SALISBURY, WILTS, UK: Ageas Salisbury International Arts Festival released the full 2013 Festival programme to Festival Friends and invited guests at a launch event on Wednesday 6 March at Salisbury Arts Centre.

In 2013, the Festival will celebrate the vibrant arts of Catalunya, through Catalan theatre, film, dance, music, talks and food. Human castles will be built outside the Cathedral spire in Catalan festival tradition by the Castellers of Vilafranca. World famous Catalan artists will perform, including Pep Bou, Nats Nus, Los Galindos, Cobla St Jordi, Jordi Savall and Carles Santos. The city will be adorned with breath-taking installations from Girona’s Flower Festival and there will be opportunities to sample Catalan cuisine. The Catalan programme is supported by the Institut Ramon Llull, which promotes Catalan language and culture abroad.

The Festival programme features events for everyone to enjoy:

• Close Encounters, on the opening Saturday of the Festival (25 May), will begin the Festival in spectacular style. The day will feature free entertainment for all in Salisbury Cathedral Close, including the classic Festival Playday, a wide variety of new, world-class street theatre and installations, Catalan cooking and more. The Fireworks will take place in the evening .
• The Festival will host an exciting range of family events, including Festival favourites Illyria who return with a performance of Dick King-Smith’s Babe the Sheep-Pig. There are plenty of events to engage children of all ages, from re-workings of classic fairytales to entirely new experiences and workshops for hands-on creativity.
• The 2013 literature programme boasts John McCarthy, Kate Humble, Dan Snow, A C Grayling and others, presenting a wide range of subjects for discussion and debate. The vice-president of Futbol Club Barcelona, Carles Vilarrubí, will also be giving a talk.
• The glorious setting of Salisbury Cathedral will host a number of spectacular events, featuring highlights of this year’s classical music programme. The Cathedral will be transformed by Circa and I Fagiolini, who will bring a combination of beautiful music and exhilarating acrobatic feats into this sacred space in How Like and Angel. The Festival will showcase performances in numerous other fantastic settings in and around the city, including Old Wardour Castle and Wilton Church from Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, Fretwork, the Hilliard Ensemble, the Allegri Quartet, the Tallis Scholars and more.
• The Festival will present a range of musical styles across Salisbury, from a rich classical programme to fun, popular Catalan bands including Astrio and La Troba Kung-Fú. The ever-popular Salisbury Live will host local bands in pubs throughout the city.
• Six Highlight events, released in December, have already generated great interest and enthusiasm for the 2013 Festival, with Pinchas Zukerman and the Royal Philharmonic  Orchestra proving particularly popular.

Festival Friends can book tickets to any Festival events from Thursday 7 March. Booking opens to the general public on Thursday 14 March. Festival Friends memberships can be bought at any time.

Buy tickets online at www.salisburyfestival.co.uk or by calling the Box Office on 0845 241 9651.

Festival director Maria Bota said: “Many of this year’s Festival events are inspired by Catalunya.  I have been experiencing the vibrant arts and culture from this part of our world since I was a child, as my father is Catalan, and I have discovered a wealth of powerful, feisty and witty work which I hope you will love. Thank to every Festival partner, sponsor, supporter and Friend for enabling the creation of this international programme which offers exciting experiences for everyone. Enjoy your Festival. Bona Festa!”

Mark Cliff, chief executive of Ageas Retail and Distribution, added: “”

Vicenç Villatoro, director of the Institut Ramon Llull (IRL), said: “The Institut Ramon Llull is delighted to support Ageas Salisbury International Arts Festival in this special year in which Catalonia is the main international partner. We are thrilled that Maria Bota and her team have put together a programme of such a variety of talented artists. As the aim of our institute is to promote Catalan culture and language in all its forms, this festival is the ideal platform to offer a taste of the Performing Arts, Music and Cinema from Catalonia. It will also be a perfect opportunity to establish and continue on-going dialogues with other artists and cultures. We very much look forward to sharing the occasion with the Salisbury audience.”

Ends

Notes to Editors:

For more information or images please contact Lucy Rouse, communications coordinator, Ageas Salisbury International Arts Festival - lucy@salisburyfestival.co.uk or 01722 332241

About Ageas Salisbury International Arts Festival

• The 41st Ageas Salisbury International Arts Festival runs from Friday 24 May – Saturday 8 June 2013.
• The annual 16-day Ageas Salisbury International Arts Festival blazed into life in 1973 with a performance by Paco Peña and it is a leading commissioning and producing Festival which attracts over 80,000 attendances each year and contributes £3m to the regional economy.
• Ageas Salisbury International Arts Festival won a silver ‘Tourism Event of the Year Award’ in 2010 in Enjoy England’s ‘Tourism Excellence Awards’.
• Ageas Salisbury International Arts Festival is supported by Principal Sponsor Ageas, Wiltshire Council and Arts Council England – South West. Its national Media Partner is The Telegraph Media Group.

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About Ageas

Ageas is a leading insurer of Personal and Commercial lines insurance and Protection solutions in the UK.  As a result of its growth strategy, Ageas now employs over 6,000 people nationally.

About the Institut Ramon Llull

The Institut Ramon Llull (IRL) is a public entity funded by the Catalan Government with the primary aim of promoting the Catalan Language and Culture abroad. The IRL’s programmes are coordinated and carried out by three departments: Performing and Visual Arts; Literature and the Humanities; and Language and Universities. In addition to its Barcelona headquarters, the IRL has four offices abroad in the cities of London, New York, Paris and Berlin.