EVENTS« page 1 • page 3 »

Henley Festival welcomes Friday Night is Music Night for the first time

Organisers of this year’s Henley Festival are delighted to announce that BBC Radio 2 will be recording the Festival’s Friday night concert on 10th July 2009. It will be broadcast in August as a special ‘Friday Night is Music Night’, the regular Friday night celebration of all things musical.

The Festival show, ‘Pure Gold from the Silver Screen’, is headlined by TV’s John Barrowman and West End star Kerry Ellis, and hosted by Sir Michael Parkinson. Top-notch US conductor Larry Blank will also be flying over from the States especially to conduct the performance. Larry will conduct the BBC Concert Orchestra and additional material will be provided by singers Cantabile – The London Quartet.

‘Friday Night is Music Night’ has been on air for a staggering 50 years and has a loyal audience of around one million listeners. Says Jodie Keane, producer of the show: “With this number of listeners and fans, we have a huge responsibility to get it right. We do a few special shows, maybe seven or eight per year. I produced a ‘Friday Night Is Bond Night’ last year to tie in with the opening of the new James Bond film, and earlier this year, a show to celebrate the music of Tony Hatch and another to mark 50 years of Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club. And I always have the same thought at the forefront of my mind when I’m planning the shows – to celebrate great music performed by great artists accompanied by a great orchestra. If you love music then Friday Night Is Music Night will always be the show for you. And of course, with its long summer festival tradition, Henley is an annual date for so many music lovers, so I hope this concert will be a very happy marriage!”

Stewart Collins, the Henley Festival’s Artistic Director says: “For us, this is a real treat. Lewis Carnie, Head of Programmes at Radio 2 and 6 Music, came to the Festival last year and suggested the idea – we jumped at the chance. ‘Friday Night is Music Night’ is a wonderful – not to say historic – programme and we were thrilled to be asked. In terms of its history, one statistic that instantly fascinated me was the fact that more people will hear this one Henley Festival concert when it is broadcast later this summer than have attended the Festival throughout its entire 27 year history. That’s a fabulous statistic”

‘Pure Gold from the Silver Screen’ is the main ‘Floating Stage’ event at Henley Festival on Friday 10th July. Henley Festival 2009 runs from 8th-12th July. For more information call the Box Office on 01491 843404 or visit www.henley-festival.co.uk.

Chic Chat

the local magazine with a Contemporary Flavour

EVENTS« page 1 • page 3 »

Henley Festival welcomes Friday Night is Music Night for the first time