Yorkshire Music: News and Updates

Spirit - Dewsbury Town Centre

2009-04-06T15:07:00.000Z

BFCS Creation Tonight!

2009-03-28T12:48:00.003Z

Just a quick reminder that the Bradford Festival Choral Society are performing Haydn's Creation this evening at Bradford Grammar School. It's not too late to get tickets: just visit www.bradfordfestivalchoralsociety.org.uk for more details.

2009-03-27T16:21:00.007Z

Straight from the main stage of Sadler’s Wells Theatre, Destino on the Road comes to Leeds for two nights only at the beginning of April!

Performances are Friday, 3^rd April & Saturday, 4^th April @ 7:30pm. We hope you will be able to join us!

Dance United has a formidable track record working with the disadvantaged and the marginalised. Destino on the Road is and ambitious artistic venture that celebrates the transformational power of dance to affect and change lives.

Featuring two new commissions from Sadler's Wells Associates, Hofesh Shechter and Russell Maliphant with Adam Benjamin, Destino on the Road also introduces work from award winning Ethiopian choreographer Junaid Jemal Sendi, and a new community piece by Tara-Jane Herbert and Susannah Broughton

Tickets are available online: http://www.leedstickets.com/eventinfo/1496/Dance-United-Destino-On-The-Road

or by calling the Stage@Leeds box-office on 0113 343 8730. (Please see the opening times at the bottom of this email.)
Alternatively, you can contact Dance United directly on 0207 431 6647.

Priced at ONLY £9 (£6 concessions) and featuring works by A-list choreographers, this is not one to miss!

2009-03-26T16:24:00.005Z

Srishti
My Stamping Ground
Monday 30 March at 7.30pm

My Stamping Ground is the story of a torrid love affair amidst feuding gangs. This South Asian dance show with live music explores fighting forces that seem impossible to conquer. Get Ready for a dance battle between the classical and contemporary.

This show features choreography created by Yorkshire Dance's in collaboration with Nina Rajarina, whilst live music is created by composer and vocalist Y Yadavan who provides a magnetic score in collaboration with rap lyricist SujeethG.

Using a male-dominated cast, this show tackles the issue of gangs in the UK whilst celebrating the friendship and solidarity that groups of lads share, often misconstrued as gangs.

10% off when you quote “Dance in Leeds Offer”

To book tickets please ring the Box Office on (0113) 224 3801 or go online at www.carriageworkstheatre.org.uk.

Jester at Theatre in the Mill - Bradford

2009-03-24T20:44:00.001Z

Prom Prom and the Theatre Royal Richmond present:

Dan Leno The King's Jester

Written & performed by Tony Lidington

Theatre in the Mill

Wednesday 25th and Thursday 26th March, 7.30pm

Tickets: £6.50/£4 | 01274 233200 or theatre@bradford.ac.uk

"If we didn’t laugh at him, we'd cry our eyes out"
Marie Lloyd

Dan Leno was the greatest Music Hall star of all time: the first stand-up comic, the best-loved pantomime dame and the world champion dog dancer with a strong line in character based skits...he was, quite simply, the comic genius of his age whose work laid the foundations for contemporary British comedy.

Dan's legacy is now almost forgotten, but this romp through his personal history traces the roots of British popular entertainment from Music Hall to Little Britain.

A show which explores what makes us laugh and why we should care.

2009-03-19T17:46:00.004Z

What’s all this about then? An evening of dancing and fundraising for Saltaire Festival 2009.

Where: Shipley and District Social Club on Saltaire Road

When: Friday 20^th March

Time: From 8 till late

How much?: Only £5 (£7 on the door)

Food?: Pie and Peas £1

Music: Soul Music DJ

What else? Raffle, Quiz

Organisers? Meet the Saltaire Festival Committee

Convince me: LOOK at the attached poster!

Dance! All evening if you like.

Why? Help us kickstart our fundraising for Festival 2009

Just me? Bring all your friends for a great night out

PASS THIS ON!!!

Contact me to get your tickets NOW!

info@saltairefestival.co.uk

or call

01274 585877

Dance in Leeds - 10% off tonight!

