First artists announced for Kenilworth Arts Festival

The first wave of artists performing and speaking at this year's Kenilworth Arts Festival have been revealed.
The first set of artists have been announced for this year's Kenilworth Arts Festival. Left: S Carey of Bon Iver. Right: Ruby Tandoh, food writer and Great British Bake Off finalistThe first set of artists have been announced for this year's Kenilworth Arts Festival. Left: S Carey of Bon Iver. Right: Ruby Tandoh, food writer and Great British Bake Off finalist
The first set of artists have been announced for this year's Kenilworth Arts Festival. Left: S Carey of Bon Iver. Right: Ruby Tandoh, food writer and Great British Bake Off finalist

The festival takes place from Thursday September 20 all the way through to Saturday September 29, and will be spread across several venues in the town.

One of the main focuses of this year’s programme is a celebration of new work - almost all the artists have released, or will release, new work in 2018.

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Some of the highlights include American musician S. Carey of indie band Bon Iver, MOBO award-winning pianist Zoe Rahman, Man Booker Prize shortlisted novelist Fiona Mozley and Great British Bake Off finalist Ruby Tandoh.

Pianist Zoe Rahman will also be performingPianist Zoe Rahman will also be performing
Pianist Zoe Rahman will also be performing

Lewis Smith, creative director of Kenilworth Arts Festival, said: “We’re delighted to be able to share these first details of our 2018 programme.

"Our aim is to showcase and support high quality, original work within the contemporary arts, and I’m really proud that our 2018 festival will feature an array of writers and musicians who are truly at the forefront of their fields.

"We have one of the UK’s best-loved nature writers, internationally renowned novelists, a multi-award-winning jazz pianist, and an exceptional oud player. It’s a programme which celebrates the dynamism and diversity of the contemporary arts scene.”

The artists announced so far are:

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Musicians: S. Carey, Billie Marten, Zoe Rahman, Josienne Clarke & Ben Walker, Christof van der Ven, Rihab Azar, Emily Francis Trio.

Novelists: Kit de Waal, Fiona Mozley, Sarah Moss, Michael Donkor, Sharlene Teo, Sophie Mackintosh, Harriet Cummings, Patrick Kincaid.

Non-fiction writers: John Lewis-Stempel (nature), Ruby Tandoh (food), Anita Sethi (journalism).

Theatre groups: The Wardrobe Ensemble.

Poetry: Verve Poetry Press.

Further names are expected to be announced at some point in June.

Tickets will go on sale on Friday May 25.

Visit the Kenilworth Arts Festival website for more information.

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