03/04/2012

HOME - full line up

Devon’s third HOME festival (June 22-23)has revealed its full line-up for the much-anticipated event, bringing together artists from its South-West doorstep to the far reaches of the globe - and two very special female performers. Following a sell-out inaugural year in 2010, as a one day event, and an even bigger two-day festival last year headlined by U.S star Suzanne Vega, HOME - with its “unplugged” focus -has taken the wraps off a packed programme. It will include performances by two outstanding and contrasting female artists - a UK debut by Japanese pianist Ryoko Nuruki and a popular return by BBC award-winning fiddle singer, Jackie Oates.

Headlining will be the already-announced West Country favourites Show of Hands (Saturday) and Tibet’s exiled Tashi Lhunpo monks (Friday). In an exciting festival coup, the exquisite Japanese pianist Ryoko Nuruki will be making her UK debut at HOME on the opening evening. From Kagoshima in the southern tip of Japan, she studied classical music at the Tokyo Conservatoire but now lives on the Cote d’Azur in the south of France. A brilliant musical innovator, her improvisational solo performances and sensitive compositions create a unique and emotive musical language - a magical melange of classical, Japanese and jazz-infused music.

HOME’s Artistic Director Thomas Brooman says: "We are delighted to be presenting Ryoko’s debut UK performance at HOME –it’s great that the festival context allows us to introduce artists in this way. Ryoko is a great, individual talent and her solo performances should be a festival highlight."

One of the many highlights of last year’s festival was the “secret garden” gig performed by BBC award-winning Jackie Oates and this year she will return to Dartington with her band on the Saturday. Cheshire-born, Oxford-based Jackie is certainly on a roll right now. She was one of the artists involved in the recent acclaimed Cecil Sharp songwriting project and she is also on the road as part of The Imagined Village line-up and in Simon Emmerson’s side project, Walking with Ghosts. “Home is lovely. Friendly. Intimate. A calm beautiful ambience in a magical site. I felt very relaxed from the moment I arrived, very natural, very easy and very welcome.” – Jackie Oates

Johnny Kalsi’s dynamic Dhol Foundation, with their thundering Dhol drum sound, will be heard at Dartington on the Friday showing just why their bhangra music has gone down a storm with audiences around the world. Completing the Friday line-up and also appearing on the Saturday will be the captivating young duo Solarference. Nick Janaway and Sarah Owen perform a unique blend of traditional folk song and live electronics. Using their voices, laptops, and a collection of sound gadgets, they create fresh settings for a rich selection of traditional songs. The results are warm, percussive and atmospheric, with an intense live energy. "Passionate and original... Like nothing else you've ever heard before." - Tom Robinson, BBC6

Saturday will see The Krar Collective with their rootsy yet contemporary take on traditional music from Ethiopia. The 6-stringed krar lyre is paired with drums and the stunning voice of Genet Assefa to create a sound that prompted one critic to dub them “The Ethiopian White Stripes”. Another highlight of the day is likely to be the quartet SANS -Andrew Cronshaw, Tigran Aleksanyan (Armenia), Ian Blake and Sanna Kurki-Suonio (Finland) - whose music ranges from the subtle minimalism of Finnish runo-song to English, Scottish and Armenian trad melodies.

Also on the Saturday bill will be:

Patrick Duff | James Froud Band | Romany Diamonds | Emily Wright | Matthew & Me | Nicky Swann | Ben and Alfie | Bristol Reggae Orchestra

There will be three stages including a main outdoor stage in the medieval Dartington courtyard and the exquisite performance space of Dartington’s Great Hall where all performances are unplugged.

Great value tickets for Friday/Saturday are now on sale price £58.50. (Concessions apply for over 60s, unwaged and full time students). Friday tickets are just £20 and Saturday tickets £45.An exceptional offer will provide one free Under 16 ticket with any adult ticket purchase. Under 5s go free but must be booked in.

One of the most beautiful festival sites in the country, Dartington is just two miles from Totnes in South Devon and has been described as “a bit of English magic”, with its magnificent gardens, 14th century medieval hall and courtyard, rolling farmland and ancient deer park.

www.dartington.org/home