Shipley Arts Festival to offer online concert in celebration of VE Day

The Shipley Arts Festival is promising a spectacular online concert in celebration of VE Day, taking place on Friday, May 8 at 7pm.
Director Andrew BernardiDirector Andrew Bernardi
Director Andrew Bernardi

It will be the festival’s second event.

Spokeswoman Heather Joy said: “Created to bring the rural communities, country estates and churches of Sussex together through music, the Festival is so very aware of the heightened responsibility to care and reach communities amongst the need for self-isolation and lockdown.

“The first concert celebrated the Festival’s 20th anniversary and was brought together by exceptionally skilled string musicians and animator producer Anthony Hutchings, with the local and national community signed into a live Zoom concert.

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“Solos were performed by String Academy members Grace Shearing, Carla Lee, Phoebe Gault, William Pomeroy and Eleanore Sadler who are some of the county’s most outstanding young musicians and the concert was displayed on a computer animated countryside stage. “The concerts are set beside Shipley Church and take inspiration from St John’s Chapel on the Coolhurst Estate, recreating one of the original settings located in the Leonardslee Forest in West Sussex.

“With hundreds signing in to watch the first concert, the VE Day celebration will also be live streamed and will feature Elegy composed by Malcolm Singer. In addition, the Shipley Psalms will be performed by Andrew Bernardi on his Stradivarius violin and accompanied by The Chapel Choir of Royal Holloway, who will perform from each of their individual locations.”

Director Andrew Bernardi said he was delighted to be once again “pushing boundaries in these difficult times.

“The Shipley Arts Festival’s true spirit has always been to bring communities together through music, and we hope to help people to feel relaxed, optimistic and hopeful as we look forward to the future and seeing everyone in person.”

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To join the VE Day celebrations, assemble this Friday, May 8 in the Zoom Waiting Room from 6.30pm, for a 7pm start. Tickets are available at http://www.shipleyartsfestival.co.uk/2020-05-08/ and for further information go to the website www.shipleyartsfestival.co.uk , check the festival’s Facebook and Twitter pages, or email [email protected].

The Bernardi Music Group is delighted to have Tooveys, NFU Henfield, Nyetimber, Kreston Reeves, Wakefields and Luxury Cave as sponsors of the Shipley Arts Festival and are proud to be working in partnership with Yu Yuan Arts.

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