Stan Graham's Leisure Guide for North and West Yorkshire
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…
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Northern Ballet are providing us with a small, but beautifully formed, selection of performances between now and the end of the year. From 8th – 16th September they present Generations: Three Short Ballets, on their home ground in Leeds, at the Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre. This event breaks new ground in several senses as…
Read MoreBreaking News!!! Opera North is not just about opera, with sopranos shattering wine glasses when they hit a High C, although I have a conspiracy theory that the bars in opera houses put their booze in plastic containers just in case, they stage lots of other types of concerts as well. A lot of them…
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The back end of the year is a busy time for this iconic Leeds institution. There are no less than 53 visitors to its (steeply forward sloping) stage between now and the New Year. I must apologise to artists I don’t mention for only being able to pick what I consider to be highlights. You…
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Now that we are getting a spell of good weather it is obviously time to look forward to dark nights and cold days. I must say that I think autumn is my favourite time of year, when days are days and nights are nights, but most of all the theatres are in full swing with…
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What a surprise, well, two surprises really. I was sitting at home on Thursday, minding my own business, for once, when I received a mystery email from Sherin Sara Alex at South Asian Arts asking if I would like to join them for a concert at Seven Arts in Chapel Allerton the following evening. After…
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Opera, isn’t that for rich snobs and aren’t academies elitist educational establishments, if so, what is Stan Graham doing at this event? The short answer is, enjoying himself! Now, put away your pre-conceived ideas and read on, you will feel much better for it. Let me begin with the opera part. Up until a few…
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When we refer to 21st June as being the longest day, we aren’t kidding, and neither are South Asian Arts who chose to celebrate the day by holding a concert in the fabulous Leeds Corn Exchange beginning at 11.00am on that date and running until 5.30 the following morning. Sadly my all-nighter events are far…
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What a fabulous evening at Leeds Grand Theatre for this production of Mozart’s Requiem and After Tears: After A Requiem by Neo Muyanga. It wasn’t opera in its usual sense, more a concert piece by Opera North combined with the Phoenix Dance Theatre, Jazzart Dance Theatre and Cape Town Opera. You would have thought that…
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For anyone wondering whether to see an opera I think that The Pearl Fishers, by that most accessible of composers, Bizet, illustrates why you should give it a go. I would wager that there were quite a few newbies in the audience on Press Night as, after each aria, there was a short smattering of…
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Tyke It To The Limit 