The 2007 Chester Summer Music Festival reaches its last full week but some of the biggest events are still to come. Chester resident Kajal Sharma brings an exotic taste of India to the city’s music festival today (Friday, July 20), when she gives a rare public performance of ‘kathak’, a dance form originating from the ancient Hindu temples and courts of the Mughal emperors. A master of kathak sings, dances, mimes, knows music and plays percussion instruments, commanding all these elements simultaneously to create a flawless performance. ‘Kathak is one of eight classical dance forms in India, each with a unique identity,’ said Kajal, one of the most gifted performers and choreographers of her generation. ‘Katha means story, and one who tells a story is called a ‘kathak’. Intricate rhythm patterns are played on percussion, particularly the tablas, which are paralleled and visually delineated by the dancer’s ghunghru- (brass bells) studded feet.’ Hailed in Europe as the personification of ‘Indian culture in miniature’, Kajal has long been recognised as one of India’s top four stars of kathak. Born in Agra and dancing from the age of three, she went to Agra university but also perfected her art in Delhi and with the great master teachers in Lucknow. Accumulating awards, success in Bollywood and on TV soon followed though she never stopped passing on the intricacies of her art to budding performers. A teacher and choreographer as well as performer, she has run workshops and lecture demonstrations in India, Hong Kong,Taiwan, the USA, Europe and UK. When in Chester, which she came to 14 years ago with her businessman husband, she works with students at West Cheshire College and the Academy of Indian Culture in Manchester, and holds classes in North Wales. Much applauded at festivals and specialist conferences all over the world, Kajal can count the the Queen of Thailand, Prince Charles, Margaret Thatcher and many other world leaders among her appreciative audiences. Kajal and her husband own the Belgrave hotel in Chester and Windmill restaurant in Buckley. Their two sons, aged nine and 13, attend King’s School. The Cholmondeley Castle fireworks concert on Saturday, July 21 attracts up to 10,000 visitors and is the major public event in Cholmondeley’s calendar. It was first held 17 years ago. This year’s concert has adopted a Viva Italia! theme that will feature many of the best-loved arias from Italy’s rich operatic heritage – and a light hearted interlude from Michael Caine’s film classic The Italian Job. This summer’s concert, given as usual by the Manchester Camerata, will feature the voice of the much-acclaimed young Italian tenor Macello Bedoni. With the castle grounds open from 2pm, visitors are being encouraged to enjoy a family day in the grounds before the concert begins at 6.30pm. After TV’s Pop Idol and Britain’s Got Talent, now comes musicfest idol and Chester’s got talent! There’s never been more interest in having a go as an entertainer and this year’s Chester Summer Music Festival is offering the chance for singers to get up there and sing with the stars on stage at the town hall. It’s just for one song, but the spotlight is there for anyone keen and enthusiastic enough who can prove their mettle at the workshop being held the afternoon of the show - Wednesday, July 25. The festival’s guest artists, the all-female quintet Black Voices, specialise in a cappella, singing without musical accompaniment, and are running the workshop, also at the town hall, to help singers produce quality sounds unaccompanied. Places are limited, but participants can then join the group on stage that evening to show off their skills. Black Voices, famed for exquisite harmonising in shows that include gospel, pop, African, Caribbean music and jazz, have performed for the Pope, Princess Diana and Nelson Mandela among others, and often run these fun workshops wherever they go. The glories of the Russian Orthodox Church are featured in a candle-lit concert at Chester Cathedral tomorrow (Saturday, July 21) as part of Chester Summer Music Festival. Called In Heaven or on Earth?, the event is a feast of vocals by chamber choir Tenebrae. To ensure the required setting, they use ten specially created candle stands which travel with them, each one handmade by medieval techniques and holding 25 candles. Renowned for creating stunning atmospheres for musical reflection, their programme will feature great works of faith by Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky and John Taverner, and include extracts from Vespers by Rachmaninov. Often performing by candlelight, the singers are drawn from outstanding musical backgrounds such as King’s College, Cambridge, Westminster Abbey and Cathedral, St Paul’s Cathedral, the Royal Opera House and the English National Opera. The final tribute to Elgar for his 150th year comes with a grand anniversary celebration concert at the cathedral on Thursday, July 26. Ending the city’s 30th music festival, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and the Chester Festival Chorus present a programme which includes Elgar’s famous Pomp and Circumstance (Land of Hope and Glory) and Sea Pictures. Conductor Vernon Handley won this year’s Classical Brits Lifetime Achievement award. Full details and tickets from the box office on 01244 304 618. | 
