Kilkenny Arts Festival

The Kilkenny Arts Festival, formally known as Kilkenny Arts Week, is an arts festival founded in 1974 by a collaboration of classical music enthusiasts. It is inclusive of many art forms apart from classical music, with playwright and poet Seamus Heaney giving a reading of his work during the inaugural event.[1]

Kilkenny Arts Festival
St Canice's Cathedral ahead of a festival performance in 2013
StatusActive
GenreArts festival
Date(s)August
FrequencyAnnual
VenueVarious
Location(s)Kilkenny
CountryIreland
Years active1974–present
Most recent2019
Websitekilkennyarts.ie

Today, it includes theatre, dance, visual arts, as well as all forms of music and literature. The festival commissions works for the event locally and from abroad.[2]

The ten-day festival takes place each August in Kilkenny and is intended to be a showcase for Irish and international arts.

Around 50,000 people have attended previous festivals, with venues across the city ranging from rooms in pubs, to St Canice's Cathedral and Kilkenny Castle.[3]

Overview

Performances have included US poet laureate Robert Pinsky, pianist Sir András Schiff, Malian virtuoso Toumani Diabaté, musician Alexander Lingas, historian Roy Foster, Irish portraitist Mick O'Dea, Iranian harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani, and Chinese-born pianist Zhu Xiao-Mei. Other performers have included Brooklyn Rider, Jordi Savall, Camerata Kilkenny, Heath Quartet, Garrison Keillor, Susan Philipsz, Colm Tóibín, and Dawn Upshaw.[4][5][6] Giant inflatable sculptures by Architects of Air have previously been a fixture, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre Company have performed on a number of occasions, and other notable performers and presenters have included Liz Roche's Company, Martin Hayes, and Junk Ensemble.[7][8][9][10][11]

Performances take place on the streets as well as in indoor venues. The festival's annual schedule includes a grand parade through the centre of the city.

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References
  1. "Kilkenny Arts Festival". Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  2. "Visit Kilkenny". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  3. "Visitors numbers". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  4. "The Irish Times reviews Kilkenny Arts Festival".
  5. "RTÉ on the Festival".
  6. "Coverage of Poet Laureate".
  7. "Irish mirror coverage". Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  8. "Journal of Music". Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  9. "Highlights". Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  10. "Irish times". Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  11. "Irish times list attendees". Retrieved 17 February 2016.
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