Farnham Maltings to celebrate the life and work of Bob Dylan in new festival, Visions of Dylan
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In 1964 Bob Dylan released the album The Times They Are A-Changin’, 60 years later Farnham Maltings is delighted to be celebrating and exploring the impact of his work with Visions of Dylan, a three-day festival curated by renowned singer, composer and lyricist Barb Jungr.
Over the weekend of Fri 19 to Sun 21 July, Dylan’s music will be celebrated through film screenings, talks and performances as well as opportunities for the community to participate and share how the legendary musician has impacted on their lives.
The festival begins on the Friday evening with a curated Open Mic Night led by prolific songwriter and Dylan-obsessive Robb Johnson. Musicians, poets and spoken-word artists will have the chance to perform acts inspired by Dylan’s work. The night will also feature performances from some special guests as well as a folk-inspired DJ-Set.
The Saturday opens with a film screening of Dont Look Back, a 1967 documentary directed by D. A. Pennebaker that follows Bob Dylan's 1965 concert tour in England. The film features Dylan’s iconic cue card lyric video scene for Subterranean Homesick Blues. Throughout the Saturday afternoon, there will be a series of talks with artists who have used Dylan’s work as inspiration. This includes Jay Stapley with Dylan & the Guitar, Sarah Gillespie with Dylan & Creativity and folk-inspired author and journalist Patrick Humphries with Dylan & Film.
Saturday evening sees the festival’s director, Barb Jungr, take to the Great Hall stage alongside a live band and a series of musicians from across the musical spectrum in a performance Celebrating Dylan Across the Genres. Barb will be joined by Jazz star Jo Harrop, Folk giant Robb Johnson, Level 42’s legendary Mike Lindup and the wonderful singer-songwriter Hannah Scott as well as special guests Sarah Gillespie and guitarist Jay Stapley.
The festival closes on the Sunday with the Visions of Dylan Community of Choirs Concert which is the culmination of many week’s work by local choirs, supported by Barb, to be ready to perform their favourite Dylan songs. The local choirs taking part in the festival are Shuffletunes, Guildford Vox Community Choir, Voices Together and Triple Harmony Choir.
I am thrilled to work with the Maltings, a venue with a great history of music and arts in Surrey. I’ve worked on Dylan’s material for 24 years and grow to love it more and more. Sharing this love across all genres of music and examining his own vast spread of creativity feels apt at Farnham and also timely.Barb Jungr, Artist & Festival Director
When Barb first approached me with the idea to curate a festival celebrating Bob Dylan, it immediately felt like something we should try to make happen. Not only because it connects with Farnham Maltings’ history of presenting folk music, but also because it is an opportunity to stop and celebrate the extraordinary impact that Bob Dylan has had on culture and popular music.Peter Glanville, CEO, Farnham Maltings
Tickets for the festival are now on sale with a special festival multi-buy offer available, where people wishing to come to several events at the festival can enjoy 20% off their booking. If you would like to perform at the Open Mic Night, please complete an application form through the event page.
