Musical treat at Ludlow summer arts festival
Songs of witches, sailors and heroes on the run from the fall of Troy will be the centrepiece of a summer music festival.
A sneak peek at the musical delights on offer during a week-long festival next month was staged at Ludlow's Church of St Laurence.
The church has expanded its annual classical "mini-fest" this year into a full-blown Summer Arts Festival to sit alongside other Ludlow Fringe arts events in place of the summer Shakespeare and Arts Festival, held at Ludlow Castle, which was cancelled last year.
Director of music Shaun Ward took to the harpsichord to accompany Ludlow-based soprano Gemma King to sing extracts from Henry Purcell's Dido and Aeneas, the first ever English language opera, which will be staged on June 20.
Mr Ward said: "There will be 25 singers, 20 of which will be the church choir. It's not the usual kind of thing that they would do, we've been teaching them to sing like witches, which has been a lot of fun."
The festival will open with an organ recital by Henry Fairs of Birmingham Conservatoire on June 13.
During the festival 300 children from local schools will also descend on the church for a performance of Peter and the Wolf, narrated live by actor John Challis, best known as Boycie from Only Fools and Horses, with organist Peter Dyke and a demonstration of how the organ was made.
Tickets for all events are available from Ludlow Assembly Rooms box office on (01584) 878141 or at www.ludlowassemblyrooms.co.uk
