After a break in proceedings during the summer, the amazing Howard Assembly Room, or, as I like to call it, home, is back with its usual mix of all kinds of music and special events.
The season kicks off on Friday, 8th September with Resonance Showcase which will give an opportunity for performers supported through Opera North’s Resonance programme to provide a 20-minute taster of their talent. The artists featured are; Camille Maalawy, the Egyptian mezzo soprano; Ni Maxine, Neo-jazz composer and vocalist and Samrai, musician, DJ and curator. Doors open at 6.45pm with the show beginning at 7.30pm. Admission is free so why not book now and experience new talent in the finest of surroundings.
Saturday, 9th September sees an event for the young ‘uns, with Little Listeners: Orchestral Storytime. Members of the Orchestra of Opera North present a relaxed concert for young children and their families. Seating is unreserved, as I am sure will be the behaviour of the audience, even the children, with seating being cushions and mats on the floor. Engaging in the music is actively encouraged, again, even among the children. Start times are 11.30am and 1.30pm
Saturday, 23rd September heralds the return of LYR with their new album, The Ultraviolet Age. The trio comprises poet laureate, Simon Armitage, singer-songwriter Richard Walters and multi-instrumentalist and producer Patrick J Pearson. They are supported by Elanor Moss. Doors at 7.00pm for a 7.45 start. Ticket availability is already limited.
if you have read my preview of events at Opera North – if not, why not – you will see that their Autumn programme is known as The Green Season with productions being staged with an eye on sustainability. The next two events at Howard Assembly Room are also included under the same umbrella title.
Meltwater is a 60-minute audio visual performance showcasing water as an environmental disruptor. Sound and field recordings, by Duncan Chapman, and footage of melting glaciers by Richard Sidey, will be accompanied by Indian classical violinist Supriya Nagarajan, harpist Lucy Nolan, Karin De Fleyt, flute and Simon Limerick, marimba. There will also be a post-show talk from Dr Natasha Barlow, an Associate Professor of Environmental and Sea-level Change and Duncan Quincey, Professor of Glaciology, both from the University of Leeds. Doors 6.45pm for 7.30pm start.
Beasts of the Southern Wild is a feature film by Benh Zeitlin which was nominated for an Academy Award and was shown as part of The Sundance Festival and Cannes Film Festival. It deals with the trials of six-year-old Hushpuppy and her Father, Wink, as they embark on a journey to find her long-lost mother. It will be shown on Saturday, 30th September, starting at 7.45. Running time is 93 minutes, certificate 12A and English soundtrack.
Monday, 2nd October is definitely a date for the diary as mezzo soprano Dame Sarah Connolly will be performing works by Brahms, Mahler, Debussy and the world premiere of Night Thoughts, a piece by Errollyn Wallen commissioned by Leeds Lieder. The programme ends with four songs from Weill. She will be accompanied by Joseph Middleton on piano. The doors open at 6.00pm with a pre-show talk by Errollyn Wallen at 6.45pm about the creative process of writing for Dame Sarah Connolly and Joseph Middleton. The concert begins at 7.30pm.
There is another one-off event on Thursday, 5th October with a concert from Jacqui Dankworth in collaboration with Sonia Boyce, to coincide with the latter’s installation at Leeds Art Gallery. The evening begins at 7.30pm with a conversation between the two followed by two sets from Ms Dankworth and the Carducci String Quartet; one at 8.20pm and the second at 9.10pm. It is being staged as part of Leeds Year of Culture 2023.
Back to Opera North on Saturday, 7th October at Noon, when Assistant Conductor, Martin Packard and Assistant Director, Sophie Gilpin present Inside Opera: Verdi’s Shakespeare, which will explore Falstaff, the opera being staged as part of The Green Season, in the context of the composer’s admiration for the Bard. The event lasts an hour and is free, although booking is required.
I am looking forward to Sunday, 8th October when the pianist, Zoe Rahman, is performing. I have had the pleasure of seeing her a couple of times in fabulous concerts with the jazz legend that is Courtney Pine, and so I can’t wait to see what she has in store as a solo performer. She also never stops smiling, which definitely improves the mood. Doors 7.00pm for a 7.45pm start.
Former All-Ireland Fiddle Champion, Martin Hayes, is performing a solo set on Wednesday, 18th October. I am listening to the YouTube link whilst typing this and he is good. I am not the only one to think so as he has played with Yo-Yo Ma, Sting and Paul Simon. doors at 7.00pm for a 7.45pm start.
Manchester Collective return to Howard assembly Room on Thursday, 19th October for the first of two appearances at the venue in this quarter. I have seen them on a few occasions and they are different every time, except in their quality. They were recently given their own night at the Proms. The show is called LAD and is by Julia Wood who originally wrote it to be played by nine bagpipes but it is reinvented here for just one – very loud – violin. There are also works by S Bach and Steve Reich performed by Rakki Singh, violin, Alan Keary, electric bass and Lee Aston, live sound – me neither! Doors at 7.00pm for a 7.45 start.
