Buxton Festival prepares for take-off
LAST summer’s Buxton Festival sold a record 41,500 tickets and this year, with 140 events over 19 days, the High Peak summer celebration promises to deliver even more: six operas, 45 eclectic concerts, an all-star morning literary series and a brand new line-up of afternoon talks by up-and-coming authors.
2009 sees the Festival retaining it’s strong arts reputation whilst branching out in the hope of capturing younger audiences. Stand-up comic poet, Murray Lachlan Young stars in the festival’s first ever children’s show, while local school pupils will fanfare the opening of an opera with instruments made of recycled rubbish.
Under-30s are also welcome, with the best available seats on offer at all events for just £5.
Unique productions of rare operas remain the backbone of the Festival – this year’s series includes a tragedy based on the Renaissance femme fatale Lucrezia Borgia and a light-hearted comic opera called Véronique set in a Parisian florist’s shop involving a beautiful young fiancée going undercover to investigate the caddish behaviour of her future husband.
This year’s winner of the prestigious Orwell Prize for political literature will be in discussion with David Blunkett whilst Conservative leader David Cameron will be speaking candidly about his political journey to present.
The Festival’s chief executive Glyn Foley said: "Ticket sales have just exceeded the final figures of 2008…a real endorsement from the public for what we offer...[but] there are still tickets left for most literary and music events.”
The 31st Buxton Festival opens Friday, July 10. For full listings go to www.buxtonfestival.co.uk. For a full brochure call 01298 70395.
For tickets call the box office on 0845 12 72 190.
Published: Mon, 06 July, 2009
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