Aled Jones will be appearing at this year's Isle of Arts Festival.
VENTNOR will be playing host to a return of the Isle of Arts Festival in April, with organisers walking in the air after securing choral singer and TV and radio personality, Aled Jones, as one of this year’s top acts.
Following the success of last year’s inaugural Isle of Arts Festival, this year’s extravaganza will also feature an impressive line-up of stars, aligned to a variety of arts and cultural activities and events going on at several venues around the town, over the weekend of Saturday, April 21, and Sunday, April 22.
Comedienne, writer and presenter of Radio 4’s The News Quiz, Sandi Toksvig, will be hosting an evening of sparkling conversation, clever party games and plenty of audience participation in the festival marquee at Salisbury Gardens on the Saturday evening.
Also that day, there will be a special evening of jazz, funk, blues, rock and soul performed by Supertramp saxophonist John Helliwell and his band, Creme Anglaise, at the Boat House on the Esplanade.
Helliwell, who has recorded with world class acts, Diana Ross and Chris de Burgh, will take the audience on a personal journey through his own musical influences.
Celebrated broadcaster, writer, raconteur and cook, Hardeep Singh Kohli, will be combining comedy with inventive cuisine in his show, The Nearly Naked Chef, which sold out at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The show will be held in the marquee on the Sunday.
A highlight on the Sunday evening will be a grand ensemble of massed voices, featuring guest vocalist, Aled Jones.
Aled, famous for the song, We’re Walking in the Air, will join local ensemble the Newchurch Male Voice Choir and the Hart Male Voice Choir, from Odiham, Hampshire.
Cultural events will include a celebration of Dracula author, Bram Stoker, who died a century ago, together with an eclectic selection of music, from opera to New Orleans blues, drama and stand-up comedy.
More arts and cultural events taking place in Isle of Arts will be announced in the coming weeks.
Reporter: jonm@iwcpmail.co.uk