It's all go in the Festival office and the programme for the 59th King's Lynn Festival is well on the way. Summer 2009 in King's Lynn will be a feast of sights and sounds for all as possibly the most varied programme of events yet, takes over the town from 12 to 25 July.
For lovers of classical music, the Berlin Symphoniker visits the Festival for the first time to perform an all-Beethoven programme on the final night, the ever-popular clarinettist Emma Johnson, makes a welcome return, accompanied by Andrew West, while one of Europe's top chamber orchestras, the European Union Chamber Orchestra is joined by pianist and Festival Vice-President Freddy Kempf. EUCO teams up with the King's Lynn Festival Chorus to perform Faure's Requiem in St Nicholas' Chapel and Mendelssohn's wonderful Octet is performed by the Academy of St Martin in the Fields in the Guildhall. The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment provides 'a grand tour of Italy' in St Margaret's Church with music by Vivaldi and Corelli.
Blake are making their debut appearance in King's Lynn. Winners of Album of the Year at the Classical BRIT Awards in 2008, they bridge the gap between pop and opera.
An exciting list of authors includes Dame Stella Rimington, the first-ever woman to head up MI5 and prolific writer and observer A.N. Wilson who will speak at the Literary Dinner, while Tony Mallion is in conversation with Rt Hon Shirley Williams. Audiences of previous David Starkey lectures will delight in his return for another, uniquely delivered and enlightening, round on the Tudors.
And then there's the jazz, the folk and the children's events with a tribute to great jazz violinist Stephane Grappelli by the Mike Piggott Hot Club Trio, legendary folk-duo Martin Carthy & Dave Swarbrick, and a delightful children's concert The King, The Minstrels & The Restless Jester with lots of opportunity for audience participation.
Not enough? Then how about the coffee concerts and the chance to see rising stars in the setting of the Town Hall and enjoy home-made cakes and a chat before the concert. Or how does The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain sound? This group of 'uke' players have taken the UK by storm with sell-out concerts. Come along and see for yourself what all the fuss is about - it promises to be quite an evening!
This year's Festival Exhibition will feature works by Robert Whitmore (1908-1993), who was educated in King's Lynn. The list of umbrella events organised by many communities and individuals throughout Norfolk during the Festival fortnight provides a rich array of things to do and see.
www.kingslynnfestival.org.ukLabels: events
