The 67th King's Lynn Festival got off to a flying start with a rousing concert by Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band, currently ranked second in the world.
The 30-strong award-winning band's programme entitled Best of British Brass featured music by Malcolm Arnold, William Walton, Henry Wood and Elgar which clearly delighted the large audience in the Corn Exchange on Sunday night.
'Brass band music proved a very popular way to launch the festival and the audience obviously appreciated the superb musicianship demonstrated in a very varied programme,' said festival chairman Alison Croose.
On Saturday Mrs Croose welcomed Andrew Nairne, director of Kettle's Yard, University of Cambridge, to the Fermoy Gallery at Lynn Arts Centre at the opening of the festival exhibition, Ships and Boats, which features works by Alfred Wallis.
Kettle's Yard, which is currently closed for a major redevelopment, has loaned about 30 works from their substantial collection which are on show in Lynn until July 29.
Mr Nairne talked about the paintings by Wallis, an artist and mariner who was born in Devonport in 1855, and took up painting late in his life and painted from memory of his experiences.
Mr Nairne said: 'Wallis's work is often described as simple but it's not, it's very sophisticated and expressive and projects directness.'
A new feature of the festival – Music in the Market Place, five hours of free entertainment in the Tuesday Market during Sunday - proved very successful.
One of the high spots was a performance by Vladimir and Anton, the violinist brothers flown from Ireland especially for the event which was a taster for their guest appearance with the BBC Concert Orchestra for a recording of Friday Night in Music Night at Lynn next week.
As well as their performance on the new council-owned stage in the market place, they gave a free 45-minute family show much enjoyed by a large audience in the Corn Exchange.
They will be back in Lynn with Ken Bruce on July 26.
A three-hour peal of bells rang out from St Nicholas' Chapel to mark the start of the 67th Festival on Sunday afternoon.
Among the many who enjoyed King's Lynn Festival Delight Major, created especially for the occasion by ringer David Brown of Norwich, were a number of visitors from abroad who went into the chapel to watch the ringers in the bell tower.
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