Festival history

The Leith Hill Music Festival (LHMF) was founded in 1905 by Margaret Vaughan Williams, sister of the composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, and Lady (Evangeline) Farrer, wife of Lord Farrer of Abinger Hall. Ralph Vaughan Williams was the festival conductor from 1905 to 1953. The present festival conductor is Jonathan Willcocks (appointed in June 2016).

The music festival consists of various independent choral societies and choirs who come together under the organisation of the Festival to perform the concerts and competition for each season. A season starts in mid March and includes the mid-March concert of a major choral work such as J. S. Bach's St Matthew, St John Passion or Handel's Messiah (latest addition) and then the main Festival usually in first week of April but definitely avoiding Easter if it falls in April. There are 11 choirs participating in the festival which are split into 2 divisions for competitions and concerts over the Festival.