A year-round project
For the 34th year, Alnwick International Music Festival will be
welcoming singers, musicians and dancers from around the world.
Barbara Hodgson reports on the small but dedicated team of
organisers who ensure the show goes on.
Festival line-up
Ukraine: Perlyna, pictures above
Czech Rupublic: Kruspanek
France: La Poulido de G�mo, pictured
below
US: Sarisan (US-based)
Slovakia: Sarisan
Bosnia: Kud Behar (to be confirmed)
Herzegovina: Kud Izvor (to be confirmed
awaiting permission to leave their countries)
Isle of Man: Phynodderee
Plus a host of local entertainers.
Daily performances will be held in the
Market Place from 11am until 4pm. They
are free but donations are gratefully
accepted.
Evening concerts are held at 7.30pm in
Alnwick Playhouse in Bondgate Without.
Monday, August 3 � Irish Night
Thursday, August 6 � Northumbrian Night
Friday, August 7 � Concert Final�, part one.
Saturday, August 8 � Concert Final�, part
two. For tickets, call the Playhouse on
(01665) 510785.
W
here there's a will, there's a
way it seems. Just ask John
Moodie who's one of the
organisers of Alnwick's
annual music festival, which has attracted
international acts to the Northumberland
market town for more than three
decades.
The festival is a registered charity and
that not one event has been missed over
those years is all thanks to the fund-raisers
who � despite their day jobs � are busy
year-round in finding ways to cover the
�50,000 festival costs, including food and
lodging for the performers.
"We house them and feed them, using
churchhallsandschoolcanteens,andpay
for all that," explains John, festival chair-
man. There's no major sponsor so we
fundraise ourselves, things like coffee
mornings, and it's ongoing."
There are 10 organisers working for free
and of course this year they faced a
particularly difficult task due to the eco-
nomic downturn.
So, more than ever, they'll be hoping for
donations from the crowds enjoying the
free entertainment. The performers who
come over pay for their own travel and do
not receive any appearance money.
Alnwick Market Place will be trans-
formed into a blaze of colour and activity,
with the dances, music and national cos-
tumes. And again, no doubt, the local
community will warmly welcomes the vis-
itors, often donating clothing to those from
less well-off countries.
The festival, in turn, contributes hugely
to the local economy, points out John.
"Weestimateditgeneratesabout�20m.
And people have already been calling
guest houses asking for 2011 dates."
Thisyear'sfestivalrunsfromAugust1-8,
and the line-up includes acts from the
Czech Republic, France and Slovakia �
supported by a host of local talent.
No two years are the same because
acts, selected by the organisers from a
rush of eager applicants, cannot return in
consecutive years.
The all-new line-up includes, for in-
stance, two groups of Slovakian enter-
tainers called Sarisan, one based in the
US, and folk dance group Perlyna from the
Ukraine.
This 32-strong group of 15 to 30-year-
olds have won prizes for their perform-
ances that blend the folklore of the Poltava
region and Ukrainian national dances.
There has been one incident this year,
however, which flies in the face of com-
munity spiritedness.
Young people from Bosnia and
Herzegovina�whohadraisedfundsfor15
months once they heard they'd been
picked to perform � had planned to make
the trip together by bus but ruling au-
thorities refused permission for Christian
and Muslim groups to mix.
An appeal is underway and John is
hoping the authorities will relent.
Otherwise, organisers are all set to wel-
come the world to the Alnwick stage.
Outdoor entertainment is free, while
there are charges for the evening per-
formances that take place in Alnwick
Playhouse and for those in The Alnwick
Castle and Gardens.
musiccultureAUGUST09
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