THE founder of an organisation that has brought world-class performers and new talent to Cumbria from the music world has died.
South African-born Renna Manduell MBE (nee Kellaway) started Lake District Summer Music in 1985. It is now known as Lake District Music, and will be celebrating its 40th anniversary next year.
She was born in 1931, and Lake District Summer Music announced that she had died on April 29.
She was a student of Johannes Röntgen in Amsterdam and Franz Osborn in London, and went on to have a career as a pianist and chamber musician working across the world.
Mrs Manduell pursued teaching, and joined the School of Keyboard Studies at the Royal Northern College of Music in 1980, becoming head in 1992 until she left the college in 2001.
Her students went on to have international careers as soloists, chamber musicians and pedagogues. Her honeymoon to the Lake District with her husband Sir John Manduell CBE proved to be a turning point in her life.
The festival attracted students from across the globe, including violinists Nicola Benedetti, Jennifer Pike and Nikolai Znaider, pianist Steven Osborne, the Heath String Quartet, cellist Guy Johnston and many more.
Mrs Manduell served as Lake District Music's artistic director until 2020, when she handed over the reins to Stephen Threlfall.
Mr Threlfall said: "I know I will share with many the tremendous sadness at the passing of Renna Kellaway. A marvellous lady and friend of many years, she was a person of great generosity, tenacity and vision, who was immensely supportive both to myself since I began the task of succeeding her as Artistic Director and to everyone at the festival she created primarily to support the development of emerging musicians.”
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She was awarded an MBE in 2009 for services to music and in 2012 won Cumbria Life's Lifetime Achievement award.
Following a family cremation, a service will be held on Tuesday May 14 at 1pm at The Church of St John the Baptist in Low Bentham, North Yorkshire. Refreshments will follow at High Bentham Golf Club.
Donations to Help Musicians rather than flowers are requested for the funeral.
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