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With 11 days packed with music, theatre, ballet and more, there’s so much to enjoy at Lichfield Festival (4th-14th July).
From folk superstar Seth Lakeman to the all-plucking Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, Ballet Cymru’s Romeo and Juliet to majestic choral music, and the Secret Life of Enid Blyton to the Magic of the Movies, there’s lots to discover.
We’ve picked out a selection of events to entertain you:
1. Peter & the Wolf
In the gardens of Lichfield Cathedral School, the tale of Peter and the Wolf unfolds to enchant young audiences and adults alike.
Two actors tell the story of Peter, the Bird, the Duck, the Cat and, of course, The Wolf, while Prokofiev’s witty music gives each character a life of its own.
Date: Saturday 13th July
Times: 2pm & 4pm
Venue: Lichfield Cathedral School
2. Oz & Armonico Drink to Music: A Second Sip
The UK’s best-loved wine critic and former choral singer, Oz Clarke, rejoins his musical friends Armonico Consort for a thoroughly entertaining evening.
Oz regales the audience with witty tales of famous composers and wine-related anecdotes, Armonico lend gorgeous Baroque music, and you’ll get to sample a couple of wines along the way.
Date: Thursday 11th July
Time: 8pm
Venue: The Hub at St Mary's
3. The Longest Johns
Swash-buckling, sea-shanty singers, The Longest Johns, reimagine many of folk’s classic songs while adding their own unique style of writing to keep the tradition fresh and alive.
Their 2021 version of Wellerman began a social media sea shanty craze as the 150-year old folk song became a global sensation.
Date: Wednesday 10th July
Time: 7.30pm
Venue: Lichfield Cathedral
4. Rachel Podger Plays Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons
The Festival ‘first night’ features Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, one of the best-known pieces of classical music, with its depictions of snoozing shepherds, thunder storms and falling on the ice.
World leading Baroque violinist Rachel Podger and her ensemble of period instrumentalists Brecon Baroque step into the world of Vivaldi to perform it just how he would have imagined.
Date: Thursday 4th July
Time: 7.30pm
Venue: Lichfield Cathedral
5. Festival Fireworks
Always a crowd-pleaser, the Festival Fireworks are back in Beacon Park on the final Festival Friday, in collaboration with Fuse 2024.
And they’re free!
Date: Friday 12th July
Time: 10pm
Venue: Beacon Park
6. Some Like It Hot: The Magic of the Movies
Step back in time and enjoy some of the most famous musical moments in film history with your guides for the evening, violinist/vocalist Lizzie Ball and world-renowned pianist and Ronnie Scott’s Artistic Director James Pearson with a glamorous ensemble.
Expect a huge variety of film music, songs from the golden age Hollywood, and more.
Date: Friday 12th July
Time: 7.30pm
Venue: Lichfield Cathedral
7. Ballet Cymru: Romeo and Juliet
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The greatest love story ever told, Ballet Cymru bring their award-winning production of Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare’s “pair of star-crossed lovers”.
With exquisite costumes, dramatic choreography, glorious music and Lichfield Cathedral as a stunning backdrop, this will be a night to treasure.
Date: Thursday 11th July
Time: 7.30pm
Venue: Lichfield Cathedral
Image: Sleepy Robot
8. Jasdeep Singh Degun
Jasdeep Singh Degun has played the Amphitheatre in Doha to Westminster Abbey, winning awards and blazing a trail as an innovative composer and sitar player.
This late evening concert in Lichfield Cathedral will create the perfect atmosphere for his extraordinary artistry and spontaneous improvisation through the ancient tradition of the raag.
Date: Tuesday 9th July
Time: 9pm
Venue: Lichfield Cathedral
9. Amiri Harewood
In this daytime recital, exciting young pianist Amiri Harewood plays Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, a musical tour of the paintings of his friend, that includes the Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks, the Hut of Fowl’s Legs and The Great Gate of Kiev.
This is one of the (almost) daily Young Artists concerts featuring musicians on the cusp of major careers.
Date: Tuesday 9th July
Time: 12pm
Venue: Wade Street Church
10. Carice Singers: Stargazers
The superb voices of the Carice Singers, with harpist Olivia Jageurs, celebrate the choral music of Cheltenham-born composer Gustav Holst, one of the greatest names in British music, in his 150th anniversary year.
His influences included collecting English folk songs to Hindu poetry and exploring the cosmos.
Come and be transported into his beautiful, evocative, musical world.
Date: Monday 8th July
Time: 7.30pm
Venue: Lichfield Cathedral
11. The Secret Life of Enid Blyton
Most people will have heard of Enid Blyton, creator of The Famous Five and Noddy, but the beloved children’s author was unpopular with critics and rejected by the BBC as ‘second rate’.
In her new one-woman show, actress Liz Grand plays this fascinating and unconventional woman with controversial views and an ‘interesting’ private life.
Date: Tuesday 9th July
Time: 2pm
Venue: The Hub at St Mary's
12. J L Petit Series of Lichfield with Philip Modiano
“The most remarkable series of images of any British cathedral by an individual artist”, reported The British Art Journal of J L Petit’s paintings of Lichfield Cathedral.
Petit expert Philip Modiano explores the artistic and cultural significance of these fascinating works of national, as well as local, significance.
Date: Sunday 14th July
Time: 2.15pm
Venue: Lichfield Guildhall
13. Seth Lakeman
Marking the 20th anniversary of his breakthrough album Kitty Jay, folk singer and multi-instrumentalist Seth Lakeman is joined by fellow folk artists Benji Kirkpatrick (Bellowhead) and Alex Hart.
Seth was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize in 2005 for Kitty Jay and he’s since been on an incredible solo journey of record deals, album releases, a clutch of awards and world tours.
Date: Saturday 6th July
Time: 7.30pm
Venue: Lichfield Cathedral
Image: Matt Austin
14. George Hinchliffe’s Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain
For a fun, feelgood night out, come and see the raucous spectacle that is the all-singing, all-plucking Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain.
They’re playful, virtuosic and wickedly amusing, both fun and actually funny.
Date: Friday 5th July
Time: 7.30pm
Venue: Lichfield Cathedral
15. Maya Youssef
Maya Youssef is hailed as ‘the queen of the qanun’ and, if you’re unfamiliar with the 78-stringed zither, she’ll introduce it to Lichfield as part of the Festival.
Rooted in the Arabic classical tradition but forging pathways into jazz, Western classical and Latin styles, this is music that’s emotional, healing and life-affirming.
Date: Friday 12th July
Time: 8.30pm
Venue: The Hub at St Mary's
Image: Igor Studio
Find out more about all Lichfield Festival events at www.lichfieldfestival.org
Related
Lichfield Festival promises a host of fabulous artists and exciting events taking place in the cathedral city between 4th-14th July 2024. A melting pot of world-class entertainment and creativity, this summer’s Festival mixes music of all kinds, from folk to classical, jazz to gospel, with theatre, literary, community and family events.
