SAMIR SAVANT

Samir is Chief Executive of St George’s, a world-class, independent music and spoken word venue in the heart of Bristol. Since he took the role in September 2021, St George’s has launched Bristol’s Festival of Voice (which features mass participation singing events such as ‘Sing for the King’ and ‘Sing for Happiness’) and hosted the first ever Bristol BBC Prom.

Samir has over 20 years’ experience in the arts and is a recognised writer and public speaker on topics ranging from the lack of diversity in the arts to the role of trustees in fundraising. He was most recently Festival Director of the London Handel Festival, which included a fully staged opera at the Royal Opera House and the internationally renowned Handel Singing Competition. From 2015 to 2018, he chaired the Chartered Institute of Fundraising’s Cultural Sector Network’s national conference, the largest event of its type in Europe for arts and heritage fundraisers.

Outside of work, he is an active choral and solo singer and is a member of the Fitzhardinge Consort.  He is a trustee of the Harrison Parrott Foundation, which seeks to redress the inequalities of opportunity in the classical music sector.