Performers from Central School of Ballet, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Little Angel Theatre, Silver Lining circus company, guitarist Adrian Bueno
Photo: Alex Maguire
22 June - 17 July 2014
City of London Festival is entering an exciting new era under the directorship of Paul Gudgin, who saw the Edinburgh Fringe Festival double in scale during his 8-year tenure as Festival Director. This summer the 52-year-old City of London Festival will animate the Square Mile in new and exciting ways, enjoying a new lease of life.
The City of London Festival will introduce a ground-breaking new iconic theatre in the shape of a bowler hat. This inflatable pop-up venue will present a diverse programme for a wide audience, from families to financiers. Standing at over 10 metres high – the equivalent of 3 storeys – the bespoke Bowler Hat will play host to more than 100 events, including children’stheatre, cabaret, comedy and circus. The structure will seat 212 people, allowing audiences to enjoy renowned performers in an intimate space.
Once again, the Festival will feature an innovative, eclectic programme of music, dance spoken word and street performance. It will also be a celebration of the City, its architecture, skyline and streets, and its energy, stories and relationships with the rest of the world.
Over its 52 years, the Festival has brought the world's finest artistic talents to the Square Mile, commissioned and premiered artworks, animated remarkable spaces not normally open to the public, welcomed children to its annual Parade, placed pianos on the streets of London, and hosted stimulating debates and discussion.
Highlights this year include:
· Jazz with a View: Unrivalled vistas with world-class jazz including Kit Downes Trio at the top of the Gherkin (29 June); Clare Teal at Unilever House (26 June); and Roberto Pla at One New Change (8 July).
· Justice, Money, Power: Curated by cultural commentator Tiffany Jenkins, this series of lectures, debates and interviews will focus on the financial, political and ethical implications of life in The City.
· Comedy, cabaret and circus theatre in the new Bowler Hat venue.
· Seoul in The City series: the City will be animated by Korean artists including: Conductor Myung-Whun Chung with an Anglo-Korean performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No 9 – a symphony of reconciliation featuring Korean soloists, conducted by a South Korean artist who has worked hard to create dialogue with North Korea (15 July); pianist Sunwook Kim will give a recital in the Stationers’ Hall. (25 June)
· Nicola Benedetti performs traditional Scottish music ahead of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, with an all-star line-up of Scottish traditional musicians in the Guildhall (14 July).
· Choral Revolution: girl choristers from three cathedrals perform a world première by Judith Bingham (28 June).
· Masonic jazz in a hidden temple in Liverpool Street: Julian Joseph performs music by a mason, Duke Ellington, in the extraordinary setting of a masonic temple in the Andaz, Liverpool Street – walled off for decades but rediscovered during a 1990s refurbishment (11 July).
· WW1 themed recital, structured round the story of a voyage to the front, with tenorAndrew Kennedy and pianist Iain Burnside, performing forgotten poetry and music by FS Kelly, William Denis Browne and Rupert Brooke, in Drapers’ Hall (23 June).
· The London Symphony Orchestra play under the dome of St Paul's Cathedral, performing Bruckner's Symphony No 9, conducted by Daniel Harding (3 July).
· Simon Callow in a theatrical exploration of Beethoven with The Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields at the Lord Mayor's residence, Mansion House (30 June).
· The Nash Ensemble performing Piano Quintets in Goldsmiths’ Hall and Merchant Taylors’ Hall (7 & 10 July).
· Over 100 free events animating the City and its surrounding green areas, including City Beerfest in Guildhall Yard (3 July), live folk music in Epping Forest (6 July), plus steel orchestras, playful sculptures and trolley-dancing at venues such as Devonshire Square and the foot of the Gherkin.
· Children’s activities will include the annual Festival Children’s Parade (27 June), The Alternative Commonwealth Games, a family event with music, crafts, storytelling, alternative sports and much more on Hampstead Heath (13 July), and Storybook World Cup, when major football clubs and children’s writers join forces (28 June, 5 July, 12 July).
Fiona Woolf, Lord Mayor of London, says:
“The Festival looks set to show everyone that the Square Mile is not as square as they think, and it’s particularly exciting to see so much singing in this year’s programme. I would be surprised if any other part of the UK had formed so many choirs! For three weeks this summer, it will be wonderful to hear the City come together in harmony and celebrate this extraordinary location and its rich culture.”
John Scott, Chairman of the Culture, Heritage & Libraries Committee of the Corporation of London, says:
“Everyone who visits the City during the Festival will find something unusual to engage them, whether it is Beethoven, burlesque, comedy, or debates about financial ethics. Whether they are seasoned City workers or new visitors, they can look forward to a vibrant and enjoyable Festival.”
City of London Festival Director Paul Gudgin says:
“It is an immense privilege to curate a festival for a location as exciting and enthralling as the City of London. We invite everyone to take a new perspective of the City and experience its tremendous capacity for surprise and discovery – whether at the top of a skyscraper in the company of Britain’s leading jazz musicians, or by following the annual children’s street parade, whether in a hidden masonic temple, or in St Paul’s Cathedral. Our new pop-up venue, a giant inflatable bowler hat, will let everyone know it’s festival time. Plenty of events are free, so we’re looking forward to welcoming all comers in the City this Summer.”
Website: www.colf.org
Box office: 0845 120 7502
Twitter: @CoLFestival
Facebook: www.facebook.com/
Box Office opens on Tuesday 15 April
