TheKilkenny Arts Festival,formally known asKilkenny Arts Week,was founded inKilkenny,Ireland, in 1974. It covers a number of art forms, including classical music and performance. Playwright and poetSeamus Heaneygave a reading of some of his works during the inaugural event.[1]
| Kilkenny Arts Festival | |
|---|---|
 St Canice's Cathedralahead of a festival performance in 2013 | |
| Status | Active |
| Genre | Arts festival |
| Date(s) | August |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Location(s) | Kilkenny |
| Country | Ireland |
| Years active | 1974–present |
| Most recent | 2019 |
| Website | kilkennyarts |
As of 2016, the event included theatre, dance, visual arts, and other forms of music and literature. The festival commissions works for the event locally and from abroad.[2]
Format
editThe ten-day festival takes place each August inKilkennyand is intended to be a showcase for Irish and international arts.[3]
Around 50,000 people have attended previous festivals, with performances taking place on the streets as well as in indoor venues. Former venues across the city have ranged from rooms in pubs, toSt Canice's CathedralandKilkenny Castle.[4]
Performers
editPerformances have included US poet laureateRobert Pinsky,pianist SirAndrás Schiff,Malian virtuosoToumani Diabaté,musician Alexander Lingas, historianRoy Foster,Irish portraitistMick O'Dea,Iranian harpsichordistMahan Esfahani,and Chinese-born pianistZhu Xiao-Mei.Other performers have includedBrooklyn Rider,Jordi Savall,Garrison Keillor,Susan Philipsz,Colm Tóibín,andDawn Upshaw.[5][6][7]Giant inflatable sculptures by Architects of Air have previously been a fixture.[citation needed]Other notable performers have included Shakespeare's Globe Theatre Company, Liz Roche's Company,Martin Hayes,and Junk Ensemble.[8][9][10][5][11]
Gallery
edit-
Gottfried Helnweinexhibit, 2001 -
MacnasStreet Parade, 2013 -
MacnasStreet Parade, 2013 -
Caravan Club Sounds, 2015
References
edit- ^"Kilkenny Arts Festival".Retrieved17 February2016.
- ^"Visit Kilkenny".Archived fromthe originalon 3 March 2016.Retrieved17 February2016.
- ^"Kilkenny's Top Festivals Ireland".southeastireland.
- ^"Visitors numbers".Archived fromthe originalon 3 March 2016.Retrieved17 February2016.
- ^ab"Kilkenny Arts Festival goes back to Bach and the shock of the old".The Irish Times. 15 July 2015.
- ^"Kilkenny Arts Festival announces 2015 programme".RTÉ.
- ^"Pinsky leads readings of favourite poems in Kilkenny".irishtimes.
- ^"Kilkenny Arts Festival kicks off its jam packed programme".Irish Mirror.Retrieved17 February2016.
- ^"Kilkenny Arts Festival".Journal of Music.Retrieved17 February2016.
- ^"Highlights of 2014 Kilkenny Arts Festival announced".irishcentral.Retrieved17 February2016.
- ^"9 things we learned at Kilkenny Arts Festival".Irish Times.Retrieved17 February2016.