The festival has come a long way in a comparatively short time. It's looking to go even further this year.

Six weeks ahead of its start, bookings for festival were already double what they were at the same point last year – a great response to the festival's most ambitious programme yet.

Running from October 24 to November 9, the festival will be bringing an impressive array of artists to Brighton this year, including the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, The Sixteen, I Fagiolini, Red Priest, Elizabeth Wallfisch & Gerry O'Connor, James Bowman, Catherine Bott, Shirley Collins and Vox Animae with Hildegard of Bingen's music drama Ordo Virtutum

There will be three BBC Radio 3 broadcasts from the 2008 festival, plus a documentary for broadcast in 2009 – all signs of a festival which knows where it's going.

Clare Norburn, co-artistic director, explains: "The first proper festival was in 2003. We had had a pilot project in 2002 which was (fellow artistic director) Deborah (Roberts) and me and our friends just getting together.

"Since then it has been quite amazing. It has been a big rollercoaster for all of us. I think it is incredible what we have achieved. We are now the second largest early music festival in the country. The biggest is York, and they had their 30th anniversary last year. They've been going substantially longer than we have."

Clare puts success down to a number of factors: "There was not very much early music happening in Brighton or Sussex in general, or not anything organised really – which is why we started when we did. Both Deborah and I had been putting on concerts here and there, and there was a lot of interest, so the next logical step was to put on this festival.

"It expanded hugely in terms of the number of events. In the first year we had fewer, and then we went in at quite a high level. We wanted to make a big splash. And we have always gone for big names and gone for quite a number of concerts since then."

There were around 12-15 concerts in the first year. The past three years have seen around 25 events.

"What is bigger is not necessarily the number of concerts, but the number of things that we do in between the concerts. We are doing more educational work than ever. We have got a young artists training scheme which is very good."

And the quality of the artists in general has done the rest: "It really has been phenomenal."

Among this year's highlights, Clare picks out: the premiere of a new programme by I Fagiolini; the first time the Sixteen come to Brighton; the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment with two concerts, one of which is for students and young people; and for the first time the festival crosses the boundaries between folk music and classical.

"We continue to take outstanding young musicians into pubs to perform. And Red Priest are there again and also there's a rare staging of Hildegard of Bingen's music drama – arguably the earliest opera ever - featuring a host of leading early music-"professionals.

Brighton Early Music Festival runs from October 24 until November 9. Visit www.bremf.org.uk for the full line-up of events or call 01273 833746 for a brochure. Tickets can be bought through the Dome box office from (01273 709709: booking charge) or at www.bremf.org.uk (no fee).



The Chichester Observer has teamed up with Keith's promoters to offer 20 pairs of tickets to his Chichester gig and the chance to meet and greet with Keith at the concert.

Simply email your name, address and day-time telephone number to news@chiobserver.co.uk, putting Keith Jack Competition in the subject line. Or write to Keith Jack Competition, c/o Phil Hewitt, Chichester Observer, Unicorn House, Eastgate Square, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 1JN. The closing date for entries is…..