A PAIR of festivals are set to descend on a Cotswold town.
Chipping Campden will play host to both a music and a literature festival next month.
Some of the world’s most eminent musicians will take to the stage at St James’ Church during what will be the last year in charge for artistic director Charlie Bennett.
He said: “The 2023 programme, my last at the helm before I hand over to a new artistic director for 2024, is, without doubt, one of our strongest ever.
“It gives me huge pleasure to welcome all those appearing at the festival for the first time, who include, Sir Andras Schiff, Christine Rice, Piotr Anderszewski, The Wigmore Soloists, The Skampa Quartet, and Timothy Ridout.”
Alongside these artists are many returning performers, including Julius Drake, Kate Royal, The Academy of Ancient Music with Laurence Cummings, Alfred Brendel, Alina Ibragimova, Cédric Tiberghien, Roderick Williams, and festival president Paul Lewis.
The Young Artists Lunchtime Series line-up includes pianist Will Bracken, trumpeter Matilda Lloyd with pianist Richard Gowers, guitarist Alexandra Whittingham, and soprano Sarah Gilford with pianist Rebecca Cohen.
Meanwhile, the Festival Academy Orchestra, now in its 20th year, has seen conductor Thomas Hull audition over 130 hugely talented candidates for the 20 available places.
The Music Festival runs from May 5 to 22, with tickets on sale now.
May will also see the return of the Literature Festival, featuring writers and practitioners from the worlds of academia, literature, dance, drama, and politics.
Events include actor Paterson Joseph in discussion with Farah Karim-Cooper, Keiron Pim’s biography of Joseph Roth, ballerina Dame Monica Mason with students from The Royal Ballet School and Rupert Christiansen with his book ‘Diaghilev’s Empire’.
The Literature Festival, which runs from May 22 to 27, will be presenting its evening and Saturday events in the recently opened Cidermill Theatre at Chipping Campden School.
Organisers say the aim for both festivals is to ensure arts are available to young people.
As such, all evening and Saturday events of the Literature Festival, as well as the Lunchtime Series of the Music Festival, are free for state school students.
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