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WALES MILLENNIUM CENTRE APPOINTS ARTISTIC LEADER FROM DERRY 2013 UK CITY OF CULTURE |
Wales Millennium Centre today (9 December) announced the appointment of Graeme Farrow, Executive Programmer for the first UK City of Culture in Derry~Londonderry as its new Artistic & Creative Director. At Derry Graeme had lead responsibility for the design and delivery of a £14.1m programme for the first UK City of Culture. This included generation of dynamic ideas for the cultural programme and the production and curation of specific projects agreed as part of the winning bid. Derry~Londonderry’s Year as UK City of Culture has been recognised as a critical success, by local people, critics and the media. Much of its success can be attributed to Graeme’s input, not only his creativity but also his ambition, with which he delivered the prestigious Turner Prize outside of England for the first time in its 29-year history. He played a lead role in the preparation of a compelling case to the Northern Ireland Executive which resulted in a single £12.6m investment in the cultural programme and which placed the City of Culture and its legacy at the heart of the Programme for Government. He was also the only arts sector member of the Northern Ireland Executive’s NI2012 Steering Group for a key year in the province’s history. 41 year old Graeme was born and brought up in Sunderland, in the North-East, and graduated from Leeds University in French and Philosophy. He moved to Northern Ireland to undertake his MBA at the University of Ulster, and has since pursued a very successful career in the arts, in Belfast and subsequently Londonderry. In 1999 he joined the Belfast Festival Team and in 2006 became its director, building it up to be one of the must-see arts festivals in Britain and Ireland. Prior to joining the City of Culture company he had been promoted to be Head of Culture and Arts at Queen’s University, Belfast, responsible not only for the festival but also the Queen’s Film Theatre and the Naughton Gallery. Graeme Farrow is especially delighted that his next career move is to Wales’ hugely successful national centre for the performing arts, which has welcomed 12.5 million people through its doors since opening in 2004. "I am thrilled to be joining the team at Wales Millennium Centre at such an exciting time in its history. As the Centre approaches its 10th anniversary it is still very much in its youth and there is much to look forward to. Wales Millennium Centre is more than a venue, it occupies a key role nationally and internationally. I intend to work with colleagues to further develop its reputation internationally, to be truly world class, and to instil a dynamism that will ensure that Wales Millennium Centre is a cultural powerhouse that makes the best possible contribution to the local community and to the nation. I was hugely impressed by the warmth, attitude, skill and ambition evident in the people I met in Cardiff so I firmly believe that the sky is the limit for Wales Millennium Centre.” In making the announcement Wales Millennium Centre’s Managing Director, Mathew Milsom, said, ‘We are very fortunate to have recruited someone of Graeme’s calibre and experience of delivering such an amazing artistic programme for the UK City of Culture this year, which will have a lasting legacy. Next year we will mark our 10th anniversary and Graeme’s knowledge, experience and creative ambition is a perfect match for where we want to take the Centre over the next decade. In Derry he provided the creative vision behind the cultural transformation of a city, and I have every confidence that in coming to Wales he will undoubtedly contribute to changing the cultural landscape of our nation.’ Shona McCarthy Chief Executive of Culture Company 2013, (leading on Derry~Londonderry's year as UK City of Culture 2013) added: “A huge congratulations to Graeme and to Wales Millennium Centre. My joy for Graeme on this appointment is coupled with a real sadness at his loss to the cultural scene in Northern Ireland. He is a truly brilliant artistic director who has a water diviner's instinct for seeking out and commissioning exceptional work that connects with and engages people as both audience and cultural participants. I know that he will bring a compelling artistic vision and wish him all success in his new role in Cardiff." Graeme, who was named one of Northern Ireland’s highest achievers under the age of 40, will start in his new role on April 1, 2014. He is looking forward to moving to Wales with his wife and three children next year. |
| Wales Millennium Centre web site: www.wmc.org.uk |
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Monday, December 9, 2013 |
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