Town wide celebrations for 150th birthday of Gustav Holst

There will be concerts, plays, dance, exhibitions, and a variety of community curated events and projects. The celebrations will also include a free community event in Imperial Gardens on Holst’s birthday on Saturday 21 September 2024.

The celebrations have been made possible by a £30,000 Arts Council England National Lottery Project grant. Other funders include The Summerfield Charitable Trust, The Peter Stormonth Darling Charitable Trust, The Trafford Fund, and The Patricia Routledge Foundation.

Laura Kinnear, curator at the Holst Victorian House, said: “We are hugely proud of Holst’s national and international cultural impact, and this is a great opportunity to celebrate the life, work, and legacy of one of Cheltenham’s most famous sons.”

Helen Mole, head of place marketing and inward investment at Cheltenham Borough Council, said: “Cheltenham is rightly proud of Holst and what he achieved during his life, and we are looking forward to celebrating that legacy this year for the 150th anniversary of his birth. There are some fantastic events and activities already planned and I’d encourage everyone to get involved in some way. We’d love to hear ideas from the community about how they’d like to celebrate this occasion.”

More information about events planned for the celebrations can be found on Visit Cheltenham’s website. The page will be kept up to date as further plans are confirmed.

For more information about Holst Victorian House visit their website.

Anyone interested in getting involved is invited to contact Niki Whitfield, Holst 150 coordinator, on [email protected]. Organisers are also actively seeking sponsorship from local businesses to enhance the planned programme of activities.

For media enquiries to Cheltenham Borough Council, contact: email [email protected] telephone 01242 264231.

For enquiries about the Holst 150 celebrations, contact Niki Whitfield, Holst 150 coordinator, on [email protected].

Image single use only: Holst Statue in Imperial Gardens, Cheltenham. Image Credit: Visit Cheltenham.

Notes for editors:

About Gustav Holst

Gustav Holst was an English composer, arranger and teacher. He is best known for his orchestral suite, The Planets, where each of the planets in the solar system is represented with a distinct character. People might be most familiar with the ‘Jupiter’ movement, the melody of which is used for ‘A World in Union’ – the theme song for the Rugby World Cup.

Partners

Partners include Holst Victorian House, Cheltenham Borough Council, Cheltenham Festivals, The Playhouse Theatre, The Everyman Theatre, the University of Gloucestershire, and PlayLa.bZ. The funding bid was led by Holst Victorian House, a museum celebrating Victorian life and also Holst’s birthplace, located on Clarence Road in Cheltenham.

Funding

The celebrations have been made possible by a £30,000 Arts Council England National Lottery Project grant. Other funders include The Summerfield Charitable Trust, The Peter Stormonth Darling Charitable Trust, The Trafford Fund, and The Patricia Routledge Foundation.