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UID:25136@xyzbrighton.com
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260621T130000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260621T160000
DTSTAMP:20260404T145143Z
URL:https://xyzbrighton.com/events/midsummer-night-concert-guitarist-richa
 rd-durrant-the-art-of-levitation-tour/
SUMMARY:Midsummer Night - Concert Guitarist Richard Durrant - The Art of Le
 vitation Tour
DESCRIPTION:In celebration of his fourth decade as an independent soloist\,
  maverick guitarist and composer Richard Durrant presents his 2026 tour: T
 he Art of Levitation. His annual summer solstice gig will be an evening of
  stunning guitar works including Bach\, Scarlatti\, Purcell\, Renbourn\, J
 ansch\, Barrios and Durrant's own compositions including the tour title tr
 ack (June 21st 2026 at 7.30pm). Richard's principal instrument for this to
 ur is his guitar made from a 5\,000-year-old English bog oak. There will o
 f course be his trademark stories about his childhood in the city and musi
 cal career as he plays to the audience standing\, thought to be the only c
 lassical guitarist to do so.\n\nThe 2026 twenty date tour revisits many co
 mmunities not least his home town audiences that have sustained Richard's 
 grassroots following for decades. The concerts are intimate\, high-quality
  live experiences in much-loved regional venues. In an era when small venu
 es face mounting challenges\, The Art of Levitation is both a celebration 
 and a statement: live music\, real spaces\, transformative experience.\nRi
 chard said he is looking forward to his return to one his home town venues
 : “Once again I shall be playing at Brighton Open Air Theatre to mark th
 e Summer Solstice with a home town gig on this significant day in our Plan
 et’s year.\n“I feel it is increasingly important to nurture these spir
 itual associations with the natural world so I try to either play live or 
 release a new piece of work on such special dates as a token of respect.\n
 “I also believe Arts venues can become spiritual sites - this is certain
 ly the case with BOAT. The mere existence of this theatre should remind us
  that not all humans are deluded\, dangerous fools - often we create beaut
 y and positivity.”\n\nThis year Richard Durrant celebrates 40 years sinc
 e graduating from the Royal College of Music and making his London debut a
 t the Purcell Room but Durrant’s story is not a conventional one. Raised
  in a working-class family in Brighton\, he struggled at school with undia
 gnosed autism and ADHD. Yet alongside those challenges came an extraordina
 ry early focus. By his early teens he was composing prolifically\, passing
  Grade 8 guitar\, cello and theory at an unusually early age. He led the c
 ello section of the Brighton Youth Orchestra and\, aged just 16\, toured w
 ith them in Portugal as soloist in the Concierto de Aranjuez. He had also 
 started playing floor spots in local Folk Clubs and was double bassist in 
 a busy bluegrass band.\n\nHis neurodiversity\, which he now speaks about w
 ith candour and generosity\, has shaped both his artistry and his independ
 ence.\nRichard said: “Music and the arts have helped me throughout my l
 ife\n“I’ve learned to harness some essential balancing forces and have
  begun to understand why music exists.”\nFor audiences — and for young
  musicians navigating similar challenges — his particular journey offers
  proof that difference can become a source of originality and resilience.\
 n\nDurrant has built a sustainable creative life not by fitting in\, but b
 y leaning into his own way of thinking and working. In more recent years h
 e has cycled around 9\,000 miles between concerts around the British Isles
  showing his determination to reduce his carbon footprint (at one point av
 eraging 35\,000 miles per year) and highlight climate change - he often ap
 pears onstage next to his bicycle and trailer.\nA programme that bridges w
 orlds\n\nThe Art of Levitation tour reflects the full span of Durrant’s 
 musical life from prize winning student at the Royal College of Music to a
  folk music obsessed misfit whose Mum rang up the SouthBank Centre from th
 e care home where she worked to organise his debut gig.\nThe title work Th
 e Art of Levitation is central to the 2026 tour programme. This is one of 
 Durrant’s most hypnotic recent compositions and a standout moment of his
  2025 concerts. Released as a single on 2 February 2026 via Bandcamp and m
 ajor streaming platforms (excluding Spotify)
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://xyzbrighton.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/
 03/RIchard-durrant.jpeg
CATEGORIES:Live Music
LOCATION:Brighton Open Air Theatre\, Dyke Rd\,\, Brighton and Hove\, Englan
 d\, BN3 6EH\, United Kingdom
GEO:50.836406;-0.153016
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