Grammy nominated, record breaking musician, Chilly Gonzales, will be opening the Totnes Sea Change Festival when it returns in May.

The music and arts festival has been missing from its traditional spring slot for the last two years as result of the coronavirus lockdowns, but now tickets have gone on sale for its big return.

From May 27 to 29 atmospheric buildings across Totnes will become venues for an event spanning music, art, film and literature.

The full Sea Change line-up will be announced in January 2022, and organisers promise three days of unique events at St Mary’s Church, the Bull Inn, the Barrel House Ballroom, Birdwood House, Totnes Cinema and the Drift Record Shop among others.

At a launch night event on May 26 Chilly Gonzales will perform an intimate solo piano recital at Dartington’s Great Hall.

The multiple Grammy and Juno Award nominated musician and producer has previously collaborated with Daft Punk, Peaches, Feist, Drake, Jamie Lidell and Jarvis Cocker, and in 2009 he broke the Guinness World Record for the longest solo concert, playing 27 hours three minutes 44 seconds of piano - more than 200 different songs - in a marathon concert at film director Claude Lelouch’s Ciné 13 Theatre in Paris.

Festival founder Rupert Morrison said: “Chilly is, without doubt, one of our favourite and most-played artists. His solo piano albums are just perfect.

“We’ll run out of superlatives before May, but this is an absolute dream booking for us and we honestly can’t think of a more special way to launch the weekend.

“Sea Change has a reputation for creating and programming memorable, one-off shows and events and this is destined to be one for the ages.

“We’re delighted to work again in partnership with Dartington Arts to bring you this amazing show at the historic Great Hall.”

For more information visit www.seachangepresents.co.uk