About Us
About Us
About Us
A festival by local residents, for those in the neighbourhood and beyond. United by our passion for music and community, we are delighted to have found supporters, cheerleaders and a community who are helping us build the De Beauvoir Jazz Festival.
We see jazz not as an exclusive art form, but as an inspiring, unifying force. Captivated by New Orleans' vibrant culture, we aim to infuse London with that same spirit of joy, creativity, and togetherness year after year.
A festival by local residents, for those in the neighbourhood and beyond. United by our passion for music and community, we are delighted to have found supporters, cheerleaders and a community who are helping us build the De Beauvoir Jazz Festival.
We see jazz not as an exclusive art form, but as an inspiring, unifying force. Captivated by New Orleans' vibrant culture, we aim to infuse London with that same spirit of joy, creativity, and togetherness year after year.
Pete Horsfall
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Musician extraordinaire, Pete is an award winning jazz trumpet player and vocalist, based in the UK. His unique musical journey has seen him featured regularly as a guest on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 3 and Jazz FM.
He has performed headline shows at venues such as London's Royal Albert Hall, New York's Lincoln Center, Paris' Duc Des Lombards, The North Sea Jazz Festival, Glastonbury Festival and Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club amongst many others. He has performed and recorded with artists including Kurt Elling, Jamie Cullum, De La Soul, Guy Barker, Joe Stilgoe, Clare Teal, Kansas Smittys, Dave Stewart (Eurythmics), Friendly Fires and DJ Premier, to name but a few. A passionate jazz educator, Pete leads masterclasses and workshops at the University of Cambridge, Guildhall School of Music and the Trinity-Laban Conservatoire.
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Musician extraordinaire, Pete is an award winning jazz trumpet player and vocalist, based in the UK. His unique musical journey has seen him featured regularly as a guest on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 3 and Jazz FM.
He has performed headline shows at venues such as London's Royal Albert Hall, New York's Lincoln Center, Paris' Duc Des Lombards, The North Sea Jazz Festival, Glastonbury Festival and Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club amongst many others. He has performed and recorded with artists including Kurt Elling, Jamie Cullum, De La Soul, Guy Barker, Joe Stilgoe, Clare Teal, Kansas Smittys, Dave Stewart (Eurythmics), Friendly Fires and DJ Premier, to name but a few. A passionate jazz educator, Pete leads masterclasses and workshops at the University of Cambridge, Guildhall School of Music and the Trinity-Laban Conservatoire.
Payal Wadhwa
FESTIVAL DIRECTOR
Payal is a designer who lives in De Beauvoir.
She started her career working for the Osian's Festival of Asian and Arab Cinema. The festival world is where she's often found her feet. From theatre to design, her work has often centred on placemaking. She was the head of the Cities Lab at Fjord (part of Accenture Song) and is the co-founder of Placelabs - a collective founded in 2017 focused on making cities more equal and equitable. It brings together practitioners & academics from the built environment practice to engage on various urban issues, including privacy, inclusion, data infrastructures, mobility, better public spaces and services.
In design, she’s led ambitious programs for almost 15 years for the UK Government, and corporate clients such as Tide, Barclays, Booking.com, Unilever and IKEA amongst others. She was most recently, the Vice President of Innovation, Strategy and Design at frog.
FESTIVAL DIRECTOR
Payal is a designer who lives in De Beauvoir.
She started her career working for the Osian's Festival of Asian and Arab Cinema. The festival world is where she's often found her feet. From theatre to design, her work has often centred on placemaking. She was the head of the Cities Lab at Fjord (part of Accenture Song) and is the co-founder of Placelabs - a collective founded in 2017 focused on making cities more equal and equitable. It brings together practitioners & academics from the built environment practice to engage on various urban issues, including privacy, inclusion, data infrastructures, mobility, better public spaces and services.
In design, she’s led ambitious programs for almost 15 years for the UK Government, and corporate clients such as Tide, Barclays, Booking.com, Unilever and IKEA amongst others. She was most recently, the Vice President of Innovation, Strategy and Design at frog.
Gillian Da Costa
FESTIVAL CORE TEAM
Previously the Head of the Director's Office at The Institute of Contemporary Art - Gillian has a long career of working in the arts. She currently works within the HR team at Pan Macmillan. Having started her career at film festivals (Payal and Gillian met whilst working on the Osian's Film Festival in 2006 - they go back a long way!) Gillian has worked with an array of organisations and understands deeply what it means to pull a team together towards a cohesive cultural effort. Within our team, Gillian will look after our team's collaborations and partner dependencies as well as overseeing our volunteers closer to the festival to ensure smooth event operations.