2009-03-17T15:59:00.001Z

Don't know what to do this evening? Snap up the last available tickets for the fantastic Tavaziva Dance or the unique Clean As Possible Comedy Night at The Carriageworks... ring (0113) 224 3801.

The Carriageworks with Yorkshire Dance present Tavaziva Dance - Heart of Darkness:

"A great company...their seamless blend of contemporary and traditional African movement, strikingly costumed and lit." The Independent

“Bawren Tavaziva’s new piece, My Friend Robert, looks at the effect Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe has had on his home country." Yorkshire Evening Post

TONIGHT at 7.30pm - 10% off if you quote "Dance in Leeds"

...or if comedy is more your thing... Don't forget the regular "Clean As Possible Comedy Night" with the marvellous Roger Monkhouse.

TONIGHT 7.30pm upstairs@thecarriageworks£8 and £5 outstanding price for three top comedians cleaning up their act.Tickets ring (0113) 224 3801 or click here: http://www.carriageworkstheatre.org.uk/

Leeds University Lunchtime Concert Season - an update

2009-03-16T16:48:00.002Z

Just got a note in my inbox from the Concerts Administrator at the School of Music at the University of Leeds regarding a change to their Concert Series this year. It may be of interest to some people, particular because of the forthcoming concert this week:

There will be no lunchtime concert on Friday (13th March) but there is a concert on Wednesday 18th March - details below:-

Clothworkers Centenary Concert Hall
The School of Music

Event 34
Wednesday 18 March 7.30pm

Leeds Baroque Choir

Chorus Master Clive McClelland
Directed by Peter Holman
with members of Leeds Baroque Orchestra.

Monteverdi - A Venetian Vespers

A sequence of psalms and a setting of the Magnificat - drawn mainly from music Monteverdi wrote during his years at St Mark's in Venice.

Tickets £10, £7 and £3 students and young people available from Friends of Leeds Baroque
email: lbo.friends@ntlworld.com
tel. 0113 2267564 and at the door.

Open Piano Class - Leeds

2009-03-13T21:11:00.000Z

Friday 20th March 2009 at 2:30pm in Clothworkers Concert Hall, Leeds.

All are invited to attend an open piano class given by the noted pianist David Owen- Norris.

David will be giving a recital as part of the English Music day on Saturday afternoon. On Friday afternoon he will give a Practical Class and Demonstrations - "A Neglected Strand of Romanticism" when he will play and be happy to listen to and discuss students' performances of any of the music of:

Mendelssohn, Sterndale Bennett, Sullivan, and Quilter concerning whom he has new ideas; and also of Elgar. (with Professor Clive Brown)

Both students and concert goers are cordially invited to stay after the lunchtime recital on Friday 20th March for what promises to be an enjoyable and enlightening exploration of the Romantic piano repertoire.

This will be an informal event so you will be welcome to stay as long as you wish and no prior booking is required. Coffee and biscuits will be available for half an hour after the lunchtime concert.

Kings College Choir in Yorkshire!!!

2009-03-12T12:07:00.002Z

PRESS RELEASE – 11 March 2009

Kings College Choir to raise money for Bingley building

KING’S College Cambridge Choir is to sing in Airedale this month to raise money for a new community building replacing a scout hut destroyed by fire last year.

Organised by the Bingley Airedale Rotary Club, it is hoped the performance by the world-famous choir’s Choral Scholars on Monday, March 30 will be a big boost to efforts to raise £40,000 for a new community centre, in Bingley.

Hundreds of young Beavers, Cubs and Scouts were left devastated when an electrical fault caused fire to burn down the building on Sycamore Avenue in March 2008.

The choir, famed for its annual Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, is to put on its 2009 Northern Tour programme, ranging from 15th century sacred music to jazz and folk, at Baildon Methodist Church at 7.30pm.

Tickets cost £8 and are available from Rotarian Gordon Hodgson, 01274 564326 or from Baildon Post Office, Westgate, Robert Carter Travel, Queen's Court, Bingley or Cotson Reddish Insurance, Saltaire Roundabout or on the door.

Ends.

Listing in Brief

THE world-famous King’s College Cambridge Choir is to perform a mixed repertoire including 15th century sacred music, jazz and folk on Monday, March 30 at 7.30pm at Baildon Methodist Church.

