First Word WarwicksWorcs May.qxp_Layout 1 21/04/2022 13:12 Page 2
First Word
Commonwealth batonbearers selected The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games has revealed the identities of the people who will take on the role of batonbearers in the Queen’s Baton Relay this summer. The Queen’s Baton will reach the West Midlands on 18 July and will then be carried through local communities, arriving at Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium on 28 July for the Games’ Opening Ceremony. To find out more, visit birmingham2022.com/qbr.
Classic line-up at Leamington Music Festival The 150th anniversary of the birth of Ralph Vaughan Williams is being celebrated at this year’s Leamington Music Festival, with more than a dozen works by the legendary composer being included in the five-day programme of concerts. Contributors to this year’s festival include singer Roderick Williams, organists Rachel Mahon and Christopher Cromar, oboist Nicholas Daniel, cellist Raphael Wallfisch, clarinettist Emma Johnson (pictured) and pianist Andrey Gugnin. Andrey’s performance of Mussorgsky’s Pictures At An Exhibition brings the 2022 programme to a close on the evening of 2 May. You can check out the full festival line-up by visiting leamingtonmusic.org
Grown Up In Britain exhibition to show at Coventry gallery The everyday experiences and cultural impact of young people will be celebrated in a forthcoming exhibition at Coventry’s Herbert Art Gallery & Museum. Featuring photographs, objects and stories, Grown Up In Britain (1 July - 30 October) has been curated by and drawn from the extensive
Will’s European journey told in words and music A Warwickshire folk musician is this month presenting a show celebrating the traditional music and song of the states of the European Union. Performed at Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, on Wednesday 11 May, A Day Will Come sees Will Pound sharing with his audience ‘the joyous sounds of the traditions of a continent’ and ‘the stories and hopes of those affected by the politics of division’. For more information, visit warwickartscentre.co.uk
photographic collections of the Museum of Youth Culture, an emerging organisation dedicated to the styles, sounds and social movements innovated by young people over the last 100 years. For more information about the exhibition, visit theherbert.org
A new home and bumper line-up for Stratford Literary Festival 2022 Stratford Literary Festival is celebrating its 15th anniversary in a brand-new home. Running from 3 to 8 May, the popular event takes place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Bridgefoot. Fringe events are being held at venues around the town. Contributors to the 2022 festival include actor Sir Derek Jacobi, comedian Julian Clary, Booker Prize winner Howard Jacobson, Yorkshire shepherdess Amanda Owen and Women’s Prize For Fiction winner Maggie O’Farrell. To check out the festival’s full line-up, visit stratlitfest.co.uk
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