The Eastern Cape’s Knock on Wood Arts Festival returns with an extensive lineup for lovers of the arts next week.
The festival, to run from Monday to Friday, will be held at the revamped Woodridge campus, bringing a special significance to this year’s event. This, after the campus was damaged by the fires that rampaged through parts of the Eastern Cape and Garden Route last year. The festival combines a traditional eisteddfod concept with a more general celebration of the arts, with more than 35 Eastern Cape schools set to participate in the eisteddfod segment.
Attendees will be spoilt for choice between choir concerts, art exhibitions, writing workshops, choir workshops and more lined up for the week.
The festival is held biannually, granting the organisers adequate time to put a fine programme together.
Marketing and communications officer Lynne Niemann said:
“With the number of schools and participants being what it is, I would say that is the most challenging part of organising such a festival – to coordinate the different performances in order for the programme to run concurrently with the other programmes in the three main venues.
“If planning is not done meticulously, it can result in a logistical nightmare.”
Dominated by youthful music, the festival will see 17 choirs and seven large ensembles in the choir category which will be preceded by a choral conducting workshop by co-choir adjudicator Junita van Dijk. St Dominic’s Priory’s marimba group, the Victoria Park, Theodor Herzl and Lawson Brown steel bands and a variety of contemporary Woodridge instrumental and vocal ensembles are among the groups that will entertain guests during free lunch-hour informal concerts.
On Monday evening the opening event of the festival is set to kick off in style with an exclusive cocktail function and art exhibition. This will include the awarding of medallions to top participants in the visual arts and creative writing categories, and the inauguration of the new Richard Cock Art, Music and Drama Centre of Woodridge College. Cock will do the honours himself. His opening address is set to be followed by a free-entry concert by the acclaimed Nelson Mandela University Choir.
Rock fans have “Woodstock” at the rock concert to look forward to on Wednesday at 7pm. The lineup includes the popular Cotton Fields and a sizzling combo including James Smith on voice and keyboards, Rob Thompson on lead guitar, Timon Oosthuizen on drums and Dave Houghton on bass guitar.
“We are most looking forward to the rock concerts as those are always a hit with most people,” Niemann said.
Bay vocal group The Creed will end the evening programme with their sweet harmonies at 6pm on Thursday. Supporting artists at the Thursday night concert include saxophonist Paul Richard, pianist Evan Perkins and multi-instrumentalist Dave Houghton on classical guitar. Houghton straddles a variety of musical genres and has performed with Grammy award-winning flautist Wouter Kellerman and with Sama award-winning saxophonist Phumlani Mtiti.
Entry into the choir workshop is R80. For workshop inquiries contact Eiona on eiona.rathbone@ woodridge.co.za or Madeleine on madeleine.russouw@woodridge.co.za.
For the Wednesday and Thursday evening concerts, entry is R30 for adults and R20 for children, at the door, inclusive of refreshments and light suppers. A basic programme is available at www.woodridge.co.za and the full programme will be on sale during the festival.