The Festival Today
Richard Hawley left to take up a Clore Fellowship following 2009's Lichfield Literature. He was succeeded by Fiona Stuart, previously artistic director of the Chorlton Arts Festival in Manchester and the first female director in the Festival's near 30-year history. The 2010 Festival saw the introduction of several new programming stands. One of the most popular was a 'Young Artist' series held at lunchtimes in St Chad's church and featuring performers from all the Royal Colleges of Music.
Other additions included a late-night Jazz series held at a new Festival venue, the George IV pub in the town centre. An eclectic mix of bands formed from Birmingham's cobweb collective played to sell-out houses on seven of the ten nights of the Festival.
Owing to works being carried out on the masonry and windows of Lichfield Cathedral's Lady Chapel, the Cathedral presbytery was called into use as a replacement performance space. Notable performances there came from Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy, and Welsh harpist Catrin Finch performing Bach's Goldberg Variations by candlelight. The venue also housed the return to prominence in the Festival of Lichfield Cathedral's musicians, in the form of the Cathedral Choir and the Cathedral Chamber Choir.
Highlights of the programme in the Nave included a performance of Vivaldi's four-seasons by former Young Musician of the Year Nicola Benedetti; The three-year old Festival Chorus performed an evening of a cappella music with the award winning Voces8.
Lichfield Band Red Light Octopus are rumored to be playing this year's Festival with their first gig since 2009.
Read more about this topic: The Lichfield Festival
Famous quotes containing the words festival and/or today:
“Three times a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God at the place that he will choose: at the festival of unleavened bread, at the festival of weeks, and at the festival of booths. They shall not appear before the LORD empty-handed; all shall give as they are able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God that he has given you.”
—Bible: Hebrew, Deuteronomy 16:16,17.
“We go to great pains to alter life for the happiness of our descendants and our descendants will say as usual: things used to be so much better, life today is worse than it used to be.”
—Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860–1904)