Issue 22 - July 2012 (PDF) - Chipping Norton Times

GUITING FESTIVAL JULY 27 –AUGUST 4TH
guitingfestival.org
Every summer there is an abundance of music in the Cotswold Hills. Most people have heard of the Cheltenham Festival
but close on its heels during the last week of July there is a much more intimate festival which deserves equally to be
enjoyed. It takes place off the beaten track in the village of Guiting Power. Those who know of it look forward all year to
this professionally staged event in the excellent village hall.
Nine concerts are offered. These concerts cover the many aspects and styles of music, from a piano recital by our
president, Joanna MacGregor, to an outdoor Sunday lunch concert of jazz. Food can be ordered with concert tickets.
The audience can bring their own picnic, buy light suppers in the marquee before concerts or order an after concert 2
course evening meal (numbers limited). Solos, duos, trios, quartets, quintets of brass, woodwind, strings and percussion,
including one evening of music on the lighter side, provide a broad selection.
This is a real village event. The young are encouraged to help in the festival organization, from controlling the parking
and acting as ushers in the hall to presenting gifts to the artists.
Each evening during the interval one can wander into the field, sip a relaxing glass of wine and talk to other
enthusiasts you haven’t seen since the previous Festival. You can watch the progress of the harvest on the gentle slopes
of the hills opposite, eagerly anticipating the next half of yet another excellent performance while swallows’ wheel and
cry overhead.
There is an art exhibition in the Hall throughout the festival. This exhibition is
arranged by a separate organisation. The art is for sale.
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