At the heart of Chiltern Arts is a commitment to excellence, opportunity and innovation, as well as a belief that the arts are central to the quality of life and should be accessible to all. We aim to inspire audiences, create new work, and create a community that adds to and supports the rich tapestry of culture in the area.Founded in 2017 to bring the highest-quality arts and music to the Chiltern Hills, Chiltern Arts runs an annual week-long festival, now taking place in May and a Festival Weekend in the early Spring. Festivals present music from some of the country's best musicians, including programmes that feature young professional ensembles through our Take Note Young Artist Platform, and performances take place in venues across the Chilterns, including Henley-on-Thames, Marlow, Princes Risborough, Great Missenden, Amersham, Berkhamsted and Dorchester Abbey.In 2020 Chiltern Arts worked with several partners to create its first major digital project – a 20-minute film of excerpts from Britten's Saint Nicolas cantata, featuring both professional musicians and amateur singers in a virtual capacity. Each year we seek to present the world premiere of new works or arrangements, including in 2020 the commission and premiere of the first piece written for Marimba and Theorbo.In 2024 Chiltern Arts is running the pilot phase for a new initiative called ListenUp & ListenIn: inspiring a new generation of audiences. This exciting project is all about getting young people into the concert hall, and our short-term aim — spring-boarding from this year’s pilot — is to give 2,000 Buckinghamshire children aged 9–14 access to a live concert experience in 2025 (free of charge), with the number increasing each year thereafter.