Lancaster Music Festival will remember a well known member of the city’s musical community this October with a performance of his own oratorio.
Much-loved Lancaster composer, Andy Whitfield passed away last year and in his memory, there will be a special performance of For Every Child, the oratorio he wrote based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
It will be performed by Lancaster Millennium Choir, which Andy founded and conducted, alongside pupils from Dallas Road and Willow Lane primary schools at a concert in Lancaster Priory on Friday 13th October at 7.30pm.
This event, funded by Arts Council England, the FC Scott Trust and the Duchy of Lancaster Benevolent Fund, is likely to be very popular so advance booking, on a pay as you feel basis, is recommended via the festival website: lancastermusicfestival.com
As well as taking part in For Every Child, the Willow Lane and Dallas Road pupils will also benefit from workshops organised by the festival, thanks to a successful Crowdfunding campaign and support from the Arts Council.
Musicians including Lancaster rockers, Massive Wagons, BBC Folk Singer of the Year, Rioghnach Connolly, and Chinese pianist, Siqian Li will lead the workshops with the aim of inspiring the next generation’s love of music.
But it’s not just the young who will benefit this year. The festival’s outreach work, funded by Lancaster Community Wellbeing Fund, will stretch to local care homes and the Royal Lancaster Infirmary too.
There will be musical performances at Laurel Bank and Ashton Manor and the long-term care wards at the RLI as well as drum circles for service users and carers for healthcare charities including Positive Futures.
Festival director, Stuart Marshall, said: “Over the last few years, there’s been a big focus on widening the festival’s reach to try and include all sections of the community.
With our early years workshops, primary school and youth stages and now music in care homes, the young and elderly can join in the festival fun.”
Anyone interested in some of the behind the scenes secrets of Lancaster MusicFestival, which runs from Thursday 12th – Sunday 15th October 2023, can attend a free talk by Lucy Reynolds, the festival’s outdoor events and volunteer co-ordinator, on 28th September from 12 noon to 1.00pm at Lancaster Library.
“LMF is a wildly experimental model for an event and we would love you to know a bit more about how it works,” said Lucy.
Lancaster Millennium Choir is a community choir that loves to try out new (and often frankly outlandish) ideas, founded by Andy Whitfield over twenty years ago. For more information and to fin out how to join visit lancsmillchoir.org.uk