Today, the City of London Festival announced the appointment of Paul Gudgin to succeed Ian Ritchie as Festival Director.
Paul’s expertise spans all corners of the festivals world. He was appointed Director of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in April 1999, where he oversaw a considerable expansion and international growth, with ticket sales doubling from 800,000 to 1.6 million during his eight-year tenure. Following his time at the Fringe, Paul established his consultancy working on a wide range of international festival projects with organisations such as the British Council, the Australian Centre for Event Management, Ontario Arts Council, and Events Tasmania. Previously, Paul has also held posts at the Aldeburgh Festival and the Bury St Edmunds Festival where, over five years, he extended the event from a small cluster of productions into a busy sixteen-day festival described by The Times as “one of the best small Festivals in Britain” and one of the regions’ cultural highlights.
Paul Gudgin said:
“It is a real privilege to be a part of this great festival, which annually reflects on the extraordinary history, architecture, people, and ambition of this city. I am excited to be given the opportunity to develop a vision to take the Festival into the future.” “As we explore the numerous possibilities offered by the post-Olympic cultural legacy, there has never been a better time to build on the potential offered by the Festival’s incredible 50-year history to showcase the very best that the City has to offer.“
The 2013 Festival – Director Ian Ritchie’s final edition after eight years at the helm – takes place between 23 June to 26 July and will offer another entertaining, innovative, and thought-provoking programme reflecting on the ideas of war and peace and also the theme of trees. The creation of major projects and new works has been inspired by significant anniversaries, notably the 400-year relationship between the City of London and Derry~Londonderry and the 300th anniversary of the Treaty of Utrecht; and the Festival also celebrates the 100th anniversary of Benjamin Britten – one of Britain’s most important composers. For further information, please visit our what’s on the page here.
Image credit: Paul Gudgin at Grange St Paul’s Sky Bar
