Karen Koren honoured
New city centre distillery
Fireworks are tomorrow!
Fringe Tip of the Day
Consultation events
Karen Koren, Artistic Director of the Gilded Balloon was delighted and surprised to be awarded the Foster’s Comedy Award Panel Prize, for her continued work in comedy and for her support for new and established performers over the past thirty years of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Karen says: ‘This award came as a complete and utter surprise to me. I have had a brilliant time over the past 30 years we have enjoyed supporting all of the amazing talent that I have met and worked with over the years.’
This year the Gilded Balloon celebrates its 30th anniversary and Karen has made it clear that her daughter, Katy Koren, will continue to be part of the Gilded Balloon and that she will, at some point in the future, be handing over the business to her. They both feel that being the only family-run venue on the fringe, the Gilded Balloon should continue to invest in ground-breaking new work for at least another thirty years.
Lucy Lumsden, Chair of the Panel and Head of Comedy at Sky said: ‘Karen Koren encapsulates the true spirit of the fringe in so many ways. Entrepreneurial, warm-hearted, a great survivor and a huge supporter and spotter of new talent. Her So You Think You’re Funny? comedy competition, now in its 28th year, has been the start of many comedy careers.’
Karen Koren started promoting comedy and presenting shows at the Fringe in 1985. Performers from that first year were Kit and the Widow, Mike Myers of Mullarky Myers, Craig Ferguson aka Bing Hitler, Alan Cumming and Forbes Masson of Victor and Barrie. Lenny Henry and Dawn French, Billy Connolly and Pamela Stephenson, Hugh Grant and many others.
As well as an excellent track record in comedy, Gilded Balloon also has an award winning theatre, spoken word, music and children’s theatre programme. Karen Koren works with talented performers internationally including in Australia, America and Canada.
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The council’s Finance and Resources Committee decided earlier this week to lease the premises formerly occupied by The Engine Shed to a body which will set up a distillery there.
The property was previously let to the Garvald Community but they moved out earlier this year despite attempts to keep the facility open. The new arrangement will bring in £65,000 a year for the council and the lease to Newmake Limited who will distill single malt whisky in Edinburgh will last for 25 years. The new business will create 25 new jobs and an initial capital investment of £1.5m.
There were two offers from church organisations at lower rents, but the committee decided to accept the most economically beneficial and the one which presented the lowest risk.
Councillor Alasdair Rankin, Convener of the Finance and Resources Committee, said: “The distillery will make a valuable contribution to Edinburgh’s economy and tourism sector creating up to 25 new jobs. There will also be opportunities for young workers, trades and apprenticeship training through the Edinburgh Guarantee. As I said at today’s Finance and Resources Committee, we will do everything we can to work with the social enterprise partnership to ensure that their valuable services, currently being delivered at the Rivers Centre, continue.”
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Remember that one of the city’s favourite festival events is on tomorrow night, not tonight. This year the Virgin Money Fireworks Concert – the spectacular event of the Edinburgh International Festival and Edinburgh’s summer festival season – takes place this year on Monday 31st August at 9.30pm, rather than on a Sunday night.
Over 400,000 fireworks choreographed to live orchestral music played by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra will light up the sky over Edinburgh against the unique backdrop of the iconic Castle. The event – the largest fireworks concert of its type in the world – is enjoyed by around 250,000 people all over the city and thanks to the earlier dates of this year’s Edinburgh International Festival, Festival Fringe-goers now have an opportunity to stay till tomorrow night and join the party!
Some tickets are still available for Princes Street Gardens to be at the centre of the world’s biggest and most spectacular Fireworks Concert.
Edinburgh’s own Garry Walker conducts the Scottish Chamber Orchestra playing music including Brahms’s Hungarian Dances, Strauss’s Emperor Waltz and culminates with his dramatic Thunder and Lightning Polka, rounding off the evening in spectacular style.
The three event partners, Edinburgh International Festival, Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Virgin Money, are delighted to offer a celebration which the whole city – its residents and visitors – can share in, giving everyone more to enjoy on the final day of the summer Festivals. Virgin Money has confirmed support for a further three firework concerts until 2017.
Edinburgh International Festival Director Fergus Linehan said: ‘It’s been a wonderful year for all of Edinburgh’s summer festivals and we are delighted to be able to offer the closing finale to everyone.’
A spokesman for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe said: “This has been an extraordinary few weeks with an amazing buzz around the city. Monday evening promises to be a great celebration of this year’s festivals with the Fireworks Concert and a range of late night Fringe venues providing the culmination of a fantastic month.”
William Burdett-Coutts, Artistic Director of Assembly said: “I think having the fireworks on the Monday night at the end of the festivals is a triumphant way of ending this magnificent event. This may turn out to be the most popular festival ever and the fireworks will be a wonderful way to celebrate this.”
Tickets for the Concert are available via Hub Tickets. They can be bought in person at the Hub, by phone on 0131 473 2000, or online at www.eif.co.uk.
Virgin Money Fireworks Concert
Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Garry Walker Conductor
E Strauss Steam Powered polka (fast, op. 70)
Brahms Hungarian Dances nos. 1, 3 & 5
Mozart Contradances from K603 and K609
Lumbye Copenhagen Steam Railway Galop
Dvorak Slavonic Dances from op. 46
J Strauss II Emperor Waltz, op. 437
J Strauss II Thunder and Lightning Polka
Monday 31 August 9.30pm, 2015
eif.co.uk/virginmoneyfireworks
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Fresh from the success of an international tour that has included performances at the San Diego Fringe and a featured slot in Jools Holland’s UK Tour multi platinum selling artist Jack Lukeman brings the world premiere of his new show Phantasmagoria – Tales of Wickedness and Wonder to The Famous Spiegeltent from the 18 – 31 August.
Jack will take the audience on a journey from darkness into the light, regaling them with songs of darkness and terror and delighting them with songs of love and redemption. Lukeman’s powerhouse vocals will lead audiences through a joyous phantasmagorical journey, deep into the witching hour in the festival’s finest venue, performing originals and classics from his 10 platinum-selling albums. A must for all lovers of Brecht, Brel, Walker and Waits.
International Irish entertainer Jack Lukeman is one of Ireland’s most respected and best loved performers. Described as ‘a mixture of all the great voices of the 20th century ’ (The Guardian), few can match his award-winning powerhouse vocals and inventive live shows. A Fringe favourite since 2002 and following last year’s residency at La Clique Jack is delighted to return to Edinburgh with a new show ahead of the release of his new album in October.
With a multi award winning career spanning 20 years Jack first came to prominence with his interpretation of the works of Belgian songwriter Jacques Brel, culminating in his album Wax. The release of Metropolis Blue followed, with the hits ‘Georgie Boy’ and ‘Rooftop Lullaby,’ propelling him onto the world stage, where he became a fixture on both US and European touring circuits. He is a multi-Platinum selling artist with his last release ‘The 27 Club’ climbing to the number one spot on it’s first week of release.
Late Night Phantasmagoria With Jack Lukeman
Venue: The Famous Spiegeltent
Dates and Times: 18 – 31 August (not 23) 23:00 (60mins)
Tickets: £15 (£13 conc)
Box Office: 0131 226 0000 or www.edfringe.com
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Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
