The directors of Islington Festival of Music and Art are proud to announce the inaugural Festival this summer, presenting fifteen spectacular events over a four-day period at the end of July.
Last summer we presented many concerts of classical music in outdoor spaces and private gardens in our local neighbourhood (Highbury and Islington) and we were very inspired by the warm and positive reaction from local people, who were thrilled to be able to attend, safely, a concert of live music, and be able to get to it without using any form of transport.
As a result, we have spent the winter months in dialogue with venues throughout Islington, and top calibre musicians who live in London, and together we have programmed a four-day extravaganza of beautiful music in wonderful locations, played by international artists who are delighted to have the opportunity to come together in a celebration of the arts for the local community. As well as lunchtime, early evening and late night concerts, we are very happy to announce that there will be three workshops running concurrently: two of these feature art classes for abstract and figurative drawing, and the other is hosted by a renowned luthier, who is a specialist in restoring and repairing string instruments.
We are proud to announce that we have five partner venues for the Festival.
The lunchtime series (1pm-2pm) takes place in the recently restored and elegant Islington Square, where there is a performing stage in the South Arcade.
The evening series (7pm-9pm) takes place in Christ Church Highbury, an important building at the heart of the neighbourhood, which now has a recently renovated Steinway grand piano, and is a fabulous venue for listening to music and having a glass of wine in the gardens before the concert, during the interval, or both! This series features the music of Franz Schubert and his friends.
The late night series (10pm-11pm) features the music of JS Bach and his family and is shared between three very different and fascinating venues. The Newington Green Meeting House has recently been lovingly restored thanks to the Lottery Fund, and is now a wonderful chapel and a superb performance space. No 20 Arts is a contemporary art gallery in the heart of Islington, ideal for hearing Bach’s solo violin music. The Festival closes at The Old Queen's Head, a famous landmark and live music venue.
Everyone involved in the Festival is coming to Islington to bring pleasure and their expertise to a wide audience. For most concerts there are free tickets for people under the age of 26, thanks to the generosity and foresight of the Cavatina Chamber Music Trust.