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| | Staffordshire has had its fair share of 'knockers' over the last few months. Who can forget the recent survey carried out by Country Life Magazine which put the county at the bottom of the pile?
In fact, the county received zero for its art and culture! (See our story on the survey)
Maybe they didn't look close enough, because there is a little gem of an arts festival which takes place on our own doorstep.
Coming are: Alan Bates, Janet Suzman, Steven Berkoff, Beryl Bainbridge, Richard Ingrams and many many others...
The 2003 Lichfield Festival, in south Staffordshire, runs from 1st-13th July.
Lichfeld is perfect
Festival Director Meurig Bowen firmly believes that Lichfield has the perfect infrastructure to hold such an event:
"For over 20 years now, Lichfield has proved to be an ideal place to have an arts festival – the right size, the right feel, the right balance of venues."
This year's festival is made even more special as it coincides with the opening of the town's new venue: the Lichfield Garrick Theatre (pictured right).
Festival stars
Festival Director Meurig Bowen and his team are excited to be 'first in' at the new Garrick, and will be presenting the broadest possible range of events to showcase the versatility of the venue.
Jazz Jamaica All Stars - Caribbean-influenced big band jazz - will kick off on 1 July, and other events will include Beryl Bainbridge on Dr Johnson, Barry Norman on the world of film, mountaineer Rebecca Stephens on Everest, Steven Berkoff on Shakespeare's villains, an authentic Flamenco band from Seville and a gypsy band from Romania.
Four nights of dance will include the Jasmin Vardimon dance company (Jerwood Prize Award Winners) performing a special piece commissioned by Lichfield Garrick in celebration of its opening.
Programme
Highlights of the programme for the Lichfield Garrick is as follows:
Steven Berkoff (pictured left) on Shakespeare’s Villains
Concerts by Jazz Jamaica All Stars (1 July) and the Romanian gypsy band Taraf de Haïdouks (5 July)
BBC Radio Big Band, with jazz guitar maestro and legend MartinTaylor (8 July)
Beryl Bainbridge and Richard Ingrams on Dr Johnson
Mountaineer Rebecca Stephens on Mount Everest, 50 years since its first ascent
Barry Norman on the world of film
Children’s TV presenters Angellica Bell and Adrian Dickson hosting an orchestral family concert that includes Peter and the Wolf
Cathedral events
One of the most beautiful settings of the festival is the famous Lichfield Cathedral, (pictured right).
This atmospheric and inspiring venue features a huge range of symphonic, choral and chamber music.
Highlights of its programme include:
The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra with their principal conductor Gerard Schwarz and pianist Nikolai Demidenko (Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky)
The BBC National Orchestra of Wales with their principal conductor Richard Hickox and soprano Rebecca Evans (Handel, Mozart, Strauss, Ravel and Mendelssohn)
The Dante Quartet playing Beethoven and Janacek and Sir Alan Bates reading Tolstoy
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Chamber music from violinist Priya Mitchell (pictured left), cellist Raphael Wallfisch, pianists Nikolai Demideno, Peter Donohoe and Melvyn Tan, the Schubert Ensemble, Concordia Viol Consort, Fine Arts Brass Ensemble and the Dante Quartet
Teenage clarinet prodigy Julian Bliss with Sinfonia ViVA and their principal conductor Nicholas Kok (Prokofiev, Haydn and Weber)
Mark Elder conducting Chetham's School Symphony Orchestra with the 2002 BBC Young Musician of the Year Jennifer Pike (Prokofiev and Mahler)
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A South American voyage with Ex Cathedra and novelist Louis de Bernières (pictured right)
Two exceptionally different vocal groups, the Swingle Singers and the Harlem Gospel Choir....
Other features
The Lichfield Festival also features outdoor Shakespeare, a 10 film cinema programme, concerts in country churches, a Medieval Market and last-night fireworks.
All of this making it one of the most vibrant arts festivals in the country.
Comedy fest!
There will also be comedy on six nights over the two week period of the Lichfield Festival.
| Date | Comedians | | 3rd July | Glenn Wool and Steve Day | | 4th July | Adam Hills and Brendon Burns | | 5th July | Andre Vincent and Barry Castagnola | | 10th July | Simon Evans and John Bishop | | 11th July | Lucy Porter and Rob Rouse | | 12th July | Jason John Whitehead and Al Barrie |
Contact details
For more information for anything to do with the festival, please contact the box office on: 01543 306543 or 01453 306544.
You can also reach them by email at: [email protected]
There is a website too with full listings of what's on! You can visit the official website at:
http://www.lichfieldfestival.org
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