Tickets cost £8 and are available from Rotarian Gordon Hodgson, 01274 564326 or from Baildon Post Office, Westgate, Robert Carter Travel, Queen's Court, Bingley or Cotson Reddish Insurance, Saltaire Roundabout or on the door.

For further information, please call: Jane Cameron, Look Lively Media, 01274 407517 or 0776 500 3977 or Roger Charnley 01943 864774

PHOTO CAPTION

King’s College Cambridge Choral Scholars are to perform at Baildon Methodist Church on Monday, March 30 to raise money for a new community building in Bingley after a scout hut burned down.

Notes to the editor

US-founded Rotary International is a networking organization for business people, who donate their experience and time to support charitable causes throughout the world. It has more than 1.2 million members worldwide and 57,000 in the UK. Please see www.rotary.org

Bingley Airedale Rotary has 40 members and has raised more than £50,000 in the last five years for projects at home and abroad. For more information, please visit www.rotary-ribi.org

For more information about the King’s College choral scholars, visit http://www.kings.cam.ac.uk/chapel/choir/

Candlelighters Charity Guitar

2009-03-10T14:30:00.002Z

I hear on the Facebook grapevine that an old friend of mine, Darren Dutson-Bromley, has a charity concert coming up, so it's definitely worth a little plug here. Details below:

Event: Candlelighters Charity Guitar
"Raising Money to help support kids ( and their families) with serious illness"

What: Concert

Host: Darren Dutson-Bromley

Start Time: 19 March at 19:30

End Time: 19 March at 22:00

Where: Alhambra Studio Theatre

If you're at all into guitar music, as a learner or simply as a music-lover, I'm sure it'll definitely be worth a visit!

Call for Papers: Mediating Jazz

2009-03-07T12:00:00.000Z

Call for Papers
Mediating Jazz:
26-27 November 2009
An international conference hosted by the Popular Music Research Centre, University of Salford.

Keynote Speaker: Professor Krin Gabbard (SUNY), author of Hotter Than That:
The Trumpet, Jazz, and American Culture, Black Magic: White Hollywood and African American Culture, and Jammin’ at the Margins: Jazz and the American Cinema

Mediating Jazz is a two-day multi-disciplinary conference that brings together the leading researchers in the field of New Jazz Studies. The conference itself will comprise four key strands, each of which addresses the overarching theme of mediation in jazz:

1. Jazz and the Media
We wish to explore the way in which media representation impacts on jazz discourse. The review panel will welcome papers that examine the way in which jazz is represented through various media from Hollywood film to television documentary, sleeve notes to journalism.

2. Performance and the Body
Musicians often promote the performance of jazz as an unmediated experience.
We invite papers that interrogate this assumption, exploring the relationship between performance and different types of mediation. This could include discussions of jazz as a transcendent art or a gendered construct, as well as examining the mythologies of improvisation, musicianship and the ‘jazz life’, and the codification of performance practice.

3. Politics and Identity
Within the jazz mainstream, the radical politics of the 1960s has arguably been replaced with a sense of homogenised culture, devoid of explicit race and class issues. This strand explores the role mediation plays in the growth and development of identities alongside the promotion/subversion of political messages.

4. Jazz Cultures and Narratives
This strand explores jazz as both narrative trope and changing cultural signifier. We welcome papers that explore the concept of jazz from a range of disciplinary perspectives, encouraging a discursive approach to the cultural study of jazz.

Abstracts of no more than 300 words should be submitted to Dr Tony Whyton
(t.whyton@salford.ac.uk) by Wednesday 27 May 2009.

