Girl power comes to the 2011 Chester Summer Music Festival

Apr 14 2011 Flintshire Chronicle

This year’s Chester Summer Music Festival programme has a real feminine touch, featuring many international and national female artists throughout the two weeks.

4 Girls 4 Harps perform on Tuesday, July 5, at 7.30pm in the intimate surroundings of St Mary’s Centre.

This concert is for everyone, harp aficionados and music lovers alike. As well as playing beautiful music the girls will also provide an insight into this magical instrument.

To carry on the female theme, world class jazz performer Claire Martin provides a cabaret evening with her old friend Richard Rodney Bennett on Sunday, July 10, at 7.30pm.

Presenting the Irvin Berlin songbook, this will be a must see event in the festival, with songs such as Let’s Face the Music and Dance and Cheek to Cheek.

The evening of Tuesday, July 12, provides a unique approach to a violin concert with Classical Brit winner Ruth Palmer.

Ruth takes the audience on a journey of discovery in three unusual venues in Chester.

Starting at the Water Tower, moving to the foyer of the Town Hall and finishing in the Chapter House of the cathedral, this unforgettable experience known as Hidden Acoustics is a celebration of the violin rarely seen North of London.

A cornucopia of both brass instruments and female artists will bring the Town Hall Assembly Rooms alive on Wednesday, July 13, as tenThing brassensemble perform their first UK performance within the festival.

Led by Norwegian trumpeter virtuoso Tine Thing Helseth, who has already embarked on a whirlwind solo career across the globe.

Singer-songwriter Emily Portman is an established musician on the folk scene and will play along with her quartet on Friday, July 15, at St Mary’s Centre.

Emily will be playing tracks from her new album, The Glamory, which gained her two BBC Folk Award nominations.

The Chester Summer Music Festival runs for two weeks from July 1-16 and features 12 evening concerts, seven lunchtime concerts, and one Big Sing! weekend.

For all the festival concerts and ticket information, visit www.chesterfestivals.co.uk, where you will be able to view the whole programme and book tickets, or call 0845 2417868.