Artistic Direction
Stott has directed several successful music festivals and concert series in the north of England. In 1995, she organised a Fauré festival in Manchester to mark the composer's 150th anniversary. According to the Independent, the event was "transformed by her enthusiasm and her own sumptuous performances of this neglected composer's works." The success of the festival led to her appointment as Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et Lettres by the French government.
She directed two major piano festivals at the Manchester Bridgewater Hall in 2000 and 2003. As Stott considers "It's very important at an event like this that we should let people play", both festivals featured multiple Steinway grands that the public were allowed to try, as well as a variety of novelty pianos including a red "Ferrari" Steinway, an "exploded" piano revealing the internal workings, a grove of woven pianos, and a concert grand fitted with a pool which played a variety of watery sounds.
In 1998, Stott directed a concert series "Out of the Shadows" with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, featuring two neglected female composers, Clara Schumann and Fanny Mendelssohn. More recently, she has directed the series "Chopin: The Music and the Legacy" at Leeds College of Music (2004–5) and "Paris" at the Sheffield Crucible (2006). In 2008, she was appointed the musical director of the Manchester Chamber Concerts Society. She is also on the board of the Hallé Orchestra.
Read more about this topic: Kathryn Stott
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