Money may be tight these days, but organisers at Henley festival are determined not to let that affect their annual riverside extravaganza — and with stars such as Bryn Terfel, Will Young, Nigel Kennedy and Ronan Keating gracing the famous Floating Stage this year, they are certainly proving the point.
“Our response is to come out fighting,” says festival director Stewart Collins. “You have two options — either you contract and bean-count carefully, or you get a bit bolder and say ‘right, we know people love the festival, they want to see top stars, and that’s the way we’re going to do it’.
“We’re not going to be shrinking violets, we’re going to get out there and make the programme the strongest we’ve ever had. This year, the headline line-up is unquestionably the strongest in the festival’s history.”
Former Pop Idol winner Will Young kicks off the event on the Wednesday night, followed on Thursday by baritone Bryn Terfel, pictured, with the Philharmonia and conductor Gareth Jones.
On Friday, violin sensation Nigel Kennedy performs music by Duke Ellington, Saturday sees the cast of West End hit musical We Will Rock You team up with a rock band and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra for a night of Queen magic.
Boyzone star Ronan Keating brings the curtain down on the festival on the Sunday.
In addition, there will be the usual selection of fringe events, from musical acts to late night comedy, with the usual street theatre and art galleries to enjoy as you stroll around.
“There’s so much going on, so many different things to see,” Stewart says. “People also love the fireworks — we have those on four of the five nights, and we’ve made sure that this year’s show is, again, really unusual. We’re using new technology this year, in a completely innovative way, which takes the festival up another notch.”
One of the quirkier fringe events is the Rainer Hersch Orchestra, the late-night act on the Sunday.
“What we essentially do is corrupt the classics and take the p***,” Rainer tells me. “It’s a comedy show with classical music in it — and trust me, you’ll get all the jokes. It’s music that everyone recognises and, dare I say it, the comedy is very clever. People really like it, and we have a lot of fun doing it.”
Another performer hoping to have a lot of fun is young local soprano Zannah Brooksbank, who just four years ago was one of the festival’s usherettes. This year she is performing with girl trio Milan, which offers a mixture of classical opera and the girls’ own version of ‘pop opera’.
“It’s a way for us to bridge the gap between the perceived high end of opera and something more contemporary,” she explains. “So it opens up opera to a wider audience, and perhaps a younger audience. People seem to respond well to what we do.”
A former star of Reading Operatic Society, Zannah is delighted to be making her debut at Henley Festival.
“It’s really nice to be here — I always hoped I would be, and every time I was here I thought, I can do that! When I joined Milan I approached the festival to say I’d always enjoyed the event and could we be part of it, and luckily they said yes!”
So, financial crisis notwithstanding, this year’s Henley Festival looks set to be one of the best ever.
“This is a no-holds-barred festival,” says Stewart. “We’ve got such a strong line-up this year. We’re bullish and taking a risk, and we think that’s exactly what we should do.”
lHenley Festival runs from July 7 to 11. For full details visit henley-festival.co.uk. Box office: 01491 843404.
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