Review panel: Dr Tony Whyton (Salford), Dr Nicholas Gebhardt (Lancaster), Dr Catherine Tackley (Open University) and Professor George McKay (Salford)

A bit more of Britten

2009-03-06T20:51:00.002Z

A friend, and ex-pupil, of mine plays for the City of Leeds Youth Orchestra, and would like me to publicise the group's gig on here... so here goes:

City of Leeds Youth Orchestra - Leeds Town Hall
Sunday 15th March 2009 - 7.30pm

Set:
Britten Symphonic Suite: Gloriana
Arutunian Trumpet Concerto
Gliere Symphony No 1

( www.clyo.org.uk )

Tickets £5

RUSSIA AS SEEN BY BRITTEN, BRITAIN AS SEEN BY RUSSIANS

2009-03-05T21:27:00.002Z

One a little way away from Yorkshire for today, but if you're interested in musicology, Britten and Russia, this event in the capital might be for you... The Centre for Russian Music present a free event:

Thursday, 5 March, 2009
Deptford Town Hall
London SE14
( opposite New Cross Gate rail station)

RUSSIA AS SEEN BY BRITTEN, BRITAIN AS SEEN BY RUSSIANS
6 pm – Talk:
Cameron Pyke : Britten’s creative response to Russia ( based on materials from Britten’ s diaries at Britten –Pears Library) 7pm – Recital: . Richard Black, piano, plays monumental ‘Passacaglia on DSCH’ by Ronald Stevenson ( the piece Shostakovich was inspired by while composing his Sonata for Violin and piano)

Love Apple Sessions

2009-03-03T12:01:00.002Z

Was scanning through the listings this morning to see if there's anything particularly interesting going on in and around Bradford this month. Of course, my focus is always on musical events, particular local bands and musicians playing in worthwhile venues. So, it would come as no surprise that the listing in Alive for the Love Apple Cafe caught my eye. Apart from anything else, the band I play in, The First Few, did a couple of gigs there when we first started playing together so it is nice to see how things have moved on with the venue.

On 21st March the DJ from Artful Dodger will be visiting the city and putting on a night in the Love Apple that promises to be 'really funky'. He's obviously very well renouned so I reckon it's one definitely worth a visit for. If you can't make the 21st, then the Love Apple is somewhere I'd recommend any other time: they have two distinct sections, one where really excellent quality food is served all day and into the evenings, and another that's got more of a club feel. Either way, the beer is always good and the place has a great atmosphere. If there's someone good performing then all the better. Give it a try!

Political Songwriting Competition

2009-03-02T15:05:00.002Z

Organised in conjunction with Raise Your Banners Festival, the final of this competition will be taking place at the Topic on 5th November - at the Bradford Irish Club (Rebecca Street, BD1 2RX).

It may seem a longway off, but if you would like to enter the competition, now is the time to start thinking about it. The theme is: "Living in 21st Century Yorkshire". The winner will be asked to perform the winning song at the Leon Rosselson Birthday concert on the afternoon of Saturday 7th November.

Songs will be judged primarily on the lyrics, which should be sent (with a £5 entry fee) to:Raise Your Banners Song Competition, c/o Bradford Resource Centre, 17-21 Chapel Street, Bradford, BD1 5DT.

Details should include the writer, the performer/s (maximum 2), the tune, and date written. Please also include any explanation of the song which you would use by way of introduction when performing your song. All songs must be original and receivedby 1st September 2009.

Further information from: http://www.raiseyourbanners.org/ or: Rob Martin 01274 593585

Topic Folk Club for March

2009-03-01T19:57:00.003Z

Events organised by the Bradford Topic Folk club for this month are as follows:

5th March
Singers & Musicians. Hope you'll join us with a song or tune or two; whether experienced or a beginner you'll be welcome to come and take your turn to sing or play, or just to come and listen. We're expecting a visit from three piece band Zoox, who are touring in the area and would like to pop in and join us for the evening. Free entry.

Don't forget Queensbury Music Festival 7th & 8th March! (more details below)

12th March
Gina Le Faux. It's quite some time since we've had Gina as our guest. She's one of the great fiddle players on the British folk/roots music scene and a warmly entertaining performer. Gina also plays Viola and Mandolin and guitar and she is an exceptional singer and interpreter of songs old and new. One of her recent performances was described as “White Soul” and her guitar playing as “spellbinding”. Gina's latest CD is due to be released this spring. £5/£6

19th March
Irish Night with Phoenix. There will be no entry fee to pay for this event which is not going to be in the usual style of a Topic evening. Tonight we'll be joining forces with our kind hosts, The Bradford Irish Club, as part of their St Patrick's celebrations. The club room will be opened up to the bar area to create a lively atmosphere, with plenty of social interaction and traditional Irish entertainment: songs and tunes from Phoenix, a versatile 5-piece local band with fiddles, bouzouki, mandolin, flute, whistle, banjo, melodeon, guitar and vocals. Come down for the craic! Free entry.

