WOMAD give sneak peek to 2015 line up announcing Rufus Wainwright and Youssou N’Dour as Earlybird Tickets go on sale

                   

 
Youssou N’Dour is revered among western musicians, having collaborated with a galaxy of stars: Peter Gabriel, Sting, Neneh Cherry, Wyclef Jean, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen.  And his recent performance at WOMAD UK was heralded by London based music magazine, musicohm.com as “everything WOMAD should be: exciting, surprising and engaging. Brilliant”. This will be his first WOMAD NZ appearance.
 
Last playing in New Zealand in 2004, Youssou has been a mesmerising beacon within African music for 30 years. His golden tenor voice resonates with power and purpose to not only present the ancient groit traditions of Senegal in a fresh light but also carry strident political and social messages across Africa to the wider world.
 
Also on his first WOMAD NZ visit, is the effervescent and erudite Rufus Wainwright. A genuine original, Rufus Wainwright is one of the great male vocalists and songwriters of his generation. As a singer, pianist and guitarist, his repertoire spans from indie pop to Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah, classical to composing two operas and staging a celebrated Judy Garland tribute.
 
Wainwright’s performances are renowned for the emotional journey he evokes, sending shivers down the collective spines of a crowd one minute to rousing spirits with intoxicating revelry the next. Described on his last performance in NZ in 2012 as “a show that was as moving as it was theatrical” (NZ Herald).
 
WOMAD Artist Director, Emere Wano is thrilled commenting, “We are over the moon to have these two world class artists play exclusively for WOMAD next year. It is going to be a very special line-up and a magical year to be at the festival.”
 
2015 is the 11^th year WOMAD NZ will emerge out of the Taranaki ground and sprawl through the undulating hills and pathways of Brooklands Park and TSB Bowl of Brooklands, weaving its special sense of calm and space with the comfort of familiarity and the certainty of unexpected discoveries. As TAFT CEO Suzanne Porter says: “We build an entire village for a weekend”, and over 150’000 people have come to that village since 2003 and close to 70% of those have been from out of the Taranaki region.
 
New Plymouth accommodation does sell out for WOMAD so festival goers are encouraged to book now to secure their preferred sleeping environment. Options include on site camping, Glamping as well as a host of hotels and motels in the city centre, a five-minute walk from the WOMAD festival.
 
25% of 2014 attendees were there for their first time and WOMAD are keen to remind everyone it is a carbon-neutral event and appreciates everyone’s efforts, particularly festival go-ers, by using the Zero Waste bins on site and being conscious of the impact of their actions. WOMAD New Zealand is committed to its environmental efforts, and each year measures and offsets its carbon footprint.
 
Event director Chris Herlihy says those who come to the festival play a key role in the festival’s clean green success.
 
“Our audience is fantastic. They are just so respectful of the venue.”
 
Let yourself be transported to another place, walk through the gates of WOMAD for a weekend and let us show you the world.