Celebrate Voice Festival announces spectacular line-up

Taking place over two long weekends between October 21st-30th, Celebrate Voice has secured a spectacular line-up for their festival, held this year at Salisbury’s iconic Guildhall.

In a new partnership with Salisbury City Council, the festival presents world-class performances from La Traviata to Ronnie Scotts’ All-Stars, Trial by Jury to Joe Stilgoe & The Puppini Sisters. Together with its celebrated community programme, the festival features a whole host of participatory events for everyone.

Well-known for their acclaimed opera productions, this year’s centrepiece opera is Verdi’s, La Traviata. Featuring a cast who have collectively sung at all the major UK opera houses and festivals, star soprano Linda Richardson leads in the role of Violetta. In a glittering career, Linda has most recently sung the role for Welsh National Opera.

Adriano Graziani, as Alfredo has performed the role at StadtTheater Bern and Arizona Opera, and the performance gives the opportunity to witness these great singers in the grand, yet relatively intimate space of the Banqueting Hall. Produced in Salisbury, there are just 3 performances on 22nd, 24th, and 29th October, with the latter nearly sold out.

The Guildhall’s resplendent Oak Court Room is set to be the most fitting of venues for the festival’s first Gilbert and Sullivan production, Trial By Jury (23rd and 30th October), with former D’Oyly Carte company member Philip Blake Jones in the role of the Judge, whose poignant play ‘I Lived for Art’ will also be premiered at the festival. Set at the end of World War II, in a Jewish holding ghetto, musicians and singers perform for their very existence in an emotional story of love, art and survival (28th October).

High octane vocal fireworks are promised with Edinburgh Festival doyenne and TV’s Spitting Image star, Jess Robinson. She brings her blistering, award-winning vocal impersonations to Salisbury with a hilarious show, featuring live band. The talented chameleon singer goes from Britney to Barbara in a heartbeat (24th October).

The festival opens with the world-famous jazz club, Ronnie’s Scott’s and a brand new show, The Soho Songbook. Selling fast, there is limited availability left for the show (21st October). In a real coup for the festival and exclusive partnership between Joe Stilgoe and queens of close-harmony singing, The Puppini Sisters appear for their first full-length show for the closing night (30th October).

The festival’s daytime programming provides a line-up of shows for families, from enchanting storytelling to rock music for tots, gentle music-making for babies and their adults and the promotion of well-being with a meditation event. Local talent is celebrated with a choral performance from The Kate Edgar Singers, and talented young singers are encouraged to sign up for a taster workshop with the Wiltshire Youth Choir.

Festival Founder and Director Lynsey Docherty said, "I am delighted to be presenting such an outstanding line-up of performers in Salisbury in 2021. The calibre of artists shows how Celebrate Voice continues to not only flourish but excel after a period of uncertainty in the arts. Our first days of priority booking (to Friends only), ticket sales outsold our whole 2014 festival, which is testament to how far we have come, and how our community loves the work we do.

"Furthermore, the stunning and iconic venue, gifted to us by Salisbury City Council, provides such inspiration for our performers and creative professionals who are sure to create some truly memorable moments during the festival".

The award-winning festival which is now in its 8th year, relies on the continuing support of local volunteers, hosts, business sponsors and philanthropists each year.

“Celebrate Voice is not just a festival, it’s a thriving, welcoming and vibrant community, and the fact that so many people come together to make it happen is testament to both the community and the ethos of the festival,” added Lynsey Docherty.

Tickets are available online here.