Guildford International Music Festival 2011
Friday 4 February 2011
The Guildford International Music Festival is coming soon and promises to be the best yet! With over 60 events making up the programme, there is something for everyone. All events are on sale now.
To download a PDF version of the brochure please click here or to be sent a hard copy please click here and email us your full postal address. Brochures will also be available to pick up in venues around Guildford and Surrey. Tickets can also be book online through the festival website.
Welcome from the Festival Director
Music is an everyday part of our busy lives, but it is often in the background, so much so that we hardly notice it, or pay attention to the effect that it has on us. Guildford’s International Music Festival is an exciting opportunity to make music more meaningful and to immerse ourselves in all kinds of musical events. Every two years, the Festival celebrates the very best in all styles and genres of music, programming world-famous names alongside our own local amateur and professional talent.
There is a real buzz around the Town during the Festival, as venues, theatres and pubs join together to celebrate live music. We are lucky to have some wonderful intimate venues in Guildford, which allow us to be really close to artists and see their musical magic at close quarters. Artists tell us they love coming to Guildford because of the enthusiastic and warm responses they receive from audiences and after most events there is the chance to meet the artists and chat to them.
We welcome back Festival friends guitarist John Williams, violinist Nicola Benedetti and Sir Richard Rodney Bennett. The innovative Suburban Sprawl also returns, bringing live music into many pubs, and kick-starts the Festival build-up with lots of busking in the High Street on Saturdays from late February.
The middle of the Festival coincides with a general countdown to the start of the Olympics, and we are hosting a mini-cultural Olympiad on Guildford High Street on 15 March. We are also planning a unique theatrical experience suitable for all the family in the Castle Grounds, which will really open your eyes to the beautiful surroundings. Details about both of these extra-special events and how you can get involved will be on the Festival website and Facebook site from the middle of February.
In fact, keep looking at the website for updates and new information about events and artists!
I hope you can join us to celebrate live music in Guildford this year and have many enjoyable musical experiences.
Pauline Johnson
Artistic Director