Indoor Ticketed Performances Announced For 2021 East Neuk Festival

In light of the Scottish Government's guidance regarding the reopening of outdoor and indoor events and performances with audiences, East Neuk Festival has announced seven ticketed indoor concerts will now take place in Fife on 2-4 July as part of ENF21, alongside pop-up, drop-in and outdoor events and online performances.

Indoor performances from both rising and international stars will take place in front of a socially-distanced audience at the expansive converted barn, Bowhouse, just outside the village of St Monans. Internationally acclaimed pianist Paul Lewis performs at the festival for the first time with two recitals (8pm, 3 July & 4.30pm, 4 July) featuring sonatas by Mozart and Schubert, Felix Mendelssohn's Songs without Words (Lieder ohne Worte), Scriabin's Five Preludes Op. 74 and Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition (8pm, 3 July) whilst two young award-winning pianists open the series. Making their ENF debuts, Russian pianist Samson Tsoy plays Kurtág and Schubert (5pm, 2 July) and award-winning young Scottish jazz pianist Fergus McCreadie appears with his trio (8pm, 2 July).

Two regular ENF visitors will come together to play in duo for the first time: violinist Benjamin Baker and guitarist Sean Shibe both embarked on ENF Retreat residences in the East Neuk in November 2020, during which they took the opportunity to play violin and guitar repertoire. This has evolved, and they will be joined by pianist Daniel Lebhardt for a concert dominated by the music of Arvo Pärt (11.30am, 3 July). The Castalian String Quartet perform Beethoven's early string quartet (No. 3, Op.18) paired with Dvořák's final string quartet (No. 14, Op. 105) (4.30pm, 4 July) as well as quartets by both Felix Mendelssohn and Fanny Mendelssohn performed side-by-side (11.30am, 4 July). The Benjamin Baker & Sean Shibe, Castalian String Quartet and Samson Tsoy concerts will all be recorded for future broadcast by BBC Radio 3.

BBC Radio 3 have also collaborated with ENF on a further recording to help bring the festival to a global audience. Musicians from the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and guitarist Sean Shibe were joined in May by composer and conductor Thomas Adès who, in his first visit to ENF, led musicians in performance of two of his works - Court Studies from 'The Tempest' and 'Habanera' from The Exterminating Angel - along with music by Poulenc, De Falla, Janáček and the UK premiere of Francisco Coll's Turia for ensemble and solo guitar. Recorded in Crail Community Hall, it will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 at a future date.

ENF will also for the first time present a proportion of the East Neuk Festival programme online, making it possible for audiences across the UK and internationally to make a daily visit to ENF without leaving their home. Filmed performances by oud player Rihab Azar, violinist Benjamin Baker, Castalian String Quartet, guitarist Sean Shibe, The Tallis Scholars and pianist Llŷr Williams will be released daily from 1-4 July at eastneukfestival.com. Each digital release will capture a special ENF venue. The Tallis Scholars will mark the 500th anniversary of the death of Josquin with a performance of his Missa Ave maris stella alongside music by Gibbons, Byrd and Tallis. The Castalian String Quartet will play Beethoven's late String Quartet No. 15, Op. 132 alongside Janáček's The Kreutzer Sonata whilst Llŷr Williams will perform Chopin's 24 Préludes, Debussy's Reflets dans l'eau, and Mozart's Sonata No. 13 in B flat major, K333. Sean Shibe appears playing lute, and taking the music of the Balcarres Lutebook home to the house where it was made - Balcarres House in Fife. Violinist Benjamin Baker performs Bach C Major Sonata (BWV 1005) in four different East Neuk venues, and offers a preview of his collaboration with dancer James Pett as part of the ENF Retreat artist development programme. A second film will drop in to Sean Shibe's new guitar quartet sessions feature a performance of Steve Reich's Electric Guitar Phase. These daily digital 'festival visits' will be available free of charge for four weeks after the festival with audiences invited to make a donation to support the festival as it prepares for a full return in 2022.

As well as opening up the opportunity for new audiences to enjoy and experience the 2021 festival online, the festival will be keeping its feet firmly on the ground in Fife with open air pop-up performances and installations which promise to add a vibrant festive air to the East Neuk this summer. Audiences will be invited to brave the Scottish weather for some al fresco live music including a brand new Band in a Van programme which will see ENF's customised van, complete with pop-up stage and musicians, stopping off throughout the area's fishing villages and stunning countryside to give four free and live performances from 1-4 July of classical, roots, jazz and traditional music on the streets of the Neuk. Further information will be shared on ENF's website and social accounts in the run up to the festival. The festival will also return to the beautiful grounds of the National Trust for Scotland's Kellie Castle in Pittenweem to install an immense labyrinth cut into the grass of its wildflower meadow. Inspired by the contours of the route of the Fife Coastal Path, it will be designed to allow whoever walks it to enjoy a moment of quiet reflection.

ENF's award-winning annual Big Project strand will also return to celebrate and explore the area's history and heritage through an ambitious project bringing together artists and the community to create new work. Members of the public have been invited to record and share the sights and sounds of the Fife coastline and work with ENF's Arts Activist, David Behrens, to bring together the tones and textures of the area to create a Big Picture of the area, in vision and in sound. Workshops and installation will take place at the Dreel Hall in Anstruther on Saturday 3 July (10am-5pm).

Sand In Your Eye team Jamie Wardley and Claire Jamieson will also return to ENF to create immense sand drawings on Elie beach which promise to offer an eye-catching element to the festival's on the ground activity.

East Neuk Festival Director, Svend McEwan-Brown: "This will be an ENF unlike any other - it is very much about the art of the possible, but I fervently hope that it offers everyone the classic ENF experience of distinctive programming featuring wonderful musicians in this beautiful place. I'm so grateful to the team, musicians, board, funders and supporters who have pulled together to make this happen at this very challenging time. I look forward to the wonderful events this year, and to being able to tell you about a full and "normal" ENF 2022 very soon."

ENF continues to closely monitor the evolving situation with its priority, as always, remaining focused on the safety of its audiences, performers and staff. Further information can be found at www.eastneukfestival.com which is updated regularly.

Founded in 2004, the summer festival presents classical, world and roots music as well as film, literature and art from locations along the picturesque coastal area of Scotland known as the East Neuk of Fife. Tucked away at the eastern tip of the 'Kingdom of Fife' in Scotland, just north of Edinburgh, the 'East Neuk' stretches from the fishing villages of Elie & Earlsferry to Crail, Kingsbarns and St Andrews. Once the heart of the east coast of Scotland's fishing trade, the East Neuk's sandy beaches, rich birdlife, coastal walks and rolling countryside, make it one of Scotland's hidden gems and form the stunning backdrop of the East Neuk Festival - a unique marriage of beautiful place and wonderful music - curated and run by Artistic Director, Svend McEwan-Brown.

Ticket income typically makes up 20% of ENF budget, and in the current situation the festival cannot hope to realise anything like this in 2021. This gives the festival even greater reason to be profoundly thankful for its loyal patrons, donors, funders, partners and supporters who have shown immense generosity in the difficult times since March 2020. The East Neuk Festival also gratefully acknowledges the support of Creative Scotland and EventScotland, part of VisitScotland's Events Directorate.

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