Festival hopes to be biggest and best yet

Araft of live and recorded inperson and online performances have been lined up for this summer’s East Neuk Festival – and organisers say they are excited.

Outdoor events, online “festival visits” and BBC Radio 3 recordings across four days in July will ensure a rich festival experience for audiences in Fife and beyond, showcasing classical, world and roots music as well as film, literature and art from locations along the picturesque Fife coast.

Following the unprecedented events of the past year, the 2021 East Neuk Festival (ENF) will present a proportion of its programme online, with four films featuring performances from oud player Rihab Azar, violinist Benjamin Baker, the Castalian String Quartet, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, guitarist Sean Shibe, the Tallis Scholars and pianist Llyr Williams being released daily from July 1-4.

BBC Radio 3, a regular presence at ENF, will also collaborate with the festival on four concerts which will be recorded on Saturday and Sunday July 3 and 4 for future broadcast.

Svend Mcewan-brown, festival director, said: “This has been such a tough and challenging year for everyone and we hoped against hope that by this point we would be able to bring the cheering news of a festival just like every previous East Neuk Festival.

“In the face of unprecedented uncertainty we have seized the opportunity to try out new things this year instead, hoping to turn challenges into opportunities.

“Above all we realise that we have a deep responsibility to offer the musicians a chance to play, and for audiences to enjoy them.

“We know not everybody will feel comfortable coming to a festival this year, so we hope that by giving the opportunity to

visit digitally, and – in partnership with BBC Radio 3 – on the radio, we can offer the joy of ENF to as many people as possible.”

While there is hope audiences may still be able to attend indoor gigs, there will be a plethora of open air pop-up performances and installations across the East Neuk, including a brand new “Band in a Van” programme which will see ENF’S customised van, complete with pop-up stage and musicians, stopping off throughout the area’s fishing villages and countryside to give free and live performances.

Other highlights will see a large-scale labyrinth cut into the grass of a wildflower meadow at Kellie Castle in Pittenweem, sand drawings created by Sand In Your Eye team Jamie Wardley and Claire Jamieson, and the return of the annual Big Project celebrating and exploring the area’s history and heritage.

Members of the public are invited to record and share the sights and sounds of the Fife coastline and work with ENF’S arts activist David Behrens to bring together the tones and textures of the area to create a big picture of the area, in vision and in sound, that will be presented at the festival.

Meanwhile, the festival will also continue its work behind the scenes offering young artists the space and opportunity to take risks and new directions in their

work through Retreat scheme.

It will be offering residencies to guitarist Sean Shibe and violinist Benjamin Baker during the festival to develop new projects to come to fruition.

ENF founder and chairman Donald Macdonald said: “Like everyone who loves live music, the lack of it in these past 12 months has been a terrible loss.

“It has also been very sad to see the plight of so many musicians who have given us so much joy over the years and suddenly found their opportunities to perform devastatingly curtailed.

“It is a huge pleasure to present this adventurous 2021 festival and have so many familiar faces returning to play and sing.”

Further information can be found at eastneukfestival. com which will be updated regularly. its ENF

“It’s

been so sad to see the plight of so many musicians

ON-SONG: The East Neuk Festival will feature live and recorded performances.