The 46th annual Rye Arts Festival serves up a world-class programme of contemporary and classical music, literary talks, historical and nature walks, film, theatre, art exhibitions and children’s events between September 16 and October 1.
The first week of the contemporary music programme kicks off with a real treat – Malinky the Scottish band who are coming down south of the border for a one-off gig on Saturday September 16, of traditional folk music that mixes both joy and heartache. Go along and have your emotions moved by this award-winning four-piece.
And Tuesday September 19 will enjoy the welcome return of ‘West’ Weston’s Bluesonics. A couple of years ago the singer and harmonica player Steve Weston and his red-hot band wowed a Festival audience in the Rye Community Centre. Expect more of the same from this British master of the Blues this year, also at the Community Centre, as his band turn up the heat musically and the audience get on their feet.
The Classical music programme also opens on Saturday September 16 with as big a treat for music lovers courtesy of The English Concert. This is one of the finest chamber orchestras in the world. St Mary’s church was full to the rafters last time The English Concert played at the Festival and we can expect the same again, although some tickets remain for sale.
A highlight of this year’s Festival will be the organ at St Mary’s Church. A lunchtime organ recital starting at 1pm on Tuesday September 19 is being given by Dr David Flood. As well as choirmaster, David has been the organist at Canterbury Cathedral since 1988. And he is in huge demand not just in the UK but all around the world giving regular recitals in Europe and the USA, touring over the Pond at least twice a year. David’s undoubted skills will no doubt match up to Rye’s splendid church organ.
World-class is the watchword as musicians are coming to Rye from around the globe. Kenny Broberg, the young American winner of the recent 2017 Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition (beating nearly 40 other finalists from around the world) is jetting in from Missouri USA for a concert on Wednesday September 20. This pianist has the world at his feet and is a must-see as a he plays the hugely demanding Sonata in B Minor by Franz Liszt.
More world-class musicianship is guaranteed on Friday 22nd when the renowned choir Tenebrae sing at St Mary’s Church. Under the direction of Nigel Short the programme is called Spanish Glories of the 16th Century and the concert will not disappoint.
Theatre provides a focus on Jane Austen since this is the author’s bicentenary year. Karin Fernald brings her one-woman play called Jane Austen – The Early Years on Sunday 17th, which focuses on the writer’s unpublished works from her childhood and adolescence and is warm and very interesting as it provides so much insight into her later novels. Karin has performed the play in London and in Australia.
Rye takes great pride in its local lad who made it big – John Fletcher. The Rye-born playwright (born next to St Mary’s Church in Rye where his dad was the rector) collaborated with and then took over from William Shakespeare as the leader of the King’s Men theatre troupe. But the Rye/Shakespeare connection has been given a fillip by the recent publication of documents that show that William’s troupe visited Rye in 1597 for the Mayor-making of the Mermaid Inn’s owner John Fowtrell. The Bard himself came to town. Fittingly, the inaugural Shakespeare lecture will take place at the Mermaid Inn on Sunday September 17 at 3pm, with the talk being given by Professor Andrew Hadfield of the University of Sussex.
The Film programme this year marks the bicentenary of Jane Austen with the movie Clueless on Thursday September 21 at the Kino. This film, starring a young Alicia Silverstone sees the Emma story reworked and set in 1995 Beverley Hills. This cult comedy classic is a fun, frothy treat where young love just can’t be controlled by the heroine.
And the Battle of Hastings on Wednesday 20th at the Kino Digital is a film documentary with a musical theme. Directed by the Oscar-nominated Mike Figgis, who is also a musician, the film is a fly- on-the-wall portrait of the 2015 Hasting International Piano Concerto Competition, focusing on the drama and passion as 38 young musicians from around the globe are locked in competition for a major prize that can make their careers.
And there are some inspiring speakers coming as part of the literary programme.
Terri Fleming will talk about Perception, her novel which follows the lives of the two youngest Bennet sisters from the end of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. The novel is fun and follows Jane Austen’s style perfectly. Terri will be talking on Monday September 18.
And on Thursday September 21, Dame Stephanie Shirley will be talking. Don’t miss it as she is genuinely an inspiration. Sent to England as a five-year-old on the Kinderstransporten, weeks before the start of the Second World War in the 1950s she worked in the nascent computing industry. In 1962, she started her own coding and programming company employing women almost exclusively – just three of the first 300 employees were men. The business grew to employ thousands and she sold out for millions. She has since focused on charity, using her wealth to support others, with autism charities being her great interest.
Come along to a talk at Rye Cricket pavilion by James Brown. Not the soul-singing James Brown, but the James Brown who changed the face of magazine publishing in the UK and who has now become a best-selling author.
Having cut his journalistic teeth on the NME, James was the launch editor of Loaded magazine only leaving to edit British GQ. James spent the eighties and noughties working hard and playing very hard. Now he has a weekly show on talkSPORT, has cut out many of the excesses of his youth, but still finds time to play 5-a-side football three times a week. James has written a book about his lifetime enjoyment of 5-a-side called Above Head Height and this will be the subject of his talk at 8:30pm on Friday September 22. The book hasn’t just topped the Amazon Sports Book Best Sellers charts, it’s also been a chart topper in the mainstream Best Seller Charts too.
So, if music, theatre, literature, cinema or fascinating and inspiring speakers float your boat, check out the 60-plus events between September 16 and October 1 in Rye and make sure you don’t miss one of the best Arts Festivals in the UK. More information is by checking out www.ryeartsfestival.co.uk. The Box Office is open for personal bookings at Phillips & Stubbs in Cinque Ports St, Rye, from 9:30am to 12:30pm Monday to Saturday – otherwise you can book tickets online from the website.
Photos: Courtesy of Rye Arts Festival and Marlais Brown