Lichfield Festival is coming up!
The hugely popular Lichfield Festival is making its return next month and we're hosting a number of events here at the Cathedral!
To make sure you don’t miss anything, here’s a brief overview of the events being held at the Cathedral during this year’s festival:
War Music
Royal Academy of Music
1-10 July
Marking the First World War Centenary, this exhibition direct from the Royal Academy of Music takes a broad look at the radical musical change of the era, featuring original instruments, images and manuscripts.
Exhibition – FREE
Emporium
The Lichfield Prize
1-10 July
Emporium curates its annual visual art exhibition in the Cathedral featuring work by the finalists of this year’s Lichfield Prize entitled ‘Shadow’. The Lichfield Prize, sponsored by tinyCOW and in association with Lichfield Festival, is a competition open to artists across the UK, offering an opportunity to raise their profile and develop new audiences.
Exhibition – FREE
Manchester Camerata
With Ben Gernon, Tine Thing Helseth & Lichfield Cathedral Chorus
1 July | 19.30
On 1st July 1916, the Battle of the Somme began. One hundred years to the day we commemorate that earth-shattering battle with Manchester Camerata, Lichfield Cathedral Chorus and music specially commissioned for the occasion by Deborah Pritchard, the Festival’s 2016 Composer in Residence.
£36 £29 £23 £17 £13 £9UR
Florette Festival Market
2 July | 10.30 – 16.00
The popular Festival Market is one of the highlights in the City’s calendar, attracting visitors from across the country each year. Join us to sample the best local produce, browse gift stalls from local craftsmen and small businesses, enjoy fun family activities and support local charity organisations. With a programme of entertainment throughout the day, in the shadow of Lichfield Cathedral, the Florette Festival Market makes for the perfect family day out.
FREE Event
Kate Rusby
Folk
2 July | 19.30
Of all the stars in Folk Music’s wondrous firmament, few shine as brightly as Yorkshire’s Kate Rusby. Her wondrous singing, hugely engaging Yorkshire wit and the intuitive support of the band, ensure that the Lichfield Festival audience will be treated to a truly remarkable and unforgettable concert experience.
£25, £20, £15, £9UR
Luxmuralis
Festival Light Show
Saturday 2 July | 10pm – 60 minutes
Join us to celebrate the Festival’s opening weekend with a light projection show blending period film footage with the latest digital techniques. Luxmaralis present a light installation on the concept of ‘The Somme’, providing a contemporary and moving response to this pivotal moment in the history of WW1. The artwork lasts approximately 20 minutes and is repeated until 11pm. Luxmaralis is an international artistic collaboration led by Cathedral Artist in Residence Peter Walker.
FREE Event
Poppies
WW1 Schools Remembrance
Monday 4 July | 10.30
Students from schools across Staffordshire and the West Midlands come together to form the Poppies Choir in this memorial concert of songs and readings from the 1914-18 period, and new work inspired by studies of local First World War histories and heritage sites. Join the 120 strong choir of 8-16 year olds for this morning concert; commemorating those who fought and lived through the First World War through the eyes and voices of the generations they sought to free.
Tickets: £5
I Fagiolini with Anna Markland (piano)
Amuse-Bouche
Celebrating 30 years together, I Fagiolini offer a tasting menu of French choral delicacies from Poulenc to Ravel.
Tickets: £9-£28
Charlie Chaplin Silent Films
with presenter Mark Kermode and the Orchestra of the Swan
Tuesday 5 July | 20.00
Over the course of 1916-17 Chaplin wrote, produced, directed and starred in 12 films for the Mutual Film Corporation. These, and other early films, established him as a worldwide cinematic idol. Tonight we screen two classics from the era with live accompaniment from the acclaimed Orchestra of the Swan, conducted by David Curtis: The Rink and The Immigrant.
Tickets: £6 - £32
Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain
When This Lousy War Is Over – Remembering WW1 in music & song
Wednesday 6 July | 19.30
When war makes life so unutterably hard, sometimes all you can do is laugh and sing…and play the ukulele. Reprising this commemorative concert for one night only, the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain makes a much anticipated return to Lichfield Festival. Combining the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain’s trademark humour, originality and passion, with stories taken from the original war diaries and memoirs of relatives of the Orchestra, this will be an unforgettable evening.
Tickets: £9-£36
Mozart – Così fan tutte
A Lichfield Festival Opera Production
Thursday 7 July | 19.30
Così fan tutte is an operatic classic. The sublime music is light, witty, bittersweet and profound. In his one-off production (in English), Don Alfonso takes centre stage in a new narration by Joe Sheridan, with a fresh transcription for piano duet by Anthony Kraus and an all-star cast.
Tickets: £9-£32
Hollywood Romance
With Claire Martin, Tippett String Quartet, James Pearson Quintet
Friday 8 July | 19.30
Hollywood Romance celebrates the art of popular song from the golden age of Hollywood. Expect to hear elegant, swinging settings of arranged by Callum Au and inspired by the legendary Songbook recordings of Ella Fitzgerald, Anota O’Day and Sarah Vaughan.
Red Carpet VIP Package available – more information available at www.lichfieldfestival.org
Tickets: £9-£28
Red Carpet Package: Add £10 to any ticket
Festival Fete
Saturday 9 July | 11.00 – 16.00
Join us for a day of traditional games, sweet treats, craft activities and music in the Cathedral Close. With live entertainment, the chance to get involved in singing and dance activities through the day or to try your luck at winning a prize from our stalls, this is the perfect day out for all the family.
FREE Event
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
with Martyn Brabbins (conductor)
Saturday 9 July | 19.00
The Festival’s closing Cathedral concert offers a final chance to reflect on the First World War with one of the country’s finest orchestras and a host of celebrated soloists.
Ralph Vaughan Williams The Lark Ascending (Chloe Hanslip violin)
Colin Matthews No Man’s Land (Robin Tritschler tenor & Roderick Williams baritone)
Deborah Pritchard In The Bright Oval (Simon Desbruslais trumpet)
Ralph Vaughan Williams Symphony No.5
Tickets: £9-£40
For information about all of the Lichfield Festival events head to www.lichfieldfestival.org
Lichfield Festival Booking Office
Lichfield Garrick Theatre
Castle Dyke
Lichfield
WS13 6HR
01543 412121