Mountshannon Arts has achieved a major coup with the first Irish staging of a fusion event by Munich-based artists on Friday, November 24th.
The audience is promised a mesmerising performance by poet James E. Kenward that synchronises with thought-provoking film and melds with the mastery of concert pianist Bota Zakir playing Chopin, Debussy, Rachmaninov, plus contemporary pieces by Fazil Say and fresh compositions blended with the classical to create original arrangements for the film soundtracks.
The films will include the first Offical Previews of Dark by multi-award-winning director Jane Glennie, and the film Key starring T.S. Eliot award-winner Joelle Taylor, with cinematography by Cannes Golden Lion winner Jacob Proud. Key will be premiered in 2024 at the famous Southbank Centre in London.
The concert will take place in the atmospheric setting of St Caimin’s Catholic Church in Mountshannon, beginning at 8pm, with tickets priced at just €15.
Kenward has written for and performed for many years on the London stage and has built and performed stories and lyric-based poetry for Sony-Comedy-Award-nominated BBC productions. His voice features regularly on #1 ranking drama productions on Audible. Before mixing contemporary and classical in his poetic storytelling, Kenward worked as a club MC internationally, performing with the likes of Congo Natty, Nicky Blackmarket and Pav4n from legendary group Foreign Beggars, but a partying life escalated and left him at rock bottom, living on East London rooftops.
During and beyond rehabilitation, James switched format; he was invited to work in educational projects and he helped to build musical shows that achieved major successes, touring venues from the Waterloo Vaults to the Hackney Empire.
Having taken several years out from performance to dedicate to fatherhood, and to heal from a troubled past, James is delighted to be shifting focus and style again. These concerts with classical pianist Bota Zakir combine live poetry and piano with film in a unique way, sharing across layered mediums the contents of poetry notebooks that were for James, first and foremost, a way to survive.
Bota Zakir graduated from the prestigious Munich Conservatory of Music and Performing Arts at the age of 21. This virtuoso pianist of Kazahk-Uighur heritage has since graced the international stages, gaining a reputation not only for her renditions of classical masterpieces, but also her ability to combine these works with original composition and contemporary flair. Her work is rooted in the finest classical lineage, whilst daring to integrate a zest for new creation in a changing world.
Tickets for this unique event are available on www.mountshannonarts.ie
