ORGANISERS of the second Iford Manor Bounceback Festival have declared themselves “very happy” to have delivered three sold-out live music concerts.

They sold out tickets for the first three concerts on Friday, Saturday and Sunday with the only disappointment being the cancellation of Monday’s concert because of Covid.

Internationally-acclaimed singer, songwriter and pianist Joe Stilgoe was forced to pull out of the festival at the 11th hour after testing positive for the Covid-19 coronavirus.

William Cartwright-Hignett, of Iford Manor, said that concerts by the Academy of Ancient Music, jazz singer Claire Martin and The King’s Singers acapella group had all gone well.

He added: “We are delighted that our audience has nominated us as Muddy Stilettos Wiltshire finalists for Best Theatre/Arts venue and we are already planning for next year when some events will return to the garden.”

The four-day Bounceback Festival kicked off on Friday with the Academy of Ancient Music presenting an enchanting sequence of baroque and classical music works by Bach, Handel and Rameau, culminating in ‘Summer’ from Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons.

It was followed on Saturday, with a return to Iford Manor by popular jazz singer and BBC Radio 3 presenter Claire Martin, who lives in Wiltshire, with the Dave Newton Trio, comprising Dave Newton on piano, drummer Steve Brown and Jeremy Brown on bass.

On Sunday, it was the turn of The King’s Singers, an ever-changing group of talented artists who have represented the gold standard in acapella singing for more than 50 years.

Renowned for their unrivalled technique, versatility and performance skills, they ran through a programme that included traditional British folk songs, the Triumphs of Oriana, and a series of close harmony songs that delighted the audience.

All three concerts took place in a concert stage on the Archery Ground opposite Iford Manor and its award-winning Grade 1 listed Italianate gardens created by the Edwardian designer Harold Peto when he lived at the house from 1899-1933.

Afterwards, Mr Cartwright-Hignett said he was “highly delighted” to be able to again present live music to a Wiltshire audience starved of such events during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns.

“We are very pleased to have been able to put on a very successful outdoor celebration of live music with socially-distanced facilities to keep our audiences safe.

“We enjoy bringing together the combination of international music artists, the English countryside and picnicking.”

Meanwhile, Iford Arts is planning a series of concerts on August 21, August 22, and August 29-30 at Belcombe Court and on September 18 at Holy Trinity Church in Bradford on Avon.

To book, go to https://ifordarts.org.uk/