Dear Editor: Over four weeks in May and June Bath Festivals welcomes a host of authors, poets, historians, comedians and world-class musicians to the city in celebration of music and books. The full programme is now available to see and tickets go on sale from 10am on Friday, 27 February. The festival season launches with Party in the City, Bath’s traditional big, free citywide night of bands, choirs and musicians playing in dozens of venues, on Friday 15 May. Then, from 16-24 May Bath Literature Festival hosts some of the UK’s most celebrated writers, including Hamnet author Maggie O’Farrell, Shuggie Bain author Douglas Stuart, Booker Prize winner Howard Jacobson, historian Tom Holland and thriller writer Anthony Horowitz.
From 30 May – Sunday 7 June, Bath International Music Festival brings a glorious programme of music to this World Heritage City. Visiting artists include three of the world’s finest pianists, Richard Goode, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet and Steven Osborne and Bath Abbey is the venue for an immersive performance of Secret Byrd by the award-winning vocal group The Gesualdo Six.
Some literature festival highlights:
• The line-up includes; Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Mary Portas, Marcus Brigstocke, ex-Chancellor Sajid Javid, historian Katy Hessel, poet William Sieghart and Bath Novel Award winner Abi Daré.
• Join the experts to talk about some of the biggest concerns of our time; the climate crisis, migration, our place in Europe and Russia’s ambitions.
• Celebrate the worlds of Jane Austen, Jilly Cooper and James Bond with like-minded fans.
• Explore the life and times of influential figures with talks on Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth II, George Sand and Gwen and Augustus John.
• Sign up for a festival workshop and flex your creative muscles.
• Put on your walking shoes to discover more about Bath’s people and places, with ten themed, guided walks to choose from.
Some music festival highlights:
• Jazz is back! Head for the Pump Room, where fresh from Ronnie Scott’s, James Pearson and his trio offer a whistle-stop tour through 125 years of jazz piano greats, celebrating the music of Jelly Roll Morton, Fats Waller, Art Tatum, Dave Brubeck, Oscar Peterson and more.
• Catch a musician who is in demand globally. Virtuoso clarinettist Mark Simpson, winner of both BBC Young Musician and BBC Young Composer and one of the foremost composers of today joins us for an afternoon at St Swithin’s Church.
• Be stirred by a rousing mix of classical and folk at Komedia, inspired by nights at The Red Hedgehog, a 19th century Viennese tavern.
• Enjoy a series of delightful morning coffee and cake concerts at St Swithin’s Church, featuring performances from Ethan Loch, piano, Irene Duval, violin, and Ryan Wang, piano.
• Immerse yourself in the hypnotic music of Argentine tango composer Piazzola in the company of the Bath Festival Tango Ensemble at Komedia.
• Join I Fagiolini, singing a capella, who will be bringing Renaissance masterpieces from Spain and England to life at St Mary’s Church, Bathwick.
Tickets go on general sale from 10am on Friday 27 February, for the full programme visit:
Literature: https://bathboxoffice.org.uk/bath-literature-festival-72m8
Music: https://bathboxoffice.org.uk/bath-music-festival-jg6y
Bath Festivals is a charity that inspires and connects different people and communities through music and book festivals. All its work is designed to maximise inclusion and accessibility, ignite ideas, thoughts and conversations and promote and celebrate the positive impact that music, literature, and performance have on people’s lives.
Georgette McCready, Bath Festivals
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