The Tower Music Festival 2009

Ten nights of music at one of the UK's most famous landmarks, The Tower Of London.

The festival is set in one of the most spectacular historic royal palaces right in the heart of London. The festival will celebrate opera, dance, jazz, world and classical music.

The programme is as follows:-
Fri 11th September: Saddlers Wells Is Dance
Sat 12th September: Lesley Garrett & Fron Male Voice Choir
Sun 13th September: Carl Rosa Opera Presents Yeoman Of The Guard
Mon 14th September: Carl Rosa Opera Presents Yeoman Of The Guard
Wed 16th September: A Gala Night Of Opera
Thu 17th September: Remembering The Miles Davis Classic
Sat 19th September: WOMAD Presents World Music - Khaled supported by the Imagined Village (featuring Eliza and Martin Carthy, Chris Wood and Billy Bragg) with Dulsori, Paprika Balkanicus, and Nathan Flutebox Lee.
Sun 20th September: WOMAD Presents World Music - The Bays and The Heritage Orchestra supported by Tony Allen, Siyaya, Abdullah Chhadeh & Syriana, and Justin Adams and Juldeh Camara.

Tickets are on sale - click here to buy.

Sadler's Wells have produced an exclusive gala night of dance for the Tower Festival featuring the best of Ballet, Ballroom, Flamenco and contemporary dance including performances from Tamara Rojo (Ballet), Paco Pena & Company (Flamenco) while Anton Du Beke, and Erin Boag, and stars of Strictly Come Dancing, who will perform a selection of ballroom and Latin Dances.

Lesley Garrett CBE is Britain's most popular soprano, and will appear with The Fron Male Voice Choir (conductor: Ann Atkinson) with the Fine Arts Brass Ensemble. The Fron Male Voice Choir became the fastest selling classical act of all time. The choir, under their musical director, Ann Atikinson are from the tiny village of Froncysyllte in North Wales.

Carl Rosa Opera presents Gilbert And Sullivan's opera Yeoman Of The Guard, featuring a cast of over fifty singers and actors elaborately costumed and accompanied by the full Carl Rosa Opera Orchestra. These performances are the first time The Yeomen of the Guard has been performed in the Towers moat since 1978. The production, commissioned by the Tower Festival, will be one of the only times you will be able to see The Yeomen of the Guard performed within the space where the action is set.Set in the Tower of London during the 16th century, is a tale of ill-fated love, intrigue and escape in Tudor England. The opera was written at the request of Queen Victoria in celebration of the opening in 1888 of the Tower of London after its restoration. This production will be the 121st anniversary of the opera's first presentation.

World renowned opera star Dame Kiri Te Kanawa will lead the Future Stars of Opera at the event. Dame Kiri is dedicated to working with the next generation of Opera Stars. She has set up her own Foundation to Mentor young Singers from her home Country New Zealand, She regularly works with young singers at the Metropolitan Opera New York and amongst other similar projects teaches each summer at the Solti-Te Kanawa Academia Italy.

Kind Of Blue At 50 - 2009 marks the 50th Anniversary of the original release date of Miles Davis' Kind Of Blue. To celebrate the anniversary the festival has called on the services of Jimmy Cobb's So What Band (the only surviving member from the original recording). Kind of Blue—the epitome of spontaneous invention—is still the best selling jazz album ever and tops the current jazz chart. Legendary jazz drummer, Jimmy Cobb leads a contemporary all-star band featuring Wallace Roney (trumpet), Javon Jackson (tenor saxophone), Vincent Herring (alto saxophone), Larry Willis (piano), and Buster Williams (bass.) The group will perform their interpretations of Kind of Blue's five masterpieces, plus other classics by Davis, John Coltrane, Julian 'Cannonball' Adderley, and original compositions inspired by this era.

Making its debut in London for the very first time will be Peter Gabriel's celebrated festival of world music WOMAD. WOMAD presents is a series of one off performances from artists woven together from all over the world. The ubiquitous WOMAD flags and workshops will also be a feature of the weekend.

eFestivals is offering our readers a chance to win in a pair of tickets for WOMAD at the Tower Festival 2009, for more information click here.

The Tower Festival was masterminded by impresario Harvey Goldsmith CBE, one of the most respected classical music promoters in the world.

There'll be more information here when available.

Latest Updates