As live music and large gatherings across the world continue to be on hold because of coronavirus festival organisers across the country have had to think outside the box, with many considering digital offerings in lieu of in-person experiences. Rye Arts Festival is determined to keep in touch with its audience, and has launched a brand new arts and entertainment podcast called RyePod, with new episodes added every Friday starting on May 8. The series will feature relaxed, in-depth interviews with leading figures who have global recognition from across the worlds of music, theatre, film, literature, and visual arts – reflecting the diverse and quality programming that the festival is known for not just in the south east of England but internationally.
RyePod has been devised and produced by Alisdair Kitchen, with whom Rye Arts Festival audiences will be familiar from his many innovative productions of opera, theatre and film; this is the tenth year he has produced work for Rye’s globally renowned festival.
Alisdair says: “Last year, we had great success with our online short film series, ‘Follow The Lieder’, so it seems a natural progression to keep up our digital efforts, regardless of coronavirus. Podcasting is a really fun way of developing a connection with people, both guests and audience; it has the intimacy of radio, and I hope people will enjoy the opportunity to be a ‘fly-on-the-wall’ in the fascinating conversations we’re having with some really amazing guests.”
The first interview of the season is with the world-renowned conductor Sir Antonio Pappano, music director of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Next into the RyePod will be Phil Gould, drummer and founder member of Level 42 who catapulted a fabulous fusion of funk and pop to a global audience from the Isle of Wight in the early 1980s. Thereafter, the guest list for RyePod is being kept under wraps, but listeners can subscribe and look forward to a surprise every week.
RyePod is widely available on all the major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify. A comprehensive list is available at anchor.fm/ryepod. Otherwise, go to ryeartsfestival.org.uk and follow the links.
Image Credits: Musacchio & Ianniello / supplied by Rye Arts Festival , Rye Arts Festival .
Very natural-sounding ‘chat’ between Sir Antonio and Alisdair, as if they were sitting around the kitchen table with a cup of coffee just chewing the fat. Alisdair teased out some very interesting tidbits about the way Sir Antonio approaches his work with very differing orchestras around the world. Listen to it all and you won’t be disappointed! Looking forward to next week’s podcast…