Katie Derham

“I’m a huge fan of music in all its forms, and love the way festivals bring all sorts of different music-makers together.”

We are greatly indebted to Katie Derham for continuing as the Patron of the Cuckfield Music Festival. As a Cambridge economics graduate, the earlier part of her career with the BBC and ITV covered the presentation of economics and news on radio and TV, but in 2010 she returned to the BBC to take up an arts brief, including fronting the coverage of The Proms for BBC Two, BBC Four and BBC Radio. From 2001-2004 she presented the Classical BRIT Awards; and in 2008 appeared in the BBC Two talent programme Maestro, where she conducted orchestral, choral and operatic music. In First Love, in 2010, she had a chance to return to her own first love, playing the violin; and by way of something completely different partnered Anton du Beke in reaching the final of the thirteenth series of Strictly Come Dancing in 2015. The following year saw something different again when Katie presented The Girl from Ipanema for BBC Four, and in February 2019 she presented an hour-long programme on Britten’s Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra. But luckily for us all The Proms continue to exert their pull……