Scot Baston
Now in its 22nd year the 2019 Dart Music Festival promises to bring us a dazzling line up of jazz, swing, folk and country performances this May. Also on offer is an impressive array of classical events with soprano soloists, orchestras and quartets a plenty. This year the festival has a brand new Classical Director, Paul Parsons, who’s making it his mission to raise the profile of classical music - Steph Woolvin had a chat with him…
54-year-old Paul Parsons has always had a passion for classical music ever since he heard a Beethoven piano concerto on his Dad’s reel-to-reel tape recorder. “I came from Bolton and you weren’t exactly popular if you admitted you liked classical music - so I didn’t broadcast the fact, but I took to it from a very young age.” As well as playing the violin, Paul, works professionally as a dealer and restorer of fine violins and has done so for the past 35 years. It is this, and his general enthusiasm for music, which prompted the Dart Music Festival committee to ask him to jump on board and head up their classical music section.
Paul has spent the past year preparing for the 2019 event. His first job was to get a knowledgeable team around him: “I noticed we had a few new people coming to the meetings so I grabbed them and now we have a brilliant band of dedicated people with, each with key skills. I have to give them a mention – there’s Beatrice Gay, Jenny Hayley, Jess Hayward and Jan Knott. For two years Jan did this more or less alone and did it fabulously” As this is the first festival Paul has helped organise he says he’s relying heavily on the blueprint that’s he’s inherited from his predecessor and he assures us his programme will continue to provide a perfect eclectic mix of music, instruments and artists.
The team have spent the past few months deciding which acts should perform and then sorting out all the logistics; like choosing appropriate venues and times. In this year’s line up we’ll be treated to a classical singer from Dartmoor who can perform in eight different languages, a violinist who has been a member of the English Chamber Orchestra, the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and in the English Symphony Orchestra. Dartmouth Orchestra will also make an appearance. “As well as introducing new faces at the festival, I think it’s important to showcase local talent and promote the fantastic music that is on our doorstep,” Paul explains.
As time goes on the classical team hope to grow and improve their section. Paul wants to open up the genre to everyone and to dispel the myth that classical music is the preserve of cultured, older people – only enjoyed by those with sophisticated tastes: “I really want to get more people interested in classical music and show them the variety and choice that is out there. I am also hoping to get more young musicians involved. The festival is a great platform for them. I have worked with many students and know that talented young soloists and ensembles often don’t have a springboard to promote themselves, especially after graduating.”
Paul has been involved with music in one way or another since he was a child. After leaving school he went on to study music and developed a particular fascination with how instruments are made and restored, especially violins. When he was 19 he approached a violin specialist in Manchester called David E Vernon who taught him all about restoration, taking over the company in 1989.
The company, established in 1964, dealt with instruments for students of Chetham’s School of Music, The Royal Northern College of Music and members of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and most of the North West’s principal orchstras, which I continued to build upon. “Restorers look at instruments differently to the musicians. For them it’s a tool of their trade, for us it’s all about preservation. We work with them all day long and bring them back to life - I guess we are artists, craftsmen and scientists all at the same time.”
After over 35 years working in Manchester he and wife Charlotte decided to leave their frantic city life and retreat to the country. “I have always loved Devon. I have had many family holidays here with fond memories of lazy summer days on the beach. A couple of years ago we came down to visit friends in Salcombe. We had such a lovely time. On the motorway heading back up North Charlotte and I turned to each other at pretty much the same time and said ‘I don’t want to go back to Manchester!’ That was it; we started house hunting in the South Hams straight away. It was a decision of the heart not the head.” The couple found a house in Slapton and Paul now works from home and he says he hasn’t looked back.
Dart Music Festival is a free three-day event. This year it takes place on the 10th, 11th and 12th of May in venues across Dartmouth. Go to www.dartmusicfestival.co.uk to find out more.