26th March
Bernie Parry. The Storyteller in Song. It'll be good to see Bernie back at the Topic after some years. We don't see his name around the clubs so much these days, so this could be a rare sighting. He's still writing songs and producing new CDs which deserve more exposure. Bernie is well known for having written the classic song Man Of The Earth which was made famous by Vin Garbutt. He has a wealth of equally well-crafted songs all with a strong narrative link which he accompanies with his strongly individual guitar style.£5/£6

2nd April
Singers & Musicians, featuring the launch of John Waller's third CD, Tapestry. As always, if you like to perform please come down and share your songs or tunes. One of the good things about a Singers & Musicians night is that, as well as giving us all the chance to perform, we get to listen to and be inspired by other people's contributions. Tonight John Waller, known by many regulars but not so often seen these days, will unveil his new CD and hopefully sing a song or two from it and perhaps even some more recent material. There'll be a chance to purchase the CD Tapestry at the concessionary launch price of £5. Please come and give your support! Entry is free of course.

9th April
Marie Little. It must be many, many years since Marie Little last appeared at the Topic. Several venues ago in fact. Marie is a native of Salford and, though now based in the North East, still retains her old Salford chat and earthiness. She has been around the folk scene for many years and has appeared at clubs and festivals all over the UK and Europe. A well-respected figure on the folk scene, her warm personality and choice of good quality songs delivered in a relaxed manner make for an evening to look forward to. £5/£6

You don't have to be a member to come to the Topic, but if you would like to join you may do so any Thursday evening at the club. £5 pays your membership up to 31st December 2009 and entitles you to the usual £1 reduction on guest nights. It also entitles you to attend meetings and gives you the choice of becoming more involved the running of the club if you so wish.

Everyone is welcome every Thursday at the BRADFORD IRISH CLUB (Rebecca Street, BD1 2RX). 8.30pm start.

Floor singers are always welcome, especially in the first half. Please get there by 8.15pm if you’d like a slot – it helps the MC to plan the evening.

Spring Fling @ South Square Centre, Bradford

2009-02-26T18:57:00.002Z

If you're interested in 'an evening of cool tunes and bluesy grooves', and you happen to be around in Bradford on 21st March, then head for the South Square Centre in one of the city's most historic districts. The Nancy Varo Quartet will be playing, followed by various DJ's. It's a case of come along and bring your own booze - 8pm til late. Call 07722 536948 for more details.

South Square is a visual arts resource centre based within a Grade II listed building in Thornton, Bradford, West Yorkshire. It is home to South Square Gallery, a contemporary art gallery with an exciting programme of exhibitions. The square also incorporates a community space, artists' studios, fine art framer, cafe and exhibition spaces for local artists.

Queensbury Music Festival

2009-02-24T21:53:00.002Z

Queensbury Music Festival is a new community festival that will present some of the finest folk artists from across the north of England on the Folk Day - Saturday 7th March 2009 - and will celebrate the wide range of music that originates from the village itself on Sunday 8th March 2009. There will also be plenty of opportunity to get involved on both days with workshops, sing-a-rounds and music sessions. Look forward to seeing you there.

As well as the concerts, we're delighted to be featuring workshops hosted by Tom Bliss (Songwriting), Gerry McNeice (Guitar), Tom Napper (Mandolin) and Crucible (Band Arrangement). There will also be all day sing-a-rounds and music sessions and a range of fantastic real ales from local brewery Old Spot to keep those tonsils lubricated.

The Sunday will Consist of, at 2pm a Harmonica Workshop by
Manchester based international Harmonica Player Mat Walklate. Later on
his Band Kitchen Devils will perform at Queensbury Conservative Club.
Happening around this will be performances by local musicians and
bands cuminating in a performance by Joe Public, the nationally renowned
party band at 9pm.

The aim for Sunday is to give local musicians ( from surrounding areas
not just Queensbury) and bands, especially young people, the
opportunity to perform in public. We aim to put on a battle of the
bands, the winner of which will perform before Joe Public in the Sunday
evening concert.

