Issue 496 – Something to make a song and dance about… Music and arts festival kicks off this weekend

THE Westbury Music and Arts Festival kicks off this Friday, with a host of music, art and dance events set to transform the town into a vibrant centre for the arts over the next fortnight.

Organisers have worked hard to create a jam-packed programme with plenty to appeal to all ages and tastes between Friday 16th September and Sunday 2nd October, with almost every day offering a choice of varied events.
The festival’s programme, together with news on events and artists, can be found in this issue’s special pull-out, starting on page 15.

Folk Festival

While the festival committee is delighted to welcome returning favourites, they are also eagerly anticipating new additions to this year’s festival, which include this weekend’s folk festival.
A highlight of the festival will be this Saturday, 17th September, when the town centre will fill with vibrant colour and sound as Appalachian clog dancers, folk dancers, and Morris dancers all take to the streets. There will also be market stalls in All Saints Churchyard and live music in pubs throughout the day.
The opening folk weekend will also include internationally renowned Irish folk band Guidewires, four-piece Irish folk band Finnegan’s Wake, bluegrass band The Bowlegged Skeeters, and Blackthorn, who have appeared at venues from Sidmouth Folkweek to the Royal Albert Hall.

Music and art

Other musical events include the popular swing band Opus One, who return after great acclaim at last year’s festival, jazz musician Lee Ingram, mezzo soprano singer Nina Alupii Morton with pianist Marie Angel, and soprano Reisha Adams and pianist David Doidge. For those with a more rock ‘n’ roll attitude, events include a Battle of the Bands.
Art exhibitions include an eye-opening photographic exhibition from Matravers’ trip to the Gambia, a print making exhibition, a range of paintings, photography and quilts from Westbury artists and an opportunity to have a go yourself at Matravers’ Big Draw event.
Westbury Library will be offering author talks, and poetry events are a new feature in this year’s programme.
Roy Inwood, chair of the Westbury Music and Art Festival Committee said, “There’s so much going on, and we’ve made sure that there is something for everybody. There’s a really good mix of performances, where you can enjoy the talents of some superb artists, and workshops, where you can get involved and have a go yourself!

Fantastic day

“I’m looking forward to it all! I think the Saturday (17th) will be a fantastic day, with the Appalachian clog dancers, the Morris dancers, and the markets – we’re expecting around 15 stalls in the churchyard. Personally, I’m also looking forward to hearing Nina [Alupii Morton] again – she is a fantastic mezzo soprano. Our finale will be the Opus One swing band who were a big hit last year and were asked to come back and do it all again! We’ve also had a number of other acts from last year who asked to perform again, and we did actually have to start turning people away, as there’s only so much we can fit in two weeks!
Tickets for festival events are on sale from Town and Country in the High Street on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 10.00am-2.30pm.
For those who cannot make it to the ticket office, tickets can be purchased by sending a stamped addressed envelope to WMAF, 10 Meadow Lane, Westbury, BA13 3AE, along with a cheque for the quantity of tickets required, made payable to Westbury Music and Arts Festival (please also write the name of event and quantity of tickets on the back of the cheque). Where available, tickets will also be sold on the door.
More information about the festival and events is available at www.wmafestival.co.uk

Putting together a festival

The first Westbury Music and Arts Festival was a relatively small event, held three years ago as a collaboration between Westbury Rotary and Westbury Lions, who used the event to test the idea of a festival in the town. Last year’s efforts saw the event grow to a full scale festival. Now run by an independent committee, organisers of this year’s festival have used the enthusiasm of previous performers and their own musical and artistic interests to create a varied two-week programme.
Roy Inwood, who has been part of the festival since its conception and is chair of the committee this year explained, “What we’re trying to do is put Westbury on the map. Frome have managed it for their festival, and it’s put Frome on the map – it’s part of the town’s culture. We’re trying to do the same for Westbury. If we can get people from outside the town to come in, that will generate business – restaurants and pubs for example – that is the real big long-term aim. But it’s also about bringing something to the town for the people of Westbury.
“We started working on the programme in earnest in January. We came to the conclusion that a two-week period would be best. Helen suggested poetry, Mick came up with the idea of a folk weekend, Sabine came up with events for the library, and Matravers School were keen to do events similar to last year. We looked at what we were going to do again – some musicians came back to us and said they’d like to be involved again, we slotted them in, we also had other interested groups around the area who wanted to perform. It is getting noticed.
“I would like to say a big thank you to our sponsors this year – Matravers School, Hills Waste, Westbury Town Council and grants from the BA13+ Partnership and Westbury Area Board. Also to the benefactors, Davies Hardware for their use of their valuable window space for advertising the festival, the Heritage Centre for the use of their window and Town and Country Estate Agents for use of their premises as a box office.”
• If you enjoy a festival event, let us know with a Letter to the Editor! Send us your festival feedback to whitehorsenews@btconnect.com or post to 31 Market Place, Melksham, Wiltshire. SN12 6ES