Celebrating the Spirit of Place
In March 2020 most live music events were cancelled because of COVID-19 restrictions. Stages and the future looked dark with 38% of music freelancers having no income at all! It was a very bleak time for the arts.
The disappointment of having to call off the 2020 Beowulf Festival inspired composer/producer Jan Pulsford to create a post-lockdown series of small events. Something to lift the spirits of musicians and community from the gloomy pandemic winter. Something to celebrate the spirit of the beautiful place we live.
It was a challenge but after many changes of dates, venues, and line-ups ‘Spirit of Place’ played five sold-out events at the Angel, Theatre St. from June 27th to September 5th, 2021.
Seven spirits of the area provided seven moods for the popular series. They were joyous occasions and the sun shone through the beautiful Indian yellow backdrops as local musicians performed live on stage, many for the first time in 18 months.
Claudia Myatt provided the logo which captured the Spirit of Place perfectly. Clare Perkins decorated the stage and along with Jan transformed the outside area of the Angel into a socially distanced mini festival, complete with fresh herbs and mandalas. Chris and Sarah Mapey provided pizzas and hospitality whilst Merlyn Bruce did an excellent job mixing sound and stage management.
Our spirits were lifted by first class performances from everyone including Aartwork’s sea folk electronic gigs and reels, Elly Tree’s thought-provoking song stories and Clare’s Ghostly Boat Poetry with Jan’s piano.
