Latest News from the Campaign

PRESS RELEASE – 17/06/2008
Winning Picture Book Author & Illustrator Revealed

Local primary school children today announce the winning book of the 2008 City of Discovery Picture Book Award this month – “Who Are You, Stripy Horse?”.

Following on from last year’s success, the award aims to celebrate excellence in writing and illustration, promote reading and story telling amongst children and demonstrate democratic principles when voting for the winning book.

Children from 13 primary schools will be responsible for the voting, and some of them delivered a presentation on the winning title and presented the award at the Whitehall Theatre recently.

The finalists were:

• “The Night the Lights Went Out” by Anna Perera & Carl Pearce – Tamarind
• “Augustus and His Smile” by Catharine Rayner – Little Tiger Press
• “Who Are You, Stripy Horse?” by Jim Helmore & Karen Wall – Egmont Childrens Books
• “Clip-Clop” by Nicola Smee – Boxer Books

First Prize was awarded £1,000 and each runner up received a prize of £250. All authors and illustrators were also presented with a Limited Edition Cartoon Figurine from DC Thomson & Co Ltd.

Lord Provost John Letford, Chairman of the City of Discovery Campaign, said: “This Award is from the people who count most for these authors – the children themselves – and for that reason it is one of the most cherished in the UK. It is also a further recognition of Dundee’s commitment to excellence in the arts.”


Dundee City Council Education Convener Councillor Laurie Bidwell said:

“This is an exciting project for the pupils involved and it helps them to develop skills in a number of different ways.”

“The activities the pupils undertake include reading, writing, talking, listening, voting, buddying, ICT and art. It encourages them to work together and to learn while having fun.”

“The Picture Book Award celebrates writing for children and also encourages pupils to get into the reading habit.”

The City of Discovery Campaign is the promotional arm of the Dundee Partnership and is also supported by the European Regional Development Fund. Its aim is to lead the way in positively transforming the image of Dundee locally, nationally and internationally, and to ensure that a more accurate perception of the city as a vibrant, attractive and flourishing location is held by residents, visitors, the business community and potential investors.

PRESS RELEASE – 17/06/2008
Dundee Guitar Festival Strikes the Right Chord

Dundee's 16^th International Guitar Festival is tipped to be one of the best ever.

Guitar enthusiasts and music lovers will be delighted that the 16th Dundee International Guitar Festival (DGF), which runs from the 11^th to 13^th July 2008, is predicted to be one of the best ever.

Since its inception in 1991 the Dundee Guitar Festival has celebrated the music of the guitar, attracting the top guitarists from both home and abroad. It has grown from being an ambitious local project to one of Europe's most important guitar events, and is supported by the City of Discovery Campaign.

The festival has regularly attracted some of the world's greatest guitar players to Dundee, such as The Assad Duo, Manuel Barrueco, Paul Galbraith, Martin Taylor, Scott Tennant, and John Williams. This year’s line up certainly looks set to enhance this celebrated list.


This year’s performers include:

Allan Neave (Scotland)
Allan has been the artistic director of the Dundee International Guitar Festival since it's inception.

He is also an outstanding guitarist and champion of contemporary music.

As a senior lecturer at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama he is regularly invited to all the leading teaching schools throughout Europe.



The Katona Twins (Hungary)
The Katona Twins, the celebrated Hungarian guitar duo, have performed in front of audiences at some of the most prestigious venues and major music festivals around the world.

Their repertoire spans from the Classical, through to Tango and Spanish guitar. They also are active, arranging popular classical works for their guitar duo format.

Pavel Steidl (Czech Republic)
Pavel is one of the most widely celebrated soloists of his generation. His highly expressive performances of rare 19th-century guitar literature on authentic instruments add a wonderful dimension to his already exceptional performances. He has also been named as one of the most important guitarists by the Italian Guitar Magazine “Guitart”.

Peter Stewart (Scotland)
Guitarist/composer Peter studied in London with Carlos Bonell and John W. Duarte and from 1990 played in the successful guitar ensemble, Duo Stewart. His success as a composer has been met with international critical acclaim with many of his works being recorded by international artists such as Alfonso Montes, Allan Neave & Antonio de Innocentis.

Andrzej Mokry (Poland)
Andrzej Mokry, studied at the Academy of Music in Warsaw with Professor Marcin Zalewski and in Cologne, Germany, with Professor Dieter Kreidler. In addition to his solo recitals, he plays with the Gewandhaus-Orchestra Leipzig and with various symphony orchestras.

With this year’s line up now finalised Allan Neave, DGF Artistic Director, believes that this year’s festival is set to be one of the best ever: “I thought last year's festival was absolutely brilliant, but this year’s line up is really exciting. Anyone who has a love of music and, in particular, guitar music will be delighted.

“It makes me extremely proud to think that here in Dundee we have one of the world’s most celebrated guitar festivals. I would encourage everybody to visit at least one of the performances. After all, it is not everyday you get the chance to see some of the world’s best guitar players in your home town.”

An exciting part of DGF and one of it’s core elements of the festival’s is the series of guitar workshops that are available to the course participants. The courses are designed to encourage and develop young players and to give the performers the opportunity to gain crucial performance experience.

The courses attract students of all ages and abilities from all corners of the world, introducing many to the pleasures of intensive study, public performances and the overall sharing of ideas. The courses can be booked through the Dundee Guitar Festival website: www.dundeeguitarfestival.com.

Tickets for all performances are available to purchase on 01382 434 940 or at: www.cairdhall.co.uk.