FESTIVAL CORE TEAM
Previously the Head of the Director's Office at The Institute of Contemporary Art - Gillian has a long career of working in the arts. She currently works within the HR team at Pan Macmillan. Having started her career at film festivals (Payal and Gillian met whilst working on the Osian's Film Festival in 2006 - they go back a long way!) Gillian has worked with an array of organisations and understands deeply what it means to pull a team together towards a cohesive cultural effort. Within our team, Gillian will look after our team's collaborations and partner dependencies as well as overseeing our volunteers closer to the festival to ensure smooth event operations.
Dinesh Markose
FESTIVAL CORE TEAM
A risk and quantitative modelling expert, Markose has significant experience in setting up risk models, and model control processes in his day job! He joins our festival core team as an avid jazz fan and a major supporter of the festival - helping us keep our focus on staying free for the community. Markose is spending time connecting us with corporate sponsors for funding as well as getting us set up for our crowdfunding campaign. He holds a PhD in Mathematics from Cambridge University, where he held the Ramanujan Fellowship at Trinity College,Cambridge.
FESTIVAL CORE TEAM
A risk and quantitative modelling expert, Markose has significant experience in setting up risk models, and model control processes in his day job! He joins our festival core team as an avid jazz fan and a major supporter of the festival - helping us keep our focus on staying free for the community. Markose is spending time connecting us with corporate sponsors for funding as well as getting us set up for our crowdfunding campaign. He holds a PhD in Mathematics from Cambridge University, where he held the Ramanujan Fellowship at Trinity College,Cambridge.
Kyla Taylor
FESTIVAL CORE TEAM
A policy & legislation expert and part of the indomitable Peers for the Planet at the House of Lords, Kyla has been an immense support to the festival in getting our governance in place and ensuring we can run successfully as a CIC. Her interest lies in sustainability and a greener planet for all and as a festival we have requested her support to ensure we can set the foundations right for running a sustainable and conscious festival year after year. Also an amateur pianist and a jazz enthusiast, Kyla's wide array of skills will help support the logistics of the festival.
FESTIVAL CORE TEAM
A policy & legislation expert and part of the indomitable Peers for the Planet at the House of Lords, Kyla has been an immense support to the festival in getting our governance in place and ensuring we can run successfully as a CIC. Her interest lies in sustainability and a greener planet for all and as a festival we have requested her support to ensure we can set the foundations right for running a sustainable and conscious festival year after year. Also an amateur pianist and a jazz enthusiast, Kyla's wide array of skills will help support the logistics of the festival.
We couldn't do this without the support of
We couldn't do this without the support of
Cecilia Darker
We couldn't do this without
the support of some of these wonderful people (and so many more who've helped us get this far)
Cecilia Darker
Founder and (previously) the Artistic Director of the much loved Rosemary Branch pub and theatre.
Founder and (previously) the Artistic Director of the much loved Rosemary Branch pub and theatre.
Rosie Wesemann
Rosie Wesemann
Founder of Sweet Thursday (best pizzas in town) and The Scolt Head (never a dull evening)
Founder of Sweet Thursday (best pizzas in town) and The Scolt Head (never a dull evening)
Joe Walker &
Jasmine Martins
Joe Walker &
Jasmine Martins
Councillors, De Beauvoir Ward
Councillors, De Beauvoir Ward
Amanda Lovegrove
Amanda Lovegrove
President of the Women's Institute, a bedrock of our neighbourhood
President of the Women's Institute, a bedrock of our neighbourhood
President of the Women's Institute, a bedrock of our neighbourhood
Edward Benyon
Edward Benyon
The Estate Manager - Benyon Estates
The Estate Manager -Benyon Estates
and so many more folks in our neighbourhood and beyond.
and so many more folks in our neighbourhood and beyond.
De Beauvoir Town offers the ideal setting for a neighbourhood jazz festival. Its pedestrianised streets create natural stages, while diverse architecture provides a picturesque backdrop. There are multiple independent businesses and venues as well as the neighbourhood's creative residents that create an inclusive atmosphere welcoming all music lovers. From quiet courtyards to lively squares, De Beauvoir's layout accommodates various musical moods. The area's commitment to sustainability aligns with accessible, eco-friendly entertainment. It's a perfect blend of urban charm and community spirit, with stalwarts in the community who do incredible work to keep us all coming together for events through all the seasons.
De Beauvoir Town offers the ideal setting for a neighbourhood jazz festival. Its pedestrianised streets create natural stages, while diverse architecture provides a picturesque backdrop. There are multiple independent businesses and venues as well as the neighbourhood's creative residents that create an inclusive atmosphere welcoming all music lovers. From quiet courtyards to lively squares, De Beauvoir's layout accommodates various musical moods. The area's commitment to sustainability aligns with accessible, eco-friendly entertainment. It's a perfect blend of urban charm and community spirit, with stalwarts in the community who do incredible work to keep us all coming together for events through all the seasons.
De Beauvoir Jazz Festival is a Community Interest Company
De Beauvoir Jazz Festival is a Community Interest Company
De Beauvoir Jazz Festival is a Community Interest Company