Countdown to the Dankworth Family Festival: Craig Ogden talks with Total MK

Australian born guitarist Craig Ogden is one of the most exciting artists of his generation. He studied guitar from the age of seven and percussion from the age of thirteen. He is the youngest instrumentalist to have received a Fellowship Award from the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester.


One of the UK’s most recorded guitarists, his many credits include five Classic FM albums - which all shot straight to No.1 in the UK classical chart - and he is one of Classic FM’s most played artists.


He regularly appears as soloist and chamber musician at major venues and collaborates with the UK’s top artists and ensembles.  Craig is also head of guitar at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester and a visiting lecturer at London’s Royal College of Music, and trust us, there is much, much more we could share, but a little mystique is a good thing, right?!


Craig will play at the Dankworth Family Festival in Milton Keynes on Saturday (July 15), alongside event MD Jacqui Dankworth.
And he's looking forward to it, as he told Total MK....


How special is it to be playing as part of the Dankworth Family Festival?

Extremely special! This festival is a British institution and it’s a privilege to be part of it.

What does the contribution made by Dame Cleo, and the late, great Sir John mean to you, and to music in general?

They are both jazz royalty but of course Sir John also wrote a great deal of wonderful music too. The two of them virtually defined a whole era of music making in Britain and around the world.

What will you be bringing to the musical party?

Some very cool and laid back songs that I’ll be performing with Jacqui along with some great pieces from the classical guitar repertoire. Something for everyone I hope!

Encourage us to take a ticket - what can we expect at the event as a whole?

You only have to look at the programme! There is fantastic diversity delivered by some of the cream of British artists. I don’t need to say anything more!!

And before we let you go, tell us a little more about your own plans. What are you currently working on?

Well, the performance I’ll be giving with Jacqui is highly pertinent as we have a CD coming out at the beginning of September. I also have a CD out on Classic FM at the moment plus a lovely busy summer of concerts in Australia and the UK. It will fly by!

 

To book tickets for this weekend's Dankwroth Family Festival click here 

 


> Never miss leisure news in Milton Keynes - Follow us on Twitter: @thisistotalmk

And on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thisistotalmk