Maria Semushkina brings live jazz to the Surrey hills
International producer launches countryside concert series with intimate event at Botley Hill, 2 October
Maria Semushkina, the founder of one of Europe’s most prominent open-air jazz festivals, is launching a new concert series that brings top-level music out of city venues and into the English countryside. Jazz Across the Heights, curated by her London-based arts organisation CultLab, opens on 2 October with an intimate evening at Botley Hill in Surrey, featuring a programme of chamber music and jazz.
For nearly two decades, Semushkina produced an international festival that drew jazz superstars from across the globe – from Jamie Cullum to Marcus Miller – with performances staged in historic parks and grand estates. But both personal circumstances and the shifting political climate forced her to relocate several years ago and, like many creatives displaced by conflict and the tightening of free expression across the world, she has had to build her work – and her audience – from the ground up.
The idea for the new series came after settling in the countryside and hosting informal concerts in her own front room, where visiting musicians played for small groups of friends.
“Instead of me travelling each time to my favourite Ronnie Scott’s or 606 Club,” she says, “I decided to reach into my little black book of contacts and invite my musicians to play in the glorious English countryside.”
The series is a response to what she sees as a cultural gap in rural areas, where the appetite for high-quality live music often outpaces the supply.
“I love live music, but since moving to the UK I’ve fallen in love with both the slower pace of life in the countryside and the rich cultural pulse of the capital. Now it’s time to combine both.”
The first edition takes place at the Barn at Botley Hill, an atmospheric venue with panoramic views of the North Downs. The evening opens with violinist Nick Suhik – formerly of the Bolshoi Theatre and now a regular with the Royal Ballet and Oxford Philharmonic – performing works by Vivaldi, Elgar and Beethoven. The second half features vocalist Oli Gosh, whose performances have been featured on BBC Radio 1 and who brings a warm, vintage charm to jazz standards and world classics.
For Semushkina, this is just the beginning. More editions of Jazz Across the Heights are planned across Surrey and Kent, in venues chosen as much for their atmosphere as their acoustics.
“There are people out here with great taste and no options,” she says. “If you can’t find the culture you want – make it.”
Jazz Across the Heights takes place on 2 October at the Barn at Botley Hill, Warlingham, Surrey. Doors at 7pm. Tickets available via CultLab.
Elena Leo is the Arts & Lifestyle Editor of Ikon London Magazine.