Behind the Scenes with the BMF Festival Directors

Festival Directors, Julie-Anne Manning, Deirdre Brenner and Aisling Manning

2023 marks ten years of magnificent music making at the Boyne Music Festival. We’re thrilled to return to our home at Townley Hall for this year’s festival with concerts also taking place in St Peter’s Church of Ireland, Drogheda and the stunning ballroom at Slane Castle, a first for the festival this year. To mark the launch of this year’s exciting programme, we caught up with the team behind the festival to learn more about what’s involved and what they’re most looking forward to. 

What is the inspiration behind this year's festival?

This year’s festival is one of celebration, celebrating what we have achieved over the last ten years by returning to the familiar and much loved venue of Townley Hall with artists who have appeared at the festival over the last number of years. We’ll also be building new relationships and friendships, with some new faces our audiences haven’t met yet and exploring new venues in the area. - Julie-Anne Manning, Festival Director

What are you most looking forward to in this year's festival?

This year we open the festival at Slane Castle. This is the first time we will host a BMF event at the castle and I couldn't be more excited about this new partnership.  I can't wait to welcome audiences into the iconic ballroom for a glorious evening of chamber music. - Deirdre Brenner, Festival Director

What makes Townley Hall so special? 

Townley Hall is a masterpiece of architecture. Each summer when I arrive at the house and enter the central rotunda, with its spiral staircase, I feel so lucky and honoured to call it home of the Boyne Music Festival. The house is so wonderfully secluded, it’s like travelling back in time, a welcome break from busy, modern life. - Aisling Manning, Festival Director

2023 marks the 10th anniversary of Boyne Music Festival...what's your favourite memory from the last 10 years?

But there are so many!! Each summer is a unique experience with a unique group of artists so it's hard to pluck out a favourite moment. A few events that I'll never forget: 1) John Surman and Chris Laurence performing John's music written for improvising saxophone, double bass and string quartet 2) The collaborative creativity which became our digital Family Concert, "The Enchanted Forest" as part of our hybrid festival in 2021 (which by the way, is still free to watch on YouTube). It seemed that everyone staying at Townley Hall had a part to play in that process, from art direction to videography, illustration to music making. It was the kind of project only possible in a festival environment. 3) The world premiere of our commission "The Magdalene Songs" in 2022 which I performed together with mezzo soprano Naomi Louisa O'Connell was a particularly moving experience. - Deirdre Brenner

Amongst my favourite memories are the jazz evenings with jazz greats such as Louis Stewart, John Surman, Norma Winston and the Chris Laurence quartet. The music and atmosphere during the evenings were electric. Another highlight was our very first Family Concert, featuring the Carnival of the Animals. We are looking forward to bringing the work back again this year. It is such a fun piece for performers and audiences alike. The Family Concert will take place in St. Peter’s COI in Drogheda preceded by a children’s workshop led by festival regular and presenter extraordinaire, Jessie Grimes. - Julie-Anne Manning

What keeps you coming back to this festival every year? Why is it so special to you? 

Venues such as Townley Hall are where chamber music was meant to be heard. I’m passionate about keeping this tradition of chamber music alive and bringing it to the local community. Last year, one of our Young Artists was a previous participant at our Children’s Workshop. Who knows, in the future some of the children in this year’s workshop could be a BMF artist. - Aisling Manning

It could be said, Boyne Music Festival is very much a family affair, who's involved behind the scenes?

As with all festivals, the BMF is a gathering. It's a chance to bring friends, colleagues, and music lovers from near and far together each year. But for us, it's also an opportunity for our family to come together. Julie-Anne, Aisling and I are cousins and so in essence the management of the BMF is a family affair. In addition to that, the festival is powered by the volunteer support of many other members of our family: selling tickets, serving tea, cooking meals, moving chairs, you name it. We're so grateful for this generous support and look forward to this family gathering every year.  - Deirdre Brenner

Check out the full programme for this year’s festival now and mark the date in your diary as tickets go on sale on 18th April.