The Paper Cinema puts on a show for, as the blurb says, 8 year-olds and upwards (who don’t mind being a tiny bit scared!). That lets me out then. Using puppets and practical effects they create a world of ghosts, dreams and the supernatural. There is a multi-instrumentalist but otherwise just stuff that fits into a suitcase; a few cameras, some beakers of water and ink and a projector. Doors open at 4.15pm for a 5.00pm start.
Saturday, 28th October is when New Regency orchestra comes to town. Twelve horns, a five-piece rhythm section and joyous dancers convey jazz and mambo. Be transported back to 1950s New York when Dizzie and Bird collided with Cuban roots. DJ Lubi is also on hand. This is a general admission event, i.e. standing on the ground floor and seating in the Gallery. Doors 7.00pm fun 7.45pm.
Hallowe’en is celebrated on Tuesday, 31st October with a double bill of silent horror films; Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, starring John Barrymore and The Fall of the House of Usher. Start time is 7.30pm and the performance lasts 79 minutes. Certificate PG.
Penguin Cafe with Arthur Jeffes play a programme of folk, classical and minimalism from both their new album, Rain Before Seven, and back catalogue pieces from both Penguin Cafe and Penguin Cafe Orchestra. Doors at 7.00pm with a start time of 7.45pm
Dublin violinist, Aoife Ní Bhriain and Welsh harpist, Catrin Finch combine for a concert of pieces drawn from influences of their respective backgrounds on Saturday, 4th November. They will also be playing tracks from their forthcoming debut album due out in October. Doors 6.45pm for a 7.30pm start.
Not so much K-Pop as K-Trad, Leenalchi play a style of music called Pansori from 17th Century Korea. It features storytelling using a vocalist and drummer, although they have brought it into the 21st Century by combining it with rock, disco and more – you mean there’s more! The gig is on Wednesday, 8th November with doors at 7.00pm and a start time of 7.45pm.
Friday, 17th November is the diary date for Lanterns on the Lake fans, whose fifth album, Versions of Us, is out now. They have been joined by Radiohead’s Philip Selway on drums and percussion. This is another general admission event with standing downstairs and seating in the Gallery. Doors open at 7.00pm with a start at 7.45pm. As you would expect, tickets are already in limited supply.
A Night at the Plaza takes place, well, at the Plaza, for that was the moniker of what is now Howard Assembly Room in the Sixties and Seventies when it was a cinema specialising in what we would now regard as very soft-core films. The show is an evening of entertainment, historical reenactment, exploration of film and social history. Doors 7.00pm for a 7.45pm start.
Mahler 4 is a chamber arrangement of Gustav Mahler’s Fourth Symphony, featuring Soprano and Opera North Chorister, Claire Lees, along with the company’s Chamber Ensemble led by Oliver Rundell. Doors 6.45pm, start 7.30pm.
Jasmine Myra and Emma Johnson, two saxophonists, composers and bandleaders from Leeds’ jazz scene are in concert on Sunday, 26th November with Jasmine Myra’s light, melodious tunes and Emma Johnson’s Gravy Boat performing songs from her new album Northern Flame. The band also features drums, bass, guitar and piano. Doors open at 3.15pm for a 4.00pm start.
On Saturday, 2nd December Phaedra Ensemble celebrate the Yorkshire composer, Gavin Bryars, turning 80 at the beginning of the year by showcasing his work. The programme is called Gavin Bryars at 80, String Works, fancy that. It covers the five decades of his output as well as a specially commissioned piece by trumpeter Laura Hurd. The evening, which starts at 6.45pm, doors 6.00pm, begins with the man himself in conversation. The programme will be accompanied by immersive multi-media creations by Phaedra Ensemble’s co-director, Jamie Hamilton.
Manchester Collective make their second appearance at Howard Assembly Room on Wednesday, 6th December with a work titled The End of Time. This is an evening of chamber music culminating in Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time. The first half has works by Nicola Matteis, Caroline Shaw, Frédéric Chopin and Messiaen, with the second half devoted to the eponymous piece. The performers are Sergio Castelló López, clarinet, Rakki Singh, violin, Nick Trygstad, cello and Kathryn Scott, piano. Doors 7.00pm for a 7.45pm start.
The year ends with I Fagiolini: Angels and Demons. The evening comprises the ensemble singing songs to ward off the devil whilst counter punching with the Advent and angels singing to confused shepherds. The event is on Wednesday, 13th December and doors open at 6.45pm with the start being 7.30pm.
That, as they say, is that, for 2023, which makes me homeless over Christmas. Never mind, I am sure I will have some great memories of the season to comfort me in my cardboard box under the viaduct.
Details of all the above shows, and how to book, can be found at https://www.operanorth.co.uk/event-tag/har/ Please have a look anyway as, if you click on More Info and Book, most of them provide a link to the artists’ work as a taster.
For all things Opera North, including special offers, go to https://www.operanorth.co.uk/
Information about Leeds Lieder is at https://leedslieder.org.uk/
Leeds City of Culture events are at https://leeds2023.co.uk/
Images from Howard Assembly Room apart from the feature photograph by Stan Graham
Tyke It To The Limit 