Liverpool Hope University releases programme for Cornerstone arts festival

Nov 3 2009 by Laura Davis, Liverpool Daily Post

THE man dubbed the Shirley Bassey of performance poetry is appearing at the ninth annual Cornerstone Festival.

The 18-day programme of events, which launches on November 18, has the theme “Telling Stories”, told through drama, music, dance, comedy, film, poetry and the visual arts, and will feature Yorkshire-born Ian McMillan, poet-in-residence at Barnsley FC, who hosts a weekly Radio 3 show.

The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra’s Ensemble 10/10 kicks off the Festival with the world premiere of Mieczslaw Weinberg’s one act opera Lady Magnesia, while Hope University’s partnership with MILAPFest brings an evening with internationally celebrated musicians Gaurav Mazumdar (sitar), Dr. Jyotsna Srikanth (violin) and Kousic Sen (tabla).

The West Everton Children’s Orchestra will give a lunchtime recital on November 25. Other featured authors include Hope’s writer-in-residence Lizzie Nunnery and music specialist Paul du Noyer.

There will also be a performance of four new theatre pieces – Elvis is my Mum by Abi Lake, sound installation Roch Crescent by Natalie Lee, Paradise City by Tom Shephard and Subject Object by Paul Currie.

The groundbreaking Tmesis Theatre present their delightful physical theatre piece, also called Tmesis, which will also feature Hope University students.

The Cornerstone Gallery is showing Urban Revolution, a selection of works by eminent printmaker Anne Desmet.

There will also be a charity art auction, featuring the works of local practitioners, with all proceeds going to the Artists’ Benevolent Fund.

FURTHER details on the festival at www.hope.ac.uk/cornerstone/festival