impact that current measures are having on the livelihoods of musicians, and in response we are inviting all those due to appear this summer to return to Paxton at the earliest possible opportunity.
As a charity, Music at Paxton relies to a major degree on the generous support of individuals. In order to get through these extraordinary times, and to ensure that we can once again share the joy that live music brings in the unique Paxton setting, we need those contributions more than ever. We would be enormously grateful if you would consider making a donation to help us fulfil this aim.
On a more optimistic note, we are exploring the idea of presenting a concert in October which we hope will mark an end to the crisis. We invite you to return to this site for updates on our progress.
For now, all of us at Music at Paxton would like to send you our very warmest wishes and look forward to welcoming you back to the Festival in 2021.
Angus Smith,
Artistic Director
