Harrogate Festival highlights
THE Harrogate International Festival doors are now officially open! The year's hotly anticipated music and arts extravaganza kicks off tonight, Friday with the Celebrity Gala Festival Concert, featuring Lesley Garrett, Julian Lloyd Webber and Emma Johnson. Celebrity Gala Festival Concert, Royal Hall, 8pm, tickets from £22
Saturday 17 July
Showstopper! The Improvised Musical promises to get you singing, dancing and laughing. The Edinburgh Festival sell-out success comes to Harrogate Theatre with their Whose Line is it Anyway- style of improvised fun.
Showstopper! Harrogate Theatre, 8pm, tickets from 11
Sunday 18 July
There's a rare treat for film fans as the Festival lifts the curtain on a rare screening of the classic masterpiece – Benya Krik. A fictional Russian gangster of Jewish descent, Benya Krik remains one of the great anti-heroes of Russian literature. Murder is a way of life for Benya and his gang until he finds himself ensnared in a Bolshevik trap...Once banned, seldom seen, it's a unique chance to see a silent celluloid masterpiece from the depths of the Russian Archives. And it's all set to a live musical score from composer Robin Harris, featuring a dazzling array of instruments and musicians mixing Yiddish folk with Eastern jazz.
Benya Krik – Film (PG) with a new live score by Robin Harris, Crown Hotel Harrogate, 8pm, tickets: 15 Unreserved. U25s: 5
On Sunday, you're spoilt for choice as over at the Royal Hall there's a chance to catch a true jazz legend – the extraordinary Courtney Pine. The presenter of Jazz Crusade on BBC Radio 2 was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2000, and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours for services to jazz music. Don't miss the chance to catch his tribute to the first great saxophone star, Sidney Bechet.
Courtney Pine, Transition in Tradition, Royal Hall, 8pm tickets from 12
Monday 19 July
The Guardian newspaper said she should be sharing a stage and rubbing shoulders with three of the biggest names ever in music: Cave, Mitchell and Cohen. Enough said. Catch the exquisite Christine Tobin with jazz pianist Liam Noble and their take of the classic seventies Carole King album, Tapestry.
Christine Tobin and Liam Noble, Crown Hotel, 8pm, tickets 18
Tuesday 20 July
Feast on thespian frolicks at RHS Harlow Carr Gardens (as well as on your picnic)... A chance for an enchanting evening courtesy of the hilarious Oddsocks with their own unique take on Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.
A Midsummer Night's Dream, (Tues 20 and Wed 21 July) RHS Harlow Carr, 7.30pm, tickets from 3 (children), 12 (adults)
Wednesday 21 July
Ayanna Witter-Johnson has sold out Darlington and London dates already. Make sure you don't miss your chance to catch the captivating star in Harrogate. Her compositional versatility includes writing for symphony orchestra, chamber ensembles, big bands, string quartets and choirs as well as songs, soundscapes and pieces for solo instruments and tape, across a range of styles including jazz, classical, contemporary, R&B, soul, reggae and electro-acoustic.
Her cousin, Courtney Pine, tipped Ayanna as “one of our rising stars of the future”.
Ayanna Witter-Johnson, The Crown Hotel, 8pm, tickets 15
Thursday 22 July
Sir Willard White is one of Britain’s most powerful baritones. Surrender to White’s powerful bass voice as he explores the soulful life and sounds of the legendary Paul Robeson; a truly emotionally stirring night.
Sir Willard White, The Royal Hall, 8pm, tickets from 12
Friday 23 July
Get ready for the dance event of the year promising to sweep Harrogate off its feet. The Festival is inviting you to take to the dance floor and shimmy those shoulders with Alex Wilson’s sensational Salsatak band. Alongside Alex, there’ll be professional salsa dancers mingling with the crowd to inspire you – Mark Ramprakash style – to get ‘Hot! Hot! Hot!’ Temperatures are set to soar in this sensational night of salsa!
Alex Wilson and Salsatak! The Royal Hall, 8pm, tickets from 15, under 25s: 5
Ticket Hotline: 0845 130 8840 or book online at www.harrogate-festival.org.uk
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Friday 25 May 2012
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