Wiltshire Creative seeks Festival Choir members for stones songs at Salisbury International Arts Festival

By Tyler Ody

Wiltshire Creative announces that the world première of Stone Songs at Salisbury International Arts Festival will include the return of the Festival Chorus comprised of local residents, joining La Folia musicians in a celebration of the illustrious history of Salisbury Cathedral. Composed by Howard Moody, Stone Songs will open the 2022 Salisbury International Arts Festival on 27 May, also under the musical direction of Moody.

Originally intended to open the 2020 Salisbury International Arts Festival, Stone Songs is a new choral work inspired by the Medieval chants that have resonated from the Cathedral’s stones since the 13th century. The piece will feature a large community chorus, five soloists, brass musicians, a percussionist, violinist, an organ, and working stone mason.

Registration opens to join the Festival Chorus for Stone Songs on Tuesday 16 November and closes on Monday 20 December 2021. For sign up details, please visit: https://www.wiltshirecreative.co.uk/take-part/stone-songs/

Howard Moody said today, “Following the turbulence of the past few years, the opportunity to have the community’s voices resounding off the resonant surfaces of the Cathedral’s stones will be especially powerful. The lyrics of the final chorus will have a new and potent significance: “We like living stones will make it sound again”.”

Gareth Machin, Artistic Director of Wiltshire Creative, said today, “The Festival Chorus has long been a distinctive and central part of the Festival’s identity and we are delighted that this event will herald the start of three packed weeks of music, dance, circus, film, theatre, visual art, spoken word and much more. It promises to be an extraordinary event and a project I hope that local residents will want to be part of.”

Stone Songs will be the first performance in Salisbury International Arts Festival’s three weeks of arts performances, events and workshops, which for 2022 will be centred around the theme of islands.

LISTINGS                                                                                                                              SALISBURY INTERNATIONAL ARTS FESTIVAL

Salisbury International Arts Festival

27 May – 19 June 2022

Ticket Sales: 01722 320333

Ticket sales will open for Salisbury International Arts Festival for members on 8 March and on general sale on 15 March.

Salisbury International Arts Festival blazed into life in 1973 with a thrilling artistic programme that captured the hearts and minds of Salisbury. Since then, successive inspirational Festival Directors have built upon that original offer ensuring that, for two weeks every year, the buildings, streets and open spaces of the city have been alive with creativity and artistic excellence. In 2019 the Festival entered a new stage in its evolution as part of Wiltshire Creative.

La Folia is a music charity and production company that brings together instrumentalists, singers, actors, dancers, visual artists and writers to create new music, original projects and ground-breaking performances under the artistic directorship of Howard Moody.

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