Expectations are high for next year’s Ealing Music and Film Festival after the success of the 2014 line up.
The festival which ran from Wednesday to Sunday last week (February 12 to 16) in and around the centre of Ealing, was designed to celebrate the borough’s cultural heritage.
World famous artists including musicians, actors, film producers, dancers and choreographers performed to packed audiences over the five days of the event which is in its second year.
Among the performances were cellist Michael Petrov, the Raga Jam- a multicultural collaborative concert at Questors Theatre, and talks by dancer, director and choreographer Dame Gillian Lynne, ballerina and biographer Meredith Daneman and ballerina Dame Beryl Grey.
Tony Palmer, Artistic Director, said: “There were several highlights; there was an incredible violinist from Kazakhstan, Alena Baeva. She was completely astonishing. Pete Townshend was a huge hit. A fantastic choral group called The Sixteen gave a performance and it was packed, it was amazing.
“The point of the festival is to celebrate this extraordinary heritage we have in Ealing of dance, film and music, and to try educate the public that it’s on their doorstep. There should be a performance centre in Ealing. Tickets are half the price they would be in the West End and we had full houses for everything.”
Mr Palmer said he has been completely inundated with people texting, sending emails and talking about the festival, which was started up by Central Ealing and Acton MP, Angie Bray. He said that in writing the programme, his choices of music and artists were made because they are all great and have huge international reputations, and he wanted to bring this talent to Ealing.
The director added: “We have not repeated anything that we did last year- it’s all new. Poland will be our focus next year because we have the biggest Polish community here. We are going to bring over Polish choirs. I have got a map in front of me and I have already mapped out next year’s event.”
Profits from the festival are reinvested into scholarships for young people to learn to play instruments and further their musical education. To apply write to the Ealing Valentine Festival Trust. See www.ealingmusicandfilmfestival.org.
