A criminal start to this year’s Rye Arts Festival fun

The first day of the festival – Saturday September 14 – marks an inaugural cRYmE Day. This will be an opportunity to meet, listen to and eat with four well-known crime writers - Simon Brett, Martin Edwards, William Shaw and Lynne Truss.

The former British Foreign Secretary David Owen will on Wednesday September 25 talk about his new book, Hubris - The Road To Donald Trump. Before Lord Owen became a politician, he was a doctor and it is with these backgrounds he analyses the mental and physical condition of political leaders, leading to a conclusion that what or who went before lead inevitably to President Trump.

On Monday September 23, also at 7pm, Sir Max Hastings will talk about his new history of the Dambusters Raid in 1943.

Sophie Hannah is an bestselling writer but in 2014 her career took a new turn when she took on Agatha Christie, and wrote The Monogram Murders. Two other Poirot novels followed. On Thursday September 19 at 7pm you can find out how Sophie tackled a literary icon.

Three classical music concerts have been announced with on Saturday September 14 a performance by violinist Tasmin Little accompanied by Martin Roscoe on piano. Tasmin, in her last live stage performance, will play three Beethoven sonatas as an early celebration of the great composer’s 200th anniversary on 2020.

Tasmin’s ‘swan song’ is not to be missed. And neither is the return to Rye of baritone Roderick Williams, singing from the Schwanengesang cycle by Franz Schubert. Schwanengesang translates from German as ‘swan song’ and is a series of songs written at the end of the composer’s life.

Rye Arts Festival will welcome back Emma Kirkby with Dowland Works to sing and play ‘early music’ from the English cannon on Saturday September 28. Starting with John Dowland’s music the concert will also feature his successors – John Danyell, the brothers Lawes and Henry Purcell.

All three concerts will be at St Mary’s Church in Rye starting at 7.30pm.

The contemporary music offering features two of the UK’s best folk duos - Martin and his daughter Eliza Carthy, and Nancy Kerr with James Fagan.

The Carthy gig will be at 8pm on Saturday September 21 and it promises to be just one of the must-see events at this year’s Festival. The Carthys are playing at the intimate Rye Community Centre, while Kerr and Fagan play on Saturday September 14.

The Festival’s drama programme includes the riotous Enid Blyton parody improv show Bumper Blyton at 4pm on Sunday September 15, and Austentatious which delighted couple of years ago at Rye Arts Festival.

Booking for all events at www.ryeartsfestival.org.uk.