A private, or at least an unassuming, steward of the Windsor Festival, Martin sees his job as serving the festival, rather than the festival being an expression of his vision. His approach engenders a palpable and unmistakable support across the board.
Born in the Canadian Red Cross at Taplow, Martin went to Clewer Green primary school and then on to serve in the choir for St Georges’ school, Windsor Castle. His parents are still working and living here in the town, Martin is very much a local man. He feels his love of Windsor is a great part of what he brings with him when it comes to running it’s flagship arts festival.
A festival that has inspiring foundations; the original idea for it was put forward in 1968, by Robin Woods, Dean of Windsor, whose idea was that it would be “a new dimension of public participation, Windsor, with the castle at its heart and Eton at its feet, is ideally suited to a week of music-making and entertainment.” In 1969 Yehudi Menuhin, one of the twentieth century’s violin virtuosi, and Ian Hunter, singer-songwriter, became the Artistic Advisors and the festival was born.
With Martin behind it now for nearly a decade, it is, arguably, at it’s best. Something those around him say Martin strives for at every turn. “Although I would always refute any charge of being elitist,” Martin’s opinion is “Whatever your experience is, you want the experience to be of a high quality.”
When you are in conversation with him he consistently refers to setting a standard and then providing value. “If you want to go to the state apartments of Windsor Castle for a wonderful, lifetime experience, a gorgeous evening out, put on your black-tie, drink champagne and listen to Tchaikovski”
“It is the same if you are simply going to go for a walk around Windsor, it’s going to be the very best we can provide, we are going to use a very good guide, it will be the best walk you can have”
2009 marks the 40th year of the Windsor Festival and Martin says “This is hugely special because every mark of time represents significant achievement. It is also a good time to reflect on changes, take stock, and extend our short-term memory a bit, and also to thank people. Those are the sort of things that anniversaries should do; they are not particularly interesting in themselves, it is what you do with an anniversary.”
For Martin, it is about how he and his team respond to an anniversary, what can Windsor say about this anniversary, with the 40th, what should the festival say about itself, or say to other people about being around 40 years.
“As a team we can look at where we are now and say we are true to the original vision, but it’s a much more dynamic beast than it was.”
It is certainly more broad-reaching, the schools programme, one of Martin’s own initiatives, is intended to give the best opportunity possible for local children to see what they do in the class room has value outside of the syllabus. “It’s about how we can provide public exhibition for work they are doing anyway, we don’t want to lumber them with extra work, but use what they already do in the classroom. We are just saying that what you have here has value beyond what you may already be able to realize, or appreciate.”
“You can help in that way, you can publish writing for people who would never get their work published normally, you can put their paintings up in Ascot race course and 30,000 people will walk past them over a weekend. It is takes the pupils away from the classroom, by that, they somehow see that creative activity in itself has value.”
Another initiative brought in under Martin’s administration, the International String Competition, had it’s inaugural year in 2008, and is not just a nod to Lord Menuhin’s original influence of the festival, it builds a legacy on his desire to provide more opportunities for young musicians. Martin wants it to be “for people who have worked very hard, often at great investment, in a particular talent.”
“We are going to recognize it and we are going to give them this opportunity.”
And, he believes it is important not to do that just for the winner, but also for the semi-finalists, “They get a public recital, for which they are paid, and they can put Windsor Festival on their CV, and we will then, as is fit, mentor them, advice them, give them what opportunities we can open up for them.”
This idea of consistent support is born out, as the winner comes back the following year and performs in a Gala concert. The first winner, Brian O’Kane performed Elgar’s ‘cello concerto, with the Philharmonia Orchestra, led by the world-renowned Russian pianist and conductor, Vladimir Ashkenazy.
Martin insists all of this – the encouragement of local school children, the developement of young musicians, the extensive access to literary and music events in unique venues – the whole festival is only here because people want it to be. “It invites people to look at their town again, I think that’s why you would have a local festival, it’s clearly not a tourist thing and we come, we meet people, and we become a new community, we become friends.”
Asked what sentence he hears most often in his head, Martin says “Am I getting it right”. There is not a hint of insecurity in this question, it is a defining line he draws all decisions back to.
That seems to be the key to his success, both as festival director and as a person, he believes in what he is doing, whatever it is, and for carefully considered reasons.
There is a modest enthusiasm that is very infectious about Martin too. The interesting thing is that when you meet him you are struck first by his smile, it is something that takes over his whole face. The next thing you notice is how much you are willing to agree to help organise anything he is asking for your help with.
People around him, who work with him, socialize with him, or both, are drawn to him, he inspires commitment and has immense drive. They are there, as friends and colleagues, because they believe in him, and know he gives back twice as much as he asks of anyone. He also makes sure you have apples from his uncle’s allotment to take home.
For a full programme of events www.windsorfestival.com
Windsor Festival is on Facebook
With thanks to Gareth Dayus-Jones for the photograph. Gareth is a member of the Windsor Photographic Society.
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