Superb line-up unveiled for 2022 Festival of Chichester

Running from 11 June to 10 July, this year's Festival will be a celebration of community across a wide range of events, bringing together artists, musicians, writers, actors and creatives of all kinds.

See https://festivalofchichester.co.uk/

Festival chairman Phil Hewitt said: "The Festival of Chichester was born on an October night in 2012 when we asked everyone whether they wanted a new festival for Chichester following the collapse of the old Chichester Festivities.

"We were thrilled that the answer was an emphatic, resounding yes, and it’s that yes that has carried us ever since, through thick and thin – through years of rapid growth and ambition and then through the tough times of 2020 and 2021.

"In a world where you can’t take anything for granted, we are absolutely delighted to find ourselves in a remarkably healthy position as we contemplate the 2022 Festival of Chichester.

Amazingly it is going to be our tenth festival – proof not just of our resilience but proof above all of the loyalty and support we have been met with every step of the way.

"We managed an online festival in the grim days of 2020; we managed a mix of live and online last year. Now, for 2022, we are overjoyed to offer you something which we hope will feel almost normal.

"Look through these pages and relish all the opportunities they contain, a chance to come together once again to enjoy a huge range of experiences and pleasures, all of them rooted in and around this brilliant city in which we live and work. Theatre, the spoken word, music in all its forms, cinema, walks, day trips, dance, books and all kinds of shows are all part of the merry mix. Our programme will celebrate our emergence from the pandemic and also our landmark anniversary, but we hope it’s also a programme which will honour all the difficulties we have had to endure and the sacrifices we have had to make in recent times.

"It is also a programme which celebrates the organisations without which we simply couldn’t survive. Once again, we are indebted to Chichester City Council for supporting us financially and always encouraging us so heartily; we are also extremely grateful for the generous coverage we always receive from the Chichester Observer, the best place to keep up to date with all the fun we will be bringing you.

"We are also exceptionally grateful to our patron Dame Patricia Routledge, always so incredibly supportive of all that we do. Dame Patricia has understood our ethos right from the start and always expresses it beautifully.

"Dive in and explore all the superb events we have got lined up for you. We look forward to seeing you time and time again this summer.

Festival co-ordinator Barry Smith said: “Ten years ago, we set out to present a brilliant array of arts and entertainment brought together in a celebration of our city of Chichester for a summer festival that everyone could be involved in and everybody could enjoy.

“Our ideal is to bring together the talents of local performers and organisations with the added lustre that visiting national and international stars can bring. This year we think we have fulfilled that dream with a fantastic selection of offerings across the fields of music in all its forms, theatre, spoken word, poetry, community shows, exhibitions, walks and tours and much more.

“We’re delighted to be welcoming to the Cathedral not one but two world class orchestras.

“Jess Gillam, 23-year-old saxophone superstar who wowed audiences in the BBC Young Musician competition, leads the London Mozart Players through Mozart and Glazunov.

“The soloist for the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra is Leonard Elschenbroich, who is quite simply, one of the world’s greatest cellists. He’ll be playing Elgar’s much-loved Cello Concerto.

“And our very own Chichester Symphony Orchestra will be joining in at St Paul’s with an enticing Tchaikovsky programme.

“With the Stradivarius Piano Trio and the Camarilla Ensemble and more, our festival’s classical music programme matches the very best anywhere. For those who love a bit of jazz, pop, blues, folk or world music, we have that too. There’s an All-Star female jazz sextet at the Pallant Suite, hugely talented jazz clarinettist Julian Stringle with guitarist Dominic Ashworth at the Assembly Room, musician’s musician folk star Andy Cutting at Graylingwell, international performers She’Koyokh with toe-tapping world music at Halnaker, renowned pianist John Lenehan accompanying silent movies at Selsey and Chichester’s David Bathurst will be singing every Beatles song at Boxgrove. And we shouldn’t forget Jody and the Jerms and Olivia Stevens at Chi Inn and Pavlos Carvalho’s Greek Band at St Paul’s.

“This year we are proud to present three legendary poets – Liverpudlian Roger McGough (famous for Scaffold’s number one hit, Lily the Pink) at the Cathedral and Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry winners Grace Nichols and John Agard at the Poetry & Jazz Café. Famous novelist Elly Griffiths discusses her best-selling novels, while the Lord Chamberlain’s Men entertain on Cathedral Green with Shakespeare and comedian Ninia Benjamin raises laughs at Graylingwell.

“Art lovers are in for a treat with Pallant’s Glyn Philpot’s exhibition while Oxmarket Contemporary stages several shows, as does the Library, Candida Stevens and the Little Art Gallery. Visitors can take guided tours of the city or learn about nature with a bumblebee workshop. There’s so much to enjoy. The only way to get the full picture is to pick up a festival brochure or browse our website. You won’t be disappointed with our anniversary special!”

The Festival of Chichester committee is: Phil Hewitt (chairman), Barry Smith (co-ordinator), Katie Bennett, the Rev Canon Dan Inman, Simon O’Hea, Anne Scicluna and Nick Sutherland.

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