Tickets on sale for Eliza Carthy's Olympic Welcome Songs at Much Wenlock
Leading UK folk artist Eliza Carthy has written a new suite of Welcome Songs, inspired by Much Wenlock, the Shropshire town that has become famous as the birthplace of the modern Olympic movement.
The songs will performed alongside a massed community choir, one of a series of four performances around the country especially commissioned for the London 2012 Festival. It is intended as a welcome to the international community coming to the UK for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Welcome Songs is produced by The Dartington Hall Trust and funded by Arts Council England and the PRS for Music Foundation.
Eliza Carthy has used the traditional songs and stories associated with Much Wenlock, Chipping Campden, Stoke Mandeville and Weymouth as her inspiration to create four new pieces of music in these places which have contributed so much to the Olympic and Paralympic movements.
The Much Wenlock performance on Wednesday 11 July at Wenlock Priory will coincide with the Wenlock Olympian Games – the inspiration for the modern Olympic movement – and will be led by renowned choral director Robert Hollingworth, featuring Eliza, Robert and members of his celebrated choir I Fagiolini. They will be joined on stage by choirs drawn from the surrounding communities.
Gates open 7pm for the performance at 8pm.
Tickets must be purchased in advance: £4 Adult, £2.50 Children & £6 Family. Tickets are available now by calling 01803 847070.
Twice-nominated for the prestigious Mercury Music Price, Eliza Carthy is the winner of five BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards and has been a judge at both the Q Awards and the Ivor Novello Awards. She divides her time between touring and recording with her legendary musical parents Martin Carthy and Norma Waterson and pioneering solo and band projects.
Paul Kaynes, Creative Programmer for London 2012 in the West Midlands, said: “We are delighted to welcome Eliza Carthy to Much Wenlock during this very special summer. The London 2012 Festival is allowing everyone, no matter where they are in the UK, to witness world-class art and culture on their doorstep. Eliza’s Welcome Songs performance at Much Wenlock is just one of over 70 events taking place around our region in celebration of London 2012 and I’d urge everyone to take the opportunity to get involved with this once-in-a-lifetime occassion.”
The London 2012 Festival is a spectacular 12-week nationwide celebration bringing together leading artists from across the world with the very best from the UK, opening on Midsummer’s Day 21 June and running until 9 September 2012.