Welcome to the Maldon Festival of Arts
Well, the first Maldon Festival of Arts has come and gone. What a fantastic event it was! Nearly two thousand people enjoyed concerts and theatre, ranging from the haunting sounds of the Senegalese Kora, played magnificently by Kadialy Kouyate, to the equally haunting but totally different sounds of Rachmaninov's Vespers. En route, audiences were treated to productions of Dido and Aeneas, sumptuous resoration dress in the Promenade Park Amphitheatre and Gilbert and Sullivan's Trial by jury in the authentic setting of the Moot Hall's courtroom. As if this weren't enough, who could forget the stunning Macbeth in the Amphitheatre, or the presence of world-famous counter-tenor, James Bowman? The festival closed to the sounds of the Essex Youth Chamber Orchestra ringing in the rafters of St Mary's church. A truly wonderful few weeks.
We have been extremely grateful for the support of Maldon Town Council, Maldon District Council and Essex County Council during the festival. In addition, local businesses, who bought advertising in the souvenir programme, contributed substantially to the success of the festival. Of course, the most important contribution was given by the audiences, who supported and enjoyed the performances so enthusiastically.
Planning is well underway for the 2009 festival. An expanded programme will include visual arts, cinema and literature. Of course, we will also be presenting world-renowned musicians, opera, theatre and concerts. Put the last week of June and the first two weeks of July in your daires. Maldon will be the place to be!
If you would like to help in any way before and during next year's festival, please do send us an e-mail.
