New Associate Artists for Lichfield Festival

The Festival’s Associate Artist Scheme began last summer (2022) and highlights the breadth of the Festival’s eclectic programming. We have already enjoyed first season performances by our Associate Orchestra – the BBC National Orchestra of Wales – and Associate Band, Grimethorpe Colliery Band (including their wonderful Christmas concert in December). Our solo Associate Artists are familiar faces now, much-loved by the Festival audience: Baroque violinist Rachel Podger; pianist Danny Driver; and cabaret artist and writer, Jessica Walker.

All five of these superbly talented Associate Artists will be back this coming summer for eight separate events, performing both at Lichfield Cathedral and at multiple venues across the city of Lichfield.

We’re also delighted to welcome our new Associate Artists for the Festival’s 2023-2025 seasons. Having performed with us in 2021 (opening our inaugural Chamber Music Weekend) and at the 2022 summer Festival, the Brodsky Quartet – who have just incredibly marked their own 50th anniversary – will perform at the Festival for the next three years.

In addition, after their show-stopping American Rhapsody & the American Classics concert last year, we are also thrilled to announce that pianist James Pearson, Artistic Director of London’s famous Ronnie Scott’s, and violinist and vocalist Lizzie Ball both join us as Associate Artists this summer, both performing twice. Together, they bring us a special large-scale Cathedral celebration of the great songwriters Burt Bacharach, Carole King and Joni Mitchell. In addition, James continues his long-standing collaboration with Broadway star Melissa Errico, while Lizzie takes us to last century Paris, as she looks at the relationship between Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky, alongside virtuoso accordionist Miloš Milivojević.

All in all, our Associate Artists will appear eleven times across our Festival week this July. We are extremely grateful to them for their on-going and future commitment both to the Festival and our ever-supportive audience!