Chart-topping classical supremo Aled Jones, rising jazz star Clare Teal, Irish funny man Dara O’Briain and eighties pop and rock icons Toyah Wilcox and Doctor and The Medics make for a sensational mix of music, comedy and performance for the four night Festival in the Field marquee events, which will round up Grassington Festival’s fortnight of music and the arts next June.
Tickets for Festival in the Field line-up will go on pre-Christmas sale for just two weeks from 7-21 December. “They are the perfect Christmas gift,” says festival chairman Joan Haspel. “Popular events like these always sell out quickly so the sooner people get their tickets the better. Also, it’s good to have something summery to look forward to in cold mid-winter!”
The four-night fest begins on Wednesday 25 June with Aled Jones, accompanied by the fabulous London Community Gospel Choir, in a collaboration which is being specially created for Grassington.
Aled Jones has been a household name for 25 years, from the age of 12 when when his recording of Walking in the Air became a smash hit, forever associated with Christmas, to today’s multi- talented singer, actor and TV presenter. Although best known for his classical and ‘crossover’ repertoire, Aled recently made a “rock” album including duets with Cerys Mathews, Leona Daly and Gretchen Peters. At Grassington, Aled will be singing with the multi-award winning London Community Gospel Choir of whom John L Walters of The Guardian wrote: ”It’s impossible not to like the LCGC. Everything looks and sounds good and their positivity is contagious.”
“We particularly excited about Aled and the LCGC’s programme – it’s a concert they’re putting together just for us,” said Festival Director Amelia Vyvyan.
Local girl made good, Clare Teal will be performing on Thursday 26 June along with the BBC Big Band. Clare was named Jazz Vocalist of the Year in 2007, while the BBC Big Band won the Big Band category in the British Jazz Awards, so this should be a night to remember. “Jazz is a small word that covers huge range of music”, says Clare and her latest album is a distinctive move away from mainstream jazz into something much wider. “Mind you – jazz itself has become much more mainstream, too, thanks to well-known singers such as Clare.” said Mrs Vyvyan. “So this evening should appeal to anyone who loves music”
Dara O’Briain, who will be in the Marquee on Friday 27th June, is known from the TV for presenting BBC2’s Mock the Week but it’s his live stand-up tours which have built his reputation. Bruce Dessau in the London Evening Standard said of Dara: “He simply does what he does brilliantly, spinning seamless scripted material and audience banter together to produce pure comic gold.”
It’s back to the Eighties for the last night celebrations on Saturday 28th June with a sensational line-up of two great artists, Toyah and Dr and The Medics - who made their names in the eighties but have carried right on performing and wowing audiences ever since. Toyah has had 123 top 40 singles, recorded 20 albums, written two books and appeared in over 40 stage plays, made 10 feature films and presented 100s of TV programmes.
Dr and The Medics was created 24 years ago by the Reverend Dr Clive Thomas Jackson and made their name with the hit record Spirit in the Sky, which sold over 2.4 million copies world wide. Since then they have built a reputation for being a really great live act and in 2006 provided the shock result of the TV show “Hit me Baby One More Time” when they won the studio vote for best act against Jackie Graham, Belinda Carlisle and Shakin’ Stevens.
Local band Mid Life Crisis, headed by another Reverend (Andy Crich) will be providing support for the stars and building on an ever growing reputation.
“Our last night is going to be such a fantastic party night,” said Jess Alexander, marketing director of the Festival. “We’re so excited that both bands are going to be performing a programme put together just for Grassington.”
“This is the 28th year of the Grassington Festival and it’s grown to become one of the biggest events in the Dales each summer,” added Festival Director Amelia Vyvyan. “We’ll have over sixty events in many different venues – many of them free – during the fortnight but the Festival in the Field, which allows us larger audiences and thus larger acts, is the icing on the cake. We owe a lot to our supporters, especially the Arts Council and our title sponsor Skipton Building Society, and of course to our amazing team of volunteers.”
Tickets for the Festival in the Field events, which range in price from £20 - £25 (with concessions for some events), can be purchased on line at www.grassington-festival.org.uk; by telephone on 01756 752691; or in person from the new Festival Box Office at Grassington Town Hall, 48 Main street, Grassington BD23 5AA (not open on Saturdays) and also the Yorkshire Dales National Park, Colvend, Hebden Road, Grassington.
Yorkshire partnerships win Awards
Grassington Festival and its title sponsor Skipton Building Society have taken top honours at the fifth Arts & Business Yorkshire Awards. They are winners of The Arts & Business Community Award (sponsored by Yorkshire Forward), which was announced at a dazzling ceremony held at the National Media Museum on Monday 26 November.
Skipton Building Society’s strapline is 'mutual matters', meaning what matters to their customers matters to the business too. The Society was looking for an opportunity to engage with their staff and the community through a high profile arts partnership, a relationship that could be sustained and developed over a number of years. Grassington Festival of Music & Arts identified Skipton Building Society as a sponsor that their audience would identify with, whilst the demographic of the Festival’s visitors fitted exactly with Skipton’s defined target market. Working together closely enabled both partners to maximise the benefits as the Festival had the security to make longer term development plans, while the building society was able to build its position as a long-term investor in the community in which it is based.
Richard Brown, director of Arts & Business Yorkshire, said: “We would like to congratulate the winners who have been involved in some inspirational projects that have benefited so many. Our awards this year were subtitled “seeing differently” and it is fitting that they were held in Bradford, a city which is presently re-imagining its identity as a new cultural and economic centre for the 21st century. Finally we would like to thank Skipton Building Society for their continued support and Yorkshire Forward and Yorkshire Culture for their sponsorship of the Awards.”
The Grassington Festival, with the support of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, is offering an appointment of Visual Artist in Residence for 2008.
Grassington Festival is an increasingly important cultural event encompassing music, performance and visual arts while the National Park Authority’s aim is to protect and promote the outstanding qualities of the Dales. By combining goals, it is hoped that the appointment of a resident artist will add a new dimension to the Festival in 2008 and provide a showcase for the area in a dynamic and original way.
This is a four-month visual arts residency within the National Park, aiming to achieve a balance between providing an opportunity for the artist to develop and exhibit new work and also for local people to benefit from the residency through access and engagement with the artist.
The project will involve engaging the community and also the appointed artist will be expected to work closely with the cluster schools in Wharfedale as well as offering workshops and talks during the residency. In addition, the artist will produce a new body of work for exhibition at the Grassington Festival 13th June – 28th June 2008.
Visual Arts Director, Helen Peyton said "We are really excited about this new aspect to the Festival and by using the National Park to inspire creativity, with it’s wealth of natural beauty and breathtaking scenery, we anticipate some very interesting work."
Download application form here or ring the box office 01756 752691
Wednesday 05 December 2007