Egan's Triumph at BFCS 'Come and Sing'

2009-02-22T16:22:00.005Z

Yesterday's 'Come and Sing' with the Bradford Festival Choral Society went down a treat. Sally Egan was an extremely charismatic and professional conductor who demonstrated outstanding musicality throughout the day, both in her approach to the material and the manner in which she communicated with the choir. It must be said that her choral and vocal expertise was clearly demonstrated in the results of her efforts during the day: she managed to transform the group's early efforts with the Mozart Coronation Mass with wonderful results. The rehearsal sessions and the concert at the end of the afternoon were accompanied at the piano by BFCS's Musical Director, Tom Leech.

Sally Egan will be giving a soprano solo at the BFCS 'Mediaeval to Modern' concert at Bradford Cathedral on October 31st. She was born in Leeds and educated at Notre Dame High School. She read music at Cambridge University and studied singing in Paris with Maria-Grazia Dilluvio and in London with Lillian Watson. She has sung opera and oratorio all over the world under the baton of many leading conductors including Claudio Abbado, Daniel Harding, William Christie and Pierre Boulez. Sally also specialises in training treble voices. Prior to her appointment in Leeds, she worked as a vocal coach with the choristers of Westminster Cathedral and taught singing to the choristers of Westminster Abbey.

Music Business Opportunity - Bramley, Leeds

2009-02-21T10:30:00.003Z

Richard Green (ex Ultrasound/ The Somatics) owns an all analogue studio, based in a mill in Bramley. He's wanting to sell it and move on, the whole thing as one and wanting somebody to hopefully step in and take over from where he left off. It's a commercial working studio.
Please get in touch directly with Richard if you're interested in this business and or please send a link to this webpage to anyone who you think may be interested.

*This message originally sent by Karen Lewis - Music Development Officer for the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council*

Organist Required

2009-02-20T08:31:00.002Z

This morning, the TES have published an advert for an exciting vacancy at Mount St Mary's College in Spinkhill (Derbyshire): they are looking for an accomplished organist to join their music department. The job will involve playing for school masses and services, and there may be opportunities for teaching.

Go to www.msmcollege.com for further details.

Come & Sing with BFCS

2009-02-19T11:56:00.002Z

Bradford Festival Choral Society have organised an excellent 'Come & Sing' event that will be taking place this Saturday (21st February) in Victoria Hall, Saltaire.

Led by the former vocal teacher to Westminister Abbey scholars, Sally Egan, the event will feature excerpts from John Rutter's Requiem, Haydn's Creation and the Coronation Mass by Mozart. Registration is at Victoria Hall at 12:30. There'll be a vocal workshop and rehearsal from 1pm until 5pm, then after a thirty minute break there will be a free performance of the music that the group rehearsed during the day.

Bradford Festival Choral Society's leaflet for the event is punctuated by a series of phrases that sum up expectations for the event: "Learn from an Expert", "Perform with Bradford's Premier Choir", "An Unforgettable Experience for just £10". Don't miss it - ring 01274 593672 for more information, or just turn up on the day!

Good Form Club

2008-11-18T20:37:00.002Z

New blog worth looking at about music in Bradford. The writers say this:

"This is a blog about all things creative in Bradford, Leeds and beyond. Mainly focusing on music and visual communication. Expect to read about awesome gigs, bands, exhibitions and creatives from Bradford and beyond.

For any news on creative and musical happenings please contact mark@goodformclub.com"

R.I.P. : Ron Newton

2007-09-04T19:50:00.000Z

It's been announced today that a regular at the Bradford Music Club, Ron Newton, passed away last Tuesday at the Bradford Royal Infirmary.

I didn't personally know Ron terribly well but I have listened to many of his performances at the club over the last year or so and enjoyed them immensly. His piano playing was always interesting and he seemed to flourish when accompanying the various singers there. Ron always greeted me - a relative stranger - with a smile and a kindly word. I'm sure he'll be sadly missed at the club by all.

Ron's secular funeral service will be held at Nab Wood Crematorium at 12:40 on Wednesday 5th September.