The Anglican Church of Luxembourg has announced a new edition of its Charity Arts Festival; the first part of this two-part festival will take place at St George's International School in Luxembourg-Hamm (11 Rue des Peupliers) on Saturday 4 March 2023 from 19:30 to 21:15.
This first part will celebrate diversity and creativity through performances from musicians, singers and dancers. Entry is free of charge, with any donations made going to the local and international charities supported by the Anglican Church, such as Stëmm vun der Strooss, Friendship, World Vision Romania, Naledi Projects in South Africa and Coopera's Mazingila Community Conservation Programme in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The second part of the Anglican Church Charity Arts Festival (a fundraising project launched five years ago) will take place in the chapel of the Convict Centre on Rue Marie-Thérèse in Luxembourg-Ville on Sunday 23 April 2023 from 12:00 to 16:30.
Chronicle.lu had the opportunity to speak with the organisers, Lisa Dishman and Claudia Dragan, as well as Rev Geoff Read (Chaplain), ahead of the new edition of this fundraising event, the theme of which is "Joy".
Speaking about the importance of this festival, Rev Geoff Read said: "The Arts express and bring out the very best about this wonderful, diverse and messy God-given thing called being human!"
Elaborating on why a church would hold an arts festival, Lisa Dishman and Claudia Dragan explained: "Our church is made up of a diverse bunch of people from many different backgrounds. That makes for a wonderful mixture of interests and ways of expressing ourselves. In that sense we reflect the wider community of Luxembourg. The Arts are important to us, and we see them as a way to both celebrate that diversity and the gift of creativity, something that is for all people and that we believe comes from God. So, our Arts Festival has the strapline 'Inspired Creativity' and features classical music, African drumming, Romanian dancing and folk blues! We are keen to welcome people from the wider community and our Church to perform and to enjoy."
Reflecting on this year's theme, they noted that "joy" is "something that is much needed in the current global climate. Joy isn't the same as happiness, or a form of escapism, but an assertion of what is really true about human beings and life!"
As for what people can expect at this event, the organisers said: "Our Arts Festival is so good that we hold it in two parts! The first is a concert with performances from musicians, singers and dancers on Saturday 4 March at St George's International School. The second part is on Sunday afternoon, 23 April and includes performances, workshops, street food and opportunities to join in. It is at the Convict Chapel and gardens at 5 Avenue Marie-Thérèse in [Luxembourg] City."
They also touched on the fundraising aspect of this two-part event, which "raises funds for the charities our Church supports, locally and around the world. People can give donations as they wish and we are very grateful to St George's School for the generous way they are supporting this event. We look forward to welcoming lots of people to join in!"
For more details, visit the Anglican Church website: www.anglican.lu.
