Plenty on offer in festival mix (From Dorset Echo)

Plenty on offer in festival mix

9:24am Tuesday 23rd June 2009 in

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VARIETY is the spice of life, they say, and this year’s Beaminster Festival has plenty to choose from.

As in previous years, the town will be hosting its usual mix of classical concerts, art exhibitions and talks by eminent writers and speakers.

But there is also a wealth of events for the whole community, including free opening and closing family days and a lively selection of music in between.

Festival chairwoman Tanya Bruce-Lockhart said: “We are a small community and it is nice to do something for the community and raise funds so that we can lay on free events for people.

“I think we will do well this year as people are staying in this country because of the recession but are still happy to buy festival tickets!”

The festival build-up starts today with an exhibition of photography by Beaminster School in the town museum.

It continues on Thursday with choral evensong in St Mary’s Church with the Truro Cathedral Choir and a literary supper with historian Tom Holland in the Bridge House Hotel.

Friday night contains a recital by award-winning cellist Natalie Clein in the church and a family folk night of music and dance in the Public Hall.

Events really get going on Saturday, June 27, with the launch of the festival in the Town Square at noon.

BBC antiques expert Paul Atterbury will be overseeing events and there will be food, drink, street theatre, live music and more to keep the whole family entertained.

The day will continue with exhibitions and drama and end with dancing in the square from 5.30pm.

The annual Festival Service takes place in St Mary’s on Sunday at 11am and there is also brass band music and outdoor theatre with Illyria Theatre who will be performing The Mowgli Stories in the Manor House Gardens at 2pm.

Among the highlights of the following week are RSVP, who will be performing Bhangra and Bollywood in Beaminster on Monday evening, while in contrast the free Beaminster School Concert takes place on Tuesday, June 30, at noon.

There is an illustrated talk on the poet Sigfried Sassoon on Wednesday, July 1, at 2.30pm in St Mary’s Church and a piano recital, also in the church, by John Lill on Thursday, July 2, at 7.30pm.

There is comedy as Flanders and Swann ‘Drop Another Hat’ in St Mary’s Church on Friday at noon and on Saturday, July 4 there will be an Independence Day celebration with the Village Harmony Choir at noon followed by Swing Time with the Pasadena Roof Orchestra at 7pm.

The festival draws to a close on Sunday, July 5, with the family Finale on the Memorial Fields from 2pm. The event will host Dorset’s Annual Town Crier Competition and there will also be refreshments, dog agility displays, Morris dancers, alpacas, music from the Prize-winning Phoenix Brass Band from Crewkerne and more.

In a more sedate mood, the President’s Concert in St Mary’s at 7.30pm will be a performance by the Bath Philharmonia with trumpet soloist, Crispian Steele-Perkins.

Tanya added: “The opening on Saturday will be a wonderful occasion, a bit like a mini-Glastonbury, and will bring the whole community out and together.

“Not everyone wants to learn about Sassoon or listen to John Lill, so there is a wide range of events, many of them free, for everyone to enjoy.”

For full festival details and bookings, call 01308 862 943 or log on to beamfest.org.uk