Flamenco flourish accompanies announcement
of countywide festival in 2007
Tues 20 April, 2004
Plans for a year-long festival for
Oxfordshire in 2007 and a programme of special events in 2005 leading
up to it, were formally announced today by Oxford Inspires. Paul Langford,
Rector of Lincoln College and Chair of Oxford Inspires, Councillor Alex
Hollingsworth, Leader of Oxford City Council, Professor Linda Challis,
Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs) at Oxford Brookes University
and an Oxford Inspires board member and Robert Hutchison, Chief Executive
of Oxford Inspires, were joined on stage at Oxford’s Jacqueline
du Pré Music Building by Flamenco guitarist, Rafael, whose playing
lent a festive air to the event.
 The
festival for 2007, whose working title is “Oxfordshire International
2007”, will be a year-long celebration for the county. Central to
all the main events will be the themes of Internationalism, Participation
and Innovation. As well as building on the many successful festivals that
already take place across the county, Oxfordshire International 2007 will
also initiate some major new events. New events under consideration include
one celebrating Oxford’s role as the home of the English language
and another that highlights inspiring people—from all walks of life—who
have or have had a significant association with Oxfordshire.
Oxford Inspires’ stakeholders and many of its partner organisations
have already pledged support for the festival, among them Oxfordshire
County Council. In a letter of support for Oxford Inspires’ plans,
Head of Cultural Services, Richard Munro, wrote, “As a principal
stakeholder in Oxford Inspires, the County Council fully supports the
vision for the development offestival culture in the county, culminating
in "Oxfordshire International 2007"".
Many of the themes of 2007 will first make an appearance in a programme
of events in Oxford in 2005, with the title “Evolving City”,
which was announced at today’s press reception and for which Oxford
Inspires hopes to secure funding from the new Urban Cultural Programme.
According to Oxford Inspires’ Chief Executive, Robert Hutchison,
“The events in Evolving City will be about the vital role of culture
in the social and economic regeneration of all parts of the City. They
will also be about the further evolution of Oxford as a Centre of Culture
and celebrating the City’s relations with Europe, including the
ten new states that will join the EU early in May."
Note: The Urban Cultural Programme, which was announced at the beginning
of March, is offering a total fund of £15 million for cultural projects
in urban areas across the UK. The awards under the scheme will be made
by the Millennium Commission and Arts Council England. The minimum individual
grant will be £500,000.
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