The Hampstead and Highgate Festival celebrates its tenth anniversary in May 2008 with great style; we present a dazzling array of world-class classical artists together with exciting soloists from the younger generation and a wide variety of arts and community events taking place in and around two of North London's most prominent, popular and picturesque village centres. Musical themes include anniversary celebrations for Olivier Messiaen, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Howard Ferguson, Michael Tippett and Adam Gorb, a contemporary composer with Hampstead connections. The festival will also venture into music theatre for the first time in 2008, presenting the premiere of Thomas Hyde's ground-breaking new work That Man Stephen Ward, with a cast including baritone Andrew Slater.
The artist roster is simply superb with Stephen Kovacevich, violinist Sara Trickey, the outstanding Carducci Quartet (first prize winners at the Kuhmo Competition in Finland and more recently outright winners in the prestigious CAG competition in the USA) and a celebrity recital from organist Jennifer Bate. Baritone David Wilson-Johnson joins pianist Danny Driver, George Vass and the Festival Orchestra for the closing concert - a celebration of English music, with works by Vaughan Williams, Finzi, Howard Ferguson and Tippett. Clarinettist Catriona Scott, cellist Gemma Rosefield and pianist Michael Dussek join together in the Brahms Clarinet Trio, Chopin's Cello Sonata and a new work by Cecilia McDowall, and violinist Thomas Gould and flautist Kathryn Thomas join with the Festival Orchestra and George Vass for the opening concert which this year is a charity gala supporting the Marie Curie Hospice, Hampstead - the programme includes popular works by Vaughan Williams, Mozart, Peter Warlock and the premiere of a new work by Adam Gorb.
Piers Plowright has again devised a series of literary events with Victoria Blake, Sue Gee, David Hendy, Tim Jeal, Matthew Lewin, Gerard Mansell and Ann Wroe, together with a poetry performance at Burgh House. There are events celebrating Poetry at the Movies and a showing of Diamonds are Forever to celebrate the centenary of Ian Fleming. Other events include jazz with Chris Laurence and Norma Winstone, cabaret with Helena Blackman and Tim McArthur, neighbourhood walks, a comedy club, events on Hampstead Heath, children's concerts and very much more.
Winning entries in the third National Hampstead and Highgate Festival Young Composer's Competition will be performed at a special Focus on Youth concert at which local primary school choirs will get a chance to show their singing skills, and Martin Butler's hilarious settings of stories by Roald Dahl Dirty Beasts will be performed by the Zephyr Ensemble of London.
I am greatly indebted to the communities of Hampstead and Highgate for embracing the Festival and to all our sponsors, benefactors, friends and other supporters for their continued help without which the Festival could not happen.
I look forward to welcoming you to our uniquely special celebration of the arts.
George Vass
Artistic Director
George Vass
