About the Festival

‘Sublime’
‘I have been coming to the Gala concert since the first one – a highlight of the Musical Year’
‘To have such easy access to such brilliant performers is really a wonderful bonus’

The Investec International Music Festival brings world-class artists to perform in beautiful venues in the Surrey Hills, in early May each year.

After studying at the Royal Academy of Music, we were keen to bring our musician friends back home to where we both grew up, to fill the Surrey Hills with the sound of music. In 2010 we founded the Festival with three days of concerts given by artists including Nicola Benedetti and Lucy Crowe. Now in its tenth season, the Festival is going from strength to strength. Past artists have included Dame Sarah Connolly (Festival Patron), Natalie Clein, Dmitry Sitkovetsky, Maxim Rysanov, The English Concert, The London Mozart Players and many other eminent international artists and conductors.

Our venues are beautiful and create a wonderful sense of closeness to the performers and to their music. A warm spirit of friendship and enthusiasm exists amongst audience members at concerts and we are very lucky to have such a loyal and supportive community around the festival. In fact, why go to Vienna, Paris, New York or even London when you can see international stars in the Surrey Hills? The Festival weekends offer visitors wonderful walking and many enjoy opportunities for pre-concert dining either at the venue or in country pubs and restaurants.

IIMF is a registered charity and in addition to putting on concerts, the Committee commits to promoting music to children through special pricing for under 21’s and supporting the Royal Grammar School Strings Scheme. The Festival also provides a performance platform for top post-graduate students from the Royal Academy of Music in London, which is a valuable opportunity for those starting a professional musical career.

We would like to thank Investec and all of our sponsors, Friends, volunteers, our Board of Trustees and of course you, the public, for helping us to continue to ensure the Surrey hills are filled with the sound of music.

Tessa Marchington & Wu Qian