The last week of the 47th annual Rye Arts Festival will finish on a high, with a selection of top quality events including Irish music, talks, puppetry, classical concerts and a fabulous opera!
Dame Emma Kirkby will be making her first appearance at Rye Arts Festival – a much anticipated debut from the soprano who is at the top of her craft and is widely acknowledged as one of the world’s premier early music specialists.
On Friday 28th she will be play a concert at St Mary’s church with Dowland Works – an ensemble of singers and lutists who play their instruments seated around a circular, wooden table. This is not because they are paying homage to King Arthur, but because this type of table provides extra resonance for the lutes. The programme will provide some of the finest Renaissance and Baroque music.
Rye Arts Festival is very happy that the famous barrister John Cooper QC is taking time out of busy schedule involving hig- profile hearings and cases to come and speak on Saturday September 29. Whilst an advocate for our criminal justice system, John believes that it is always under threat. He has recently worked on the Deepcut Barracks case, a challenge to the Government’s cash for DUP support deal and the Warboys Parole Board all of which are likely to feature in his ‘Blunted Sword and Broken Scales’ talk.
And also on Saturday Daoiri Farrell will also be performing at the Rye Community centre. A singer who also plays the bouzouki, Daoiri has been picking up the plaudits in Ireland and the UK and this has been backed up by awards. Donal Lunny, a founding member of Planxty in the 1970s who sings and plays the bouzouki has said of Daoiri he is “one of the most important traditional singers to emerge in the last decade”. And in the 2017 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards Daoiri converted an eye-catching three nominations into two awards. So, if you’re looking for some of the very best traditional Irish music in the World, book your tickets quickly.
Theatre Rotto Productions are coming from Hastings to entertain the people of Rye. The amazing puppeteers and musicians tour internationally with their acclaimed puppetry and have graced Rye before. This year they will be performing at Rye Community Centre in the morning of Sunday, September 30. And the show they will be bringing to Rye is Little Ida, which is based on Hans Christian Anderson’s fairy tale. The magic of the puppetry will appeal to children and adults alike and this will make a wonderful and spellbinding family entertainment!
Dame Jenni Murray closes the Festival on Sunday, September 30 at the Milligan Theatre in Rye College. She hardly needs any introduction, since she has been a fixture on BBC Radio 4 for many decades, presenting Women’s Hour since 1987, Dame Jenni Murray is the author of several books, including A History of Britain in 21 Women and Memoirs of a Not So Dutiful Daughter.
In Jenni’s latest book, A History of the World in 21 Women (which won’t be published until October 6) she looks at the great women of the world, rescuing some from obscurity and shining a new light on familiar names. These are women who led while others followed. They stood up and spoke out when no one else would. They broke the mould in art, journalism and politics. Each fought, in her own way, for change. For example, Joan of Arc, Catherine the Great, Madonna, and Frida Kahlo are included.
An audience with Dame Jenni Murray promises to be an entertaining to the Festival. Tickets are on sale at www.ryeartsfestival.org.uk . Otherwise ring the Box Office on 01797 224442. Some tickets remain for all these events
Image Credits: Rye Arts Festival , Veryan Pollard .