The Mill Hill Music Festival Diary Day 4 - Cellophonics at St Pauls Church

Fancy being part of the team who organises a music festival? What do you need to do? Well there are several things. First of all have a love of music. Secondly, have something to offer the team. We meet monthly for a year before the festival to sort out the programme, book halls, agree the website and publicity text, get artists and work out budgets. Then you have to give up a week of your life for the actual festival. Most of all, you need to love music. Think you could do that, get in touch (https://millhillmusicfest.co.uk/contact/)

Last night we passed the half way point, the fourth of our seven events. It was our classical music night at St Pauls with the amazing Cellophonics band. They are a cello quartet, made up of some of the UK's finest cello players. Of all the events we host, the classical event is perhaps the most niche. Usually we get an audience of 50-70. Our ethos is to run as a not for profit festival and put on the best music we can, across the spectrum. When we plan the budget, we work on a break even basis. So each event we work aound these parameters. Most years, events attract around the same sort of crowd. This year, we saw a massive upturn in interest for the classical night. We had around 120 people. It is actually a great valuye night, as we gave a free glass of rather good wine, which would cost a tenner a glass in a posh winebar in London! Mill Hill Wines do a fine job supplying the best wines at a very reasonable price! The show last night was quite amazing. The highlight was a world premier for a new composition, Soliloquy by Simon Baggs, introduced by the composer himself!. The band got a standing ovation and the audience were highly appreciative. 

My day? Well we had to get supplies from the Cash and carry. I went down and covered the desk at the studio, whilst my studio manager and an assistant drove up. When they were back, I did a quick trip to the gym, then up to St Pauls at 6pm to deliver supplies. My main job was as doorman and directing people around the hall. After the sbow, we loaded the glasses and leftover supplies up, along with the rubbish and we all went home. 

It was a stunning success. Onto the Jazz night with The Jazz Dynamo's.