BIGGER and even better ? that?s the forecast for the next year?s Tavistock Sings! Music Festival, which is to be held between April 28 and May 2, during the May Day holiday weekend. Building on the success of this year?s event, the five-day festival aims to appeal to a broad cross-section of music lovers and is attracting nationally and internationally acclaimed musicians. Festival director Simon Ible said: ?The important thing about the festival is its combination of events ? presenting the highest professional quality, through the Ten Tors Orchestra and the Jazz lunch, with the opportunity for people to take part and participate themselves, for example, the Dawn Chorus, which will be done at sunrise at Merrivale Stone Circle. ?It concerns the very oldest chants and ceremonies and is a chance for families to get involved, perhaps camp and then join in to welcome the sunrise.? The festival will be opened with a showcase event for local choirs to perform their own programmes, uniting to sing the premiere of a new work by Andrew Wilson, called The Land where the Bong Tree Grows ? a new cantata for chorus, soprano and baritone soloists, piano and obligato oboe. The evening will feature soprano Kate Walker and baritone Ian Hardy. A black tie American cabaret evening will be held on the Friday night, featuring songs from American musicals, to be held at Kelly College. During Saturday there will be a chant and music workshop held at the Molly Owen Centre. The festival gala concert will be held in St Eustachius Church on the Saturday night, with the Ten Tors Orchestra playing pieces by Mozart, Bolton, Beethoven and Schubert. There will be a Sunday lunchtime jazz concert ? which proved a hugely popular sell-out event last year. Simon said: ?This year we have Antonia Couling coming ? she?s a singer out of the same school as Clare Peel and Clare Martin, she also does some Nora Jones type songs. She will be releasing a new CD around the same time. ?She?s quite new and it?s exciting to have a fresh voice like hers coming to the area.? The Sunday programme will also include a festival evensong and an evening choral and organ concert at the parish church. The festival will be rounded up by a choral singing day on the Monday, directed by Simon, which will finish with a free informal end of festival performance during the evening. He said: ?This is our third festival now and we are getting a lot of support. We are building this continuity which is exciting and people are pleased to get involved. ?I hope it?s something that is going to draw people in, give the area a higher profile and excite the economy.? John Taylor, chairman of Tavistock Forward which is promoting the event, said: ?The festival will continue to raise the profile of Tavistock as a cultural and heritage centre in West Devon ? and promote the many superb facilities the town and immediate region has to offer, to the local and regional community ? and visitors. ?We are building on the good work that was previously carried out during the original pilot festivals ? we are also trying to widen the appeal year on year.? Tavistock Forward is applying for funding through the Tavistock and Villages Iniative (TAVI) from the Regional Development Agency and West Devon Borough Council. ?We are also hoping to get some support from the town council ? last year they kindly allowed us to use the town hall for free,? said Mr Taylor, who said nearly £2,000 had already been raised through private sponsorship.
