The Mendelssohn on Mull Festival was founded in 1988 by the revered violinist Leonard Friedman, responsible for so much of lasting value in Scotland’s musical life.

The Festival provides young professionals in the field of string chamber music with a week of preparation and performance in which to develop their skills, while working with established artists in the surroundings of natural beauty that drew Mendelssohn to Scotland.

Four Artistic Directors have led the Festival before our current team.  Each has brought his distinctive personality to bear, creating unforgettable experiences for developing musicians and audiences alike throughout the thirty years of its existence.  The most recent, and the longest-serving, is Levon Chilingirian, for whose charismatic leadership over fourteen years we are very grateful.

We are very proud to support the community-led project, the Mull Music Makers, which provides a regular programme of violin teaching to local schoolchildren.  The project is an expansion of our annual summer school and has been highly successful.  At present we have 40 children coming each month to learn the violin.

The Trustees of Sound Waves SCIO, who administer the Mendelssohn on Mull Festival, are delighted to welcome the members of the Doric Quartet to lead our Festival for a period of four years beginning in July 2018. We are sure that their magical playing and their commitment to share their practical insights will ensure a bright future for the Festival.