Ruby Hughes & Joseph Middleton recording
The Music Room at Champs Hill is thrilled to celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2024. This significant milestone marks a quarter-century of bringing the highest-quality music-making to the area, dedication to emerging artists and lesser-known repertoire unlikely to be heard elsewhere.
As part of the 25th-anniversary celebrations, The Music Room will host an array of performances by world-class musicians. The schedule includes specially curated concerts from Roderick Williams, the Belcea Quartet and Quator Ebene, in the same concert performing Mendelssohn’s stunning Octet.
The Music Room was the brainchild of Mary and David Bowerman, who set about building the state-of-the-art concert hall at home in West Sussex in 1999, when David retired from a 40 year career in farming. The mission was, and remains: to give a platform to emerging artists, and promote lesser-known repertoire that deserves to be heard. To that end, they later founded Champs Hill Records, giving artists the opportunity to produce an all-important album early in their careers. The label uses The Music Room as its recording studio to this day.
Over the last 25 years, The Music Room has hosted a rich tapestry of performances and recordings, by such acclaimed artists as Simon Keenlyside, Nikolai Demidenko, James Gilchrist, Steven Isserlis, Dame Felicity Lott & Graham Johnson, Chloe Hanslip, Jack Liebeck, Julian Lloyd-Webber, Viktoria Mullova, Richard Rodney-Bennett, Amanda Roocroft, Nicky Spence, and Roderick Williams. Speaking about The Music Room, Williams comments: “It’s a beautiful place to be. You look out of the windows in between pieces, and you see the Downs stretching out in front of you. They have the most gorgeous garden, and an amazing rockery. As you look around, you find sculptures sprinkled here and there. It’s a remarkable place to be and to record.”
David Bowerman sadly passed away in 2020. Mary Bowerman now guides The Music Room forward, and is at the helm for the 25th anniversary celebrations. She comments: “Over the past quarter-century, we have had the privilege of bringing incredible musicians and audiences together in an extraordinary setting. We have witnessed countless transcendent performances and supported the growth of many talented artists. This anniversary is a testament to David, and to the support we have received from our local and artistic community, without whom none of this would be possible.”
For more information about The Music Room at Champs Hill and updates on the 25th anniversary celebrations, please visit www.thebct.org.uk.