Lizzie Ball Interview: Lichfield Festival

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Tue 11 Jul 2023 - Sun 16 Jul 2023

The glitz and glamour of one of the world’s most famous jazz clubs promises to leave its mark on the Staffordshire city of Lichfield this month when James Pearson , Artistic Director of Ronnie Scott’s, and regular Ronnie’s guest, violinist and vocalist Lizzie Ball , perform a combined three shows at this year's Lichfield Festival . The dynamic partnership was one of the standout highlights of last year’s annual festival when they wowed the audience with their sensational arrangements of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and the American Classics. Not surprisingly, the festival was keen to bring the duo back and has therefore signed them both as Associate Artists for 2023-2025 which means audiences can look forward to hearing much more of them this summer and beyond.

Lizzie and James will appear together in Lichfield Cathedral on 14 July in ‘Celebrating the Songwriters’, showcasing the fabulous songs of Carole King, Joni Mitchell and Burt Bacharach. Before that, James and his band join Broadway star Melissa Errico in ‘The Life and Loves of a Broadway Baby’, also at Lichfield Cathedral, on 11 July, and then Lizzie makes a welcome return when she presents ‘Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky: A Musical Portrait’ at The Hub at St Mary’s on 16 July, the final day of the festival. James has been Artistic Director of Ronnie Scott’s, which opened in 1959, for more than 15 years.



For Lizzie, she was set on the path to becoming a violin player and vocalist after a trip to see violinist Nigel Kennedy at the age of 10. As well as her own projects she has featured alongside the likes of Jeff Beck, Brian Wilson, Arianna Grande and Liam Gallagher. As for James Pearson, she says: “We have worked on many shows together at Ronnie’s, both on James’s own productions and also on my own venture, Classical Kicks, which I created in 2012 and made a monthly residency at the club. It was the very first 'classical' night there, and we had everything from beatboxing rappers to renowned string quartets, selling out shows for almost a decade.”

Of their collaboration, ‘Celebrating the Songwriters’, at Lichfield Festival she adds: “It’s such a highlight for me, because these are songwriters who I have been particularly attached to my whole life. Carole King is just the epitome of a female icon in music, her songs totally encapsulate the essence of the human condition, I feel particularly from the feminine side. I am really excited to be singing a few of her true classics, alongside some beautiful timeless songs from the incredible Joni Mitchell – again, another totally epic female legend, and one I really can identify with, in both her personal and musical life.” And then there is the legendary Burt Bacharach whose songs have been performed by stars such as Gene Pitney and Dionne Warwick since the late 1950s.



So, what can audiences expect from Lizzie’s second Lichfield Festival show, which offers a glimpse into the lives of French fashionista Coco Chanel and celebrated Russian composer Igor Stravinsky? Lizzie explains: “This was created following the success of my show about (Mexican painter) Frida Kahlo. I love to produce shows within the classical context which take on more of a theatrical, all-encompassing feel. This show was borne out of an easy to fall in love with subject matter – Paris in the 1920/30s! It was just an unbelievable, sizzling hot bed of music, dance, art, with some of the game changers in history, such as Coco Chanel, Igor Stravinsky, Diaghilev’s Ballet Russes, Picasso, Matisse, Ravel, Josephine Baker to name but a few! And then you had all the personal goings on, one of the most notable being the alleged affair between Chanel and Stravinsky, which gave rise to some of Stravinsky’s most brilliant composition. It’s a very eclectic programme from Piaf to Stravinsky, with a true element of spoken storytelling throughout.”

Lichfield Festival runs from 6-16 July. Celebrating the Songwriters is on Friday 14 July (7.30pm) at Lichfield Cathedral; Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky: A Musical Portrait is on Sunday 16 July (3.15pm) at The Hub at St Mary’s. For further information, including tickets, visit www.lichfieldfestival.org

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