The Destroyers – performing at this year’s ‘Party in the Close’ at the Salisbury International Arts Festival
The 2010 Salisbury International Arts Festival presents a stunning line-up of World, Jazz and Folk Music
The Salisbury International Arts Festival, one of the top five multi-artform festivals in the UK, runs from 21 May to 5 June and this year sees an expanded programme of World, Jazz and Folk music events culminating in ‘Party in the Close’, a spectacular open air concert in the grounds of Salisbury Cathedral.
The Festival, which last year was named the 2009 South West Tourist Event of the Year,delivers over 120 arts events including concerts, gigs, comedy, poetry, exhibitions, extraordinary outdoor spectacles, Festival commissions and special one-off exclusives. This year’s main themes are RUSSIA, STORIES, STONE & CHALK - and inspired by the beautiful Wiltshire White Horses cut into the landscape, a theme of the HORSE also canters throughout the programme.
Highlights from the2010 World, Jazz, Folk Music programme
The Imagined Village Project, a folk music project spearheaded by Simon Emmerson of the Afro Celt Sound System, is this year’s Festival residency and takes place during the bank holiday weekend - Friday 28 to Sunday 30 May. The Imagined Village project, brainchild of producer and musician Simon Emmerson, has recast age-old traditions in the shape of the twenty-first century. A daring mix of ancient and modern, fusing fiddles and squeezebox with dub beats and sitars, the project features an extraordinary array of talent including Martin Carthy, Eliza Carthy, Billy Bragg,Chris Wood and Simon Emmerson.
Highlights from the The Imagined Villageresidency include: folk musician Chris Wood and storytellerHugh Lupton celebrating the ancient relationship between man and horse with Psalms from the Horse’s Mouth, a piece which vividly brings to life this year’s festival themes of horses and stories (Friday 27 May); Billy Bragg will join the full group line up for a great night of music including a film of poet Benjamin Zephaniah’s retelling of the folk tale Tam Lyn (Saturday 28 May) and multi-award winning folk fiddler and singer Eliza Carthy perfoming with Barney Morse Brown and Phil Alexander from Salsa Celtica (Sunday 30 May).
Transtango -Urban Encounters,a captivating blend of contemporary tango music, jazz and film will be presented on Wednesday 26 May. Saxophonist Tim Garland, cellist Eduardo Vassallo, bandoneon player Marcelo Nisiman and filmmaker Adam Finch tell the story of the city, a story of people on the move. The performance has been specially created for the Salisbury International Arts Festival to reflect stories from and impressions of the city.
Spiro,the critically acclaimed four-piece contemporary ensemble (guitar, accordion, violin and mandolin) known for reworking traditional folk melodies into stirring, rhythmic pieces will perform a dazzling programme on Thursday 27 May.
ZUM, who have enjoyed sell-out tours all over the UK, will perform their exciting fusion of tango and gypsy music, inspired by the hot-blooded passion of Argentinean music and the fire and brilliance of the gypsy fiddle on Wednesday 2 June.
Roberto Fonseca,one of the most extraordinary young pianists to explode from Cuba in recent times, will wow festival audiences with his inimitable blend of jazz and Latin sounds on Thursday 3 June. Drawing on his work with the Buena Vista Social Club, where he was the successor to the equally inspirational pianist Ruben Gonzalez, along with a deep love of jazz, funk and soul, he recharges the Cuban tradition with his superb stage show.
This year’s spectacular ‘Party in the Close’ on the final night of the festival, Saturday 5 June, includes: The Destroyers with their rich blend of of Gypsy, Balkan, Klezmer music and beat poetry; and The Baghdaddies who will perform an eclectic fusion of rhythms and melodies featuring Balkan gypsy with Middle Eastern flavours, shades of klezmer and tango, jazz and reggae plus a touch of ska - all laced with funky dance grooves and blistering eastern brass harmonies.
Other highlights from the 2010 programme which features top names from the world of performance, comedy, literature and art include: Russian author Dmitry Bykov; legendary punk poet John Cooper Clarke; the manic chanteuse Patti Plinko and her Boy;The Russian Patriarchate Choir performing in the magical settings of a candlelit Cathedral and by lamplight at the ancient site of Stonehenge; sculptors Mark Wallanger and Daphne Wright in conversation; stand-up comic Milton Jones; legendary flamenco guitarist Paco Peña, who returns to Salisbury with his new show Flamenco sin Fronteras; and Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610 will be presented as a lavish liturgy with incense and candles in Salisbury Cathedral by the world renowned original instrument ensemble The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.
Eliza Carthy The Baghdaddies Chris Wood and Hugh Lupton
Press Information
The full programme can be downloaded from http://www.salisburyfestival.co.uk/cms/site/docs/SIAF-brochure.pdf
High resolution images can be downloaded from http://www.salisburyfestival.co.uk/media/downloadable-images-2010.aspx
Booking Information:
Tickets can be purchased in person from Salisbury Playhouse, Salisbury City Hall or the Festival Office. Tickets can be purchased by phone or online: Box Office: 0845 241 9651 To book online visit www.salisburyfestival.co.uk
About Salisbury International Arts Festival
§ The 37th Salisbury International Arts Festival runs from Friday 21 May – Saturday 5 June 2010
§ The 2009 Festival featured 11 premieres and exclusives of which 9 were commissions by Salisbury International Arts Festival.
§ The annual 16 day Salisbury International Arts Festival blazed into life in 1974 with a performance by Paco Peña and is a leading commissioning and producing Festival which attracts over 55,000 attendances each year and contributes £3m to the regional economy
§ Salisbury International Arts Festival 2009 was named ‘Tourism Event of the Year’ at the South West Tourism’s ‘Tourism Excellence Awards’ and shortlisted for the Visit Britain National Awards.
§ Salisbury International Arts Festival is supported by Principal Sponsor Friends Provident, Wiltshire Council and Arts Council England – South West.
§ Salisbury International Arts Festival’s Principal Sponsor, Friend Provident has been supporting the Festival for a wonderful 25 years