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The Canterbury Festival is Kent's international festival of the arts. It takes place in Canterbury (England) and surrounding towns and villages (including Faversham, Whitstable and Margate) each October and includes performances of a variety of types of music, ranging from Opera and Oratorio to art, comedy and theatre. It has featured performances by Sir Willard White, Michael Nyman, Rebecca Stephens and Ned Sherrin and by ensembles such as the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, the European Chamber Orchestra, the Skampa Quartet, the Brodsky Quartet, the Ensemble Cordial, Brass 10 and the London Community Gospel Choir. Venues include Canterbury Cathedral, the Gulbenkian Theatre at the University of Kent and the Marlowe Theatre as well as the artists' homes and studios where work is displayed.

History

It was initiated in the 1920s by George Bell during his time as Dean of Canterbury. Guest artists during his time included John Mansfield, Gustav Holst, Dorothy L. Sayers, and T. S. Eliot (whose 1935 drama Murder in the Cathedral was commissioned by Bell for the festival)

External links

• Canterbury Festival homepage