Arts Advocate Freddie Cobb reviews the Festival
19 shows, 10 days, 1 incredible festival.
This year I had the great pleasure of being the first arts advocate for The Perth Festival of the Arts, an experience I won’t soon forget. One of the best parts is the breadth of the festival programme, from opera to pop, symphonies to jazz duets, the 10 days are full of all the arts, including the visual ones too! ArTay was a fantastic pop-up tent full of amazing pictures from local artists and a fab stop to visit between concerts.
Behind the scenes at the rehearsal of Wallace and Gromit.
Everyone on the festival board was so nice and always open to help or have a chat!
While the whole week was enjoyable, the highlight of the week had to be the Czech national symphony orchestra, a fantastic program and one my friends thoroughly enjoyed!
“The concert was really good and the overall sound of the orchestra was absolutely incredible. It was really quite inspiring to watch the orchestra play such a diverse range of pieces to such a high standard. From what I could see the audience were completely captivated by the performance which added a buzz of excitement to the atmosphere” said Libby Kinninmonth, this was her first time seeing an orchestra live!
Soundchecking for Perth UHI Showcase in Perth High Street.
The festival provides great opportunities for young people to get out and see the arts, paired with free bus travel any young person can enjoy a very low cost day out with no compromise in quality!!
The lunchtime high school concerts also offer a brilliant chance for school pupils to perform to a wider audience in the city, the St John’s kirk is also a venue to remember!
Overall, the festival is a fantastic event for Perth and one I hope to be involved with in the future!
Written by Freddie Cobb
The Festival's Arts Advocate programme is a new initiative that offers young people (S4-S6) the opportunity to be advocates for the Festival within their school, attend shows for free, and to experience what it's like to organise a major arts festival in the city.