Canterbury Festival
Encyclopedia
The Canterbury Festival is Kent's international festival of the arts. It takes place in Canterbury (England) and surrounding towns and villages (including Faversham, Whitstable and Margate) each October and includes performances of a variety of types of music, ranging from Opera and Oratorio to art, comedy and theatre. It has featured performances by Sir Willard White, Michael Nyman, Rebecca Stephens and Ned Sherrin and by ensembles such as the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, the Skampa Quartet, the Brodsky Quartet, the Ensemble Cordial, Brass 10 and the London Community Gospel Choir. Venues include Canterbury Cathedral
, the Gulbenkian Theatre at the University of Kent and the Marlowe Theatre
as well as the artists' homes and studios where work is displayed.
during his time as Dean of Canterbury. Guest artists during his time included John Mansfield, Gustav Holst
, Dorothy L. Sayers
, and T. S. Eliot
(whose 1935 drama Murder in the Cathedral
was commissioned by Bell for the festival). That was within the first ten years of the festival in which it had flourished, with its plays. The festival was established closely with the friends of Canterbury organization. In 1970 the Dean at the time and city council got together and joined forces, to work on the festival together for the first time. Then in 1984 the festival got a revamping. A new theatre had been built in Canterbury and the festival started to include almost every art form. That year the festival included music, visual arts, cinema, theatre, literature and more. International events helped the festival gain the name of Kent’s international arts festival in 2004. That year the festival had lasted three weeks. Now the festival is two weeks but holds over 200 events in those two weeks with 70,000 festival goers. The festival also includes things like classical music, contemporary music and dance, international music, comedy, talks and even walks.
. The festival also has local support and funding. The festival began to gain a relationship with other European natures such as Hungary and Poland. The festival had one year included a celebration of Hungarian culture in the presence of Hungary’s President. Then a year later the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra had played at the festival. These events are some that helped the festival gain the name, Kent’s International Arts Festival. 2009 the festival was asked by Canterbury City Council to “take responsibility for the continuing development of creative writing and live literature events in the district.” Because of that a year round program was set up to meet the challenge of developing creative writing and live literature in the district. This program goes by the name of The Canterbury Laureate. The Canterbury Laureate will be a year round program but there is still an intention to continue have the two week festival each year. In 2010 the festival signed a five year sponsorship with Canterbury Christ Church University
.
Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England and forms part of a World Heritage Site....
, the Gulbenkian Theatre at the University of Kent and the Marlowe Theatre
Marlowe Theatre
The Marlowe Theatre is a major 1200-seat theatre in Canterbury, England.It closed in March 2009 for redevelopment and a brand-new Marlowe Theatre re-opened to audiences on 4 October 2011.-Name:...
as well as the artists' homes and studios where work is displayed.
History
It was initiated in the 1920s by George BellGeorge Bell (bishop)
George Kennedy Allen Bell was an Anglican theologian, Dean of Canterbury, Bishop of Chichester, member of the House of Lords and a pioneer of the Ecumenical Movement.-Early career:...
during his time as Dean of Canterbury. Guest artists during his time included John Mansfield, Gustav Holst
Gustav Holst
Gustav Theodore Holst was an English composer. He is most famous for his orchestral suite The Planets....
, Dorothy L. Sayers
Dorothy L. Sayers
Dorothy Leigh Sayers was a renowned English crime writer, poet, playwright, essayist, translator and Christian humanist. She was also a student of classical and modern languages...
, and T. S. Eliot
T. S. Eliot
Thomas Stearns "T. S." Eliot OM was a playwright, literary critic, and arguably the most important English-language poet of the 20th century. Although he was born an American he moved to the United Kingdom in 1914 and was naturalised as a British subject in 1927 at age 39.The poem that made his...
(whose 1935 drama Murder in the Cathedral
Murder in the Cathedral
Murder in the Cathedral is a verse drama by T. S. Eliot that portrays the assassination of Archbishop Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170, first performed in 1935...
was commissioned by Bell for the festival). That was within the first ten years of the festival in which it had flourished, with its plays. The festival was established closely with the friends of Canterbury organization. In 1970 the Dean at the time and city council got together and joined forces, to work on the festival together for the first time. Then in 1984 the festival got a revamping. A new theatre had been built in Canterbury and the festival started to include almost every art form. That year the festival included music, visual arts, cinema, theatre, literature and more. International events helped the festival gain the name of Kent’s international arts festival in 2004. That year the festival had lasted three weeks. Now the festival is two weeks but holds over 200 events in those two weeks with 70,000 festival goers. The festival also includes things like classical music, contemporary music and dance, international music, comedy, talks and even walks.
Achievements
The festival is considered to be one of the nine organizations to achieve national arts funding from the Arts CouncilArts Council England
Arts Council England was formed in 1994 when the Arts Council of Great Britain was divided into three separate bodies for England, Scotland and Wales. It is a non-departmental public body of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport...
. The festival also has local support and funding. The festival began to gain a relationship with other European natures such as Hungary and Poland. The festival had one year included a celebration of Hungarian culture in the presence of Hungary’s President. Then a year later the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra had played at the festival. These events are some that helped the festival gain the name, Kent’s International Arts Festival. 2009 the festival was asked by Canterbury City Council to “take responsibility for the continuing development of creative writing and live literature events in the district.” Because of that a year round program was set up to meet the challenge of developing creative writing and live literature in the district. This program goes by the name of The Canterbury Laureate. The Canterbury Laureate will be a year round program but there is still an intention to continue have the two week festival each year. In 2010 the festival signed a five year sponsorship with Canterbury Christ Church University
Canterbury Christ Church University
Canterbury Christ Church University is a university in Canterbury, Kent, England. Founded as a Church of England college for teaching training it has grown to full university status and will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2012. The focus of its work is in the education of people going into...
.