HASTINGS INTERNATIONAL PIANO FESTIVAL PRESENTS 2 WEEK CELEBRATION OF WORLD-CLASS ARTISTS

The Inaugural Hastings International Piano Festival will take place from February 26^th – 8^th March 2020 and will host an exciting array of music concerts, featuring some of the most celebrated artists including headliner Rufus Wainwright, one of the world’s most revered singer-songwriters, composers and performers of his generation. Rufus will be joined by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on Friday 28^th February at The White Rock Theatre on Hastings iconic sea front, for a spectacular evening of songs from his eclectic discography.

The festival opens on Wednesday 26^th February with a concert by one of the UK’s most successful songwriters of all time – Guy Chambers, whose 50 year career has seen Guy write and produce for some of the world’s most popular artists including Robbie Williams, Kylie Minogue, Diana Ross, Tom Jones, Tina Turner, Mark Ronson and Rufus Wainwright to name but a few. Performing songs at the piano including tracks taken from his new album Go Gently Into the Light.

The festival continues on Thursday 27^th February with Reuben James, one of the UK’s most exciting young singer-songwriters and performers best known for his on-going collaborations with Sam Smith. Reuben co-wrote the title track from Sam Smith’s most recent album The Thrill Of It All, as well as the song Him and the festival is delighted he is bringing his 10 piece band which explores the boundaries between jazz and pop. Opening for Reuben will be Hastings’ very own Marie White, who recently won the prestigious Glastonbury Emerging Artist Award and has just returned from supporting Keane on their UK tour.

The festival welcomes Claire Martin OBE, the Queen of British Jazz to Hastings on Thursday 5^th March at St Mary in The Castle with a stellar line-up of Claire’s music friends including some of the jazz world’s great artists including Liane Carroll, Alex Garnett and The Swedish Trio.

Oscar winning composer and songwriter Rachel Portman OBE will perform and be interviewed about her extensive career during this unique production on Friday 6^th March at St Mary in the Castle, specially produced for Hastings International Piano Festival.

Hastings International Piano Festival Classical Gala Concert with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra takes place at The White Rock Theatre on Saturday 29^th February with a spectacular programme of piano concertos performed by an array of artists including the illustrious pianist and BBC Young Musician of The Year Martin James Bartlett. Martin will be joined by the winner of the 2019 Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition Fumiya Koido and Prizewinner Sylvia Jiang.

Two of our most respected British actors Patricia Hodge and Alex Jennings join pianist Lucy Parham on Sunday 1^st March at The White Rock Theatre for Nocturne: The Romantic Life of Frédéric Chopin – an evening of words and music scripted and adapted from letters and diaries chronicling the romantic life of one of the greatest and most popular composers for solo piano.

Tickets for both The White Rock Theatre and St Mary in The Castle go on sale on Wednesday 20^th November and are available from The White Rock Theatre Box office or visit

whiterocktheatre.org.uk/Online/tickets-hastings-piano-festival-hastings-2020

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