This year’s festival will be ‘bigger and better’ than ever

Topping the bill on the opening Saturday evening is a performance at the Milligan Theatre of the opera La Traviata by Verdi, and students at Rye Studio School are playing a key role in bringing this exciting production to fruition.

The singers and full orchestra are all young professional musicians who have been brought together by Euphonia’s conductor and director Alisdair Kitchen for what will be a one-off performance. In the meantime, Alisdair has said several meetings at Rye Studio School with students who are working on the set design, creating props including artworks, and costume design.

Alisdair says: “It isn’t just been me briefing the students with what I want – at our meetings they have come forward with their own ideas concerning the look and feel of the production and many of these we will be taking forward. It has proven an exciting and stimulating collaboration that I’ve really enjoyed. This will be very much a Rye production and I urge Ryers to buy tickets for the performance in September – they won’t be disappointed.”

Work will continue over the coming weeks and even over the holidays. When the Studio School officially returns ion early September it will be a case of all hands to the deck as the final preparations for the performance take place.

Peter Brice, director of classical Music at Rye Arts Festival, says: “This will be the third opera Alisdair has put on in Rye and I have to say that this is by far the most exciting. Jo Townsend and the staff at Rye Studio School bought into the idea of students being involved in the production and it is thrilling to see how the students have already responded. I can’t wait to see it on 13th September.”

The 60 plus events between 12th and 28th September that make up this year’s 43rd annual Rye Arts consist of classical and contemporary music, theatre and dance, literary talks and historical walks, comedy and art exhibitions and much more!

Postal and online bookings by the general public are from 28th July – although there is no harm in putting your application in earlier.

The Box Office for in-person bookings opens at Phillips & Stubbs in Cinque Ports St, Rye on 11th August from 9.30am to 1pm on Mondays to Saturdays until the end of the Festival.

For more information, including downloadable application forms, go to www.ryeartsfestival.co.uk.