Dr. Roy Wales (Chair)
Roy Wales is well known in Rottingdean for creating and directing the Spring Music Festival that has been such a success over the last two years. He is currently Director of English Concert Management and the British Choral Institute and has lived in Rottingdean for almost seventeen years. Roy Wales has also directed more than 20 music and arts festivals in the past.
Dr. Chris Davidson (Secretary)
Dr Chris Davidson has lived in Rottingdean for more than 20 years and was the Chairman of this year’s successful Rottingdean Spring Music Festival. He is a consultant Cardiologist working at the Royal Sussex County Hospital, and a Senior Lecturer at the Medical School.
John Jennings (Accountant)
John Jennings is a retired accountant (FCA) who has had a life-long interest in music. He has been a member of a number of choirs and choral groups and has also been the professional accountant for a number of music and arts organisations in recent years.
Christine Wales
A graduate and retired teacher of French and German, Christine has been the Administrator of the Rottingdean Spring Music Festival since its inception. She is a keen singer and organises the concerts and tours of the English Concert Singers and Chorus and the choral workshops run by the British Choral Institute.
Gill Lake
Gill has lived in Brighton for 35 years moving from Leicestershire, although she was born in Birmingham. She joined Rottingdean Drama Society 28 years ago and was Chairman for 10 years, retiring in Sept 2009. She has lived in Chile, Argentina and Australia and was involved in amateur dramatics while resident there. Gill is currently vice chair for Brighton and Hove Arts Council and remains a committee member for Rottingdean Drama Society.
Paul Mnich
After graduating at Norwich School of Art and completing post-graduate studies at the London College of Printing, Paul moved from London to Brighton in 1978. His graphics design business has spanned over 30 years and in that time he has worked for local, national and international clients. Paul and his wife Jan, who is an artist specialising in watercolours, moved to Rottingdean in 2006. They have a keen interest in the visual arts and over the past 10 years, have been involved in the Brighton Festival Artists Open Houses.
How We Started
Rottingdean Arts was an initiative of Dr. Roy Wales and was formed early in 2011 with the active support of Cathy Taylor and Sally Conniff Harris of PARC and Dr. Christopher Davidson, Chairman of the Rottingdean Spring Music Festival.
Its foundation arose out of a specific interest of Cathy Taylor and Roy Wales in creating and developing a new performing arts stage on the Rottingdean Terraces which would hold summer concerts and arts events.
This joint interest was first explored at a meeting of the Rottingdean Traders, Business and Professional Association in January 2011.
Since then, together with support from other Festival and PARC colleagues, they have spearheaded the development and fundraising for the new Terraces Stage, as well as encouraging and supporting Brighton and Hove City Council and Rottingdean Parish Council to pool their financial resources to develop the main concourse area of the terraces for general public use.
Rottingdean Arts’ fundraising efforts have so far raised over £20,000 towards the estimated £45,000 required to fully equip the stage.
Following the success of the first two Rottingdean Spring Music Festivals in 2010 and 2011, Roy Wales, as Festival Director, was very keen to build on the substantial public support demonstrated for music and arts events in the village.
As a result Rottingdean Arts has now undertaken responsibility for a year-round programme of quality music and arts events on the Terraces Stage and in various village venues. This is in addition to its scheduled summer programme on the Terraces Stage and the ongoing fundraising it is undertaking for the development of the Terraces Stage.
For aims and objectives of Rottingdean Arts, see the next page.
