Sophie Bevan
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20/07/09
CANTERBURY FESTIVAL CELEBRATES 25 YEARS
This year Canterbury Festival – Kent’s International Arts Festival – celebrates 25 years of bringing the best of international arts to Kent! To mark this special milestone, the Friends of the Canterbury Festival, who provide invaluable support to the Festival through annual donations and a programme of year-round fundraising events, are hosting a Summer Gala Evening of Opera in one of the main Festival venues, The Shirley Hall, on Friday 3 July at 7.30pm.
Three outstanding young singers Sophie Bevan, Mary Bevan and Patricia Orr will be accompanied by the Classical Opera Company’s artistic director Ian Page in a delightful recital of opera arias and duets. One of the celebrated female soloists, Sophie Bevan, will later perform in the 2009 Canterbury Festival with Canterbury Choral Society and The London Handel Orchestra as they perform Haydn’s magnificent work The Creation on Saturday 24 October in Canterbury Cathedral Nave.
Festival Director Rosie Turner describes this special Festival milestone: ‘Although a Canterbury Festival was originally established in the late 1920s by the newly-formed Friends of Canterbury Cathedral, continuity was interrupted firstly by the war and then by a chequered history of funding and organisational challenges. The Festival – as we now know it – bounced back in 1984 and I’m delighted to say has continued to grow in reputation and appeal since then. While technically the Festival is much older than twenty five, we wanted to celebrate the fact that, as an organisation, we are very much in our prime - full of energy and with a programme crammed with more new and exciting events each year! Thanks to the Friends for hosting this fantastic evening and also for giving us the opportunity to thank those who have supported the Festival as patrons, funders, sponsors and volunteers over the last 25 years ’.
The 2009 Canterbury Festival takes place from the 17 – 31 October and in just a few weeks the full Festival programme will be launched – with Festival brochures available, free, across the region from 20 July. With a jam-packed autumn line-up planned, featuring top names in classical and world music, theatre, comedy, dance, family events, talks and visual arts, highlights will include The Sixteen, acclaimed violinist Tasmin Little, star comedian and impressionist Alistair McGowan, folk heroine Cara Dillon, Buena Vista pianist Roberto Fonseca, talks from poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy, adventurer Charley Boorman and the inimitable Michael Winner, site-specific theatre with The Caravan and fun for all the family with the annual opening day Festival Carnival Parade!
To be the first to find out about Festival events join the mailing list at www.canterburyfestival.co.uk and to purchase tickets in the exclusive booking period from 20 July become a Festival Friend by calling 01227 452853.
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