Hampstead and Highgate
England's Hampstead and Highgate Festival celebrates its tenth anniversary in 2008 (7-18 May) with a wide variety of arts and community events focussed on two of North London's most picturesque village centres. The focus, as usual, is firmly on classical music, with themes including anniversary celebrations for Olivier Messiaen, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Howard Ferguson, Michael Tippett and Adam Gorb (a contemporary composer with Highgate connections). The festival is due to venture into music theatre for the first time, with the première of Thomas Hyde's That Man Stephen Ward, with a cast including baritone Andrew Slater. There are two other first performances of works by Adam Gorb and Cecilia McDowall. The artist roster includes Jennifer Bate, the Carducci Quartet, Danny Driver, Michael Dussek, Thomas Gould, Stephen Kovacevich, Gemma Rosefield, Catriona Scott, Kathryn Thomas, Sara Trickey and David Wilson-Johnson. The opening concert is a charity gala supporting the Marie Curie Hospice in Hampstead, conducted by the festival's artistic director George Vass. Piers Plowright has devised a series of literary events, and there will be a poetry performance at Burgh House. Other events celebrate Poetry at the Movies and the centenary of Ian Fleming, and there's also jazz, cabaret, neighbourhood walks, a comedy club, children's concerts and events on Hampstead Heath. Winning entries in the third national Hampstead and Highgate Festival Young Composer's Competition will be performed at a special Focus on Youth concert at which local primary school choirs will get a chance to show their singing skills, and Martin Butler's hilarious Dirty Beasts - settings of stories by Roald Dahl - will be performed by the Zephyr Ensemble of London.
Information: www.hamandhighfest.co.uk
Posted: 17 April 2008
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