ARTS DIARY: A familiar festival face bids farewell.

Byline: BY GLYN MON HUGHES Daily Post Correspondent

FOR more than half its history, one face has fronted the Chester Summer Music Festival.

Now Andrew Burn is preparing to hang up his hat as festival artistic director after 15 years, longer than anyone else in the festival's 30-year history.

He was at the first festival in 1977 when the RLPO accompanied Janet Baker. "I was orchestral duty manager in a packed cathedral.

The festival had been founded by Martin Merry and Martin Cooke and, perhaps rather naively, they rang Janet Baker's agent to see if she was free and amazingly, for someone then at the top of a major international career, she was."

Four years later, Martin Merry commissioned a new piece from Edward Cowie, then composer-inresidence at Liverpool.

"I was asked to give a pre-concert talk about Cowie," said Burn.

"Chatting at a post-concert winetasting, both Martins asked if I would join the Festival Committee."

Burn joined the committee in 1983. Richard Hickox subsequently became artistic director but, after two years, became very busy and asked Burnto help set up the 1991 series of Lunchtime Concerts which still form part of the festival.

"And when Richard moved on, to my amazement, I was asked to become artistic director," added Burn, "and that caused total panic. I felt I could not follow Hickox."

Over the years, Burn has seen the festival move full-circle.

"We could afford to hire marketing and publicity people for six months of the year," noted Burn. "But after great expansion, the last three years has seen retraction."

Funding has always been forthcoming from Cheshire County Council, though Chester City Council was a comparative latecomer when it came to supporting the festival. But it is the Arts Council of England which has given the Festival most headaches.

"Early on, money was forthcoming," said Burn. In recent years, funding has declined and this year the festival had no Arts Council funding. The biggest thing I've seen come and go, artistically, are the park concerts," added Burn. "Some were hugely successful. But, given the size of Grosvenor Park, you needed four events and we eventually ran out of things which would work."

That and the weather. A few years ago, a summer washout led to major losses.

Yet there are many things of which Burn is proud.

"Developing the early music strand and introducing it into the Lunchtime series."

The Chester Festival Chorus has been another success story, not only for its performances in Chester but also at the BBC Proms in London, where it has appeared three times. "That's good for us nationally and helps cement relationships with local orchestras," added Burn.

Burn goes back to his job as Head of Education and Ensembles at the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra saying there's no question he'll miss the strong link with Chester.

"I've made lots of friends but the key thing was meeting my wife Caroline at the festival."

Over the years, the festival has moved full circle