previews, reviews, interviews, and recommendations with Steve Cooke
MIDWEEK COLUMN WEDNESDAY 25 DECEMBER 2024
Touchstones awarded Art Fund Reimagine grant to support Side-by-Side
By Steve Cooke
Touchstones, part of Your Trust, has been awarded funding through Art Fund’s Reimagine grants programme to support the development of a major summer event to take place in Rochdale town centre in 2025.
As Touchstones is currently being transformed into a creative and cultural hub with new flexible performance and production spaces for artists, improved areas for training, live events and exhibitions. It is great to see a successful bid to bring a major event to our town centre next year.
The work on Touchstones, nearing completion, will also include a new dining space combining the theme of food with the borough’s collections, co-created alongside Rochdale’s diverse communities. Thanks to an additional grant of just under £250,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund ‘The Dining Room’ will see three artists commissioned to work with 20 community curators to produce a new museum space alongside several other projects in time for when it re-opens in 2025. This will include collaborations with Tate and the National Gallery and a reimagining of Harry Meadley’s 2022 exhibition Free-For-All.
Side-by-Side is the next iteration of artist Harry Meadley’s 2022 project Free-for-All, which saw Touchstones’ spaces become available to the public to programme whatever they wanted. As Touchstones is currently closed for redevelopment, Side-by-Side will instead take place in a temporary structure in the town centre, developed and curated by community organisations, artists, the people of Rochdale and Touchstones’ Creative Voices group.
The project aims to empower local community members, groups and creatives to explore what is possible when an art gallery and museum takes risks and lets go. Taking place over a week in August 2025, events will include exhibitions, dance, poetry, music, family fun and so much more.
Artist Harry Meadley, Creative Lead on Side-by-Side said: “We might have to accept that the aspirations for what the gallery needs to be and who it needs to serve is unachievable alone. We need help from the friends we already have, and to extend that friendship as far as possible, particularly in attempting to reach those who feel most isolated and alone. Who are the hardest to reach and the least likely to engage? Can we start with the biggest challenges? And what even are they? There is clearly not space or resource enough to include everyone, but can we make sure not to exclude anyone?”
Art Fund’s Reimagine grants programme has been prioritised to support local authority-reliant museums and galleries in response to Art Fund’s Museum Directors Survey 2024 and other pieces of research revealing the significant challenges currently facing museums and galleries.
Launched in 2020, the Reimagine programme is designed to inspire creativity and increase stability and resilience in museums. It supports organisations to develop or refresh their work in response to their current situation.
Touchstones’ Community & Engagement Manager Bryan Beresford said: “We’re delighted to have been awarded the Reimagine Grant from Art Fund to continue the development of Side-by-Side. Whilst Touchstones has been closed, we’ve been working closely with Creative Lead Harry Meadley and with local communities to make this a reality. We’re so excited for the new creative collaborations and opportunities that will blossom in the coming months helping us to make more inclusive and relevant work with and for local people.”
More details about Side-by-Side, including how people can get involved, will be announced over the coming months.
It looked a lot like Christmas at TLC
Review by Dr Joe Dawson
It was beginning to look a lot like Christmas at St Mary in the Baum for the penultimate Toad Lane Concert of 2024.
More than Melody is a group of ladies from Bury, Oldham and Rochdale formed in 2008 by Alyson Brailsford ‘to have fun and fellowship and provide a programme of musical entertainment’. (Contact: 07773710325 or alyson.brailsford@gmail.com). They undoubtedly fulfilled their mission today.
The guest conductor was Ken Greaves, director of the Nightingale Singers and other musical groups, who took charge of his new choristers with aplomb. They were ably accompanied by pianist Brian Milligan, another busy local musician.
Their varied programme consisted of settings of popular and serious songs on a seasonal theme.
Their opening number, the stirring Siyahamba (a South African freedom song) demonstrated their energy and enthusiasm. Then they settled into sweet harmonies for All the world is waiting by Howard Davies and The colours of Christmas by John Rutter.
Such contrasting styles and moods set the pattern of the programme, always stirring but the sleigh bells were never far away.
Delightful solos, duets and readings from the choir members interspersed the programme – who could ignore Jennifer’s entertaining tale of young Brian’s primary school nativity play?
The final set Calypso Noel, Jingle Bell Rock, and soloist with audience participation with White Christmas culminated in the inspiring song by Stephen Lawrence - A very very merry merry Christmas. Great sentiments indeed!
This was more than melody – moments of deep reflection heightened by fun and frolics.
This was concert number 1,117 since taking over from the council in 2001. The Queen’s Award-winning Toad Lane Concerts are every Wednesday 12:30 – 13:30 at the Grade 1 Listed St Mary in the Baum Church, Rochdale OL16 1DZ, admission £6. Contact 01706 648872 for further information.
Where all is peace, Manchester chamber choir at St Edmunds church Rochdale
Review by Steve Griffiths
Manchester has its hidden gem church ; but Rochdale has a far better, and even more hidden gem St Edmunds in Falinge. Which hosted the superb Manchester Chamber choir in a Xmas programme including great music from Michael Tippett, A child of our time. Before lauding the music, it’s worth thinking about and visiting the church. It cost, at current prices , around £4 million and it was well worth it. In addition , as it was built by a mason, it incorporates elements which are fascinating even for the non-masons ( like me). It would be good if Rochdale council could link the church to its flagship Town Hall. They both share common building materials including some rose coloured granites from Iona. And helping to grant aid the disabled access would show some real commitment to diversity and inclusion.
The programme of music was conducted by an expatriate American Vicente Chavarria. If you get the chance go and listen to the various choirs he conducts when not plane spotting or at early music festivals . His pianist accompanist , Martyn Parkes is leaving Manchester where he worked at Chethams and with the Halle and the Camerata. Quite a team.
But the real stars were the choir. Every soloist had the vocal range to meet every expectation How they coped with the rather cold church was truly impressive. Clearly the mulled wine at half time helped bring back the colour in the cheeks but it was not required for the coloratura in the choir .
If you want to see the choir in action they are regularly singing in West Didsbury with the next performance in March. And you can look on their website to find full details.
RECOMMENDED
Tuesday 24 December 2024
Live music - Christmas Eve Brass Band
Free
3.30pm - 5.30pm
The Flying Horse Hotel, Packer Street, Rochdale, OL16 1NJ
Tuesday 24 December 2024
Christmas Eve Ghost Stories & Board Games
Come join us on Christmas Eve for mince pies, hot drinks or a cheeky glass of something for Christmas whilst enjoying some ghost stories and board games by the fireside in the beautiful Engine House at the Lodge.
Join us with your friends, family or just you to spend an enchanting Christmas Eve amongst friends, old and new Free entry plus a free mince pie and family movie on the big screen!
Free entry
Phone: Martin Cove 07775 660072
4pm - 10pm
Engine House, Lodge Mill, Townley Street, Middleton M24 1AT
Thursday 26 December 2024
The Freddie and Queen Experience – tribute band
Get ready to rock out to all the greatest hits of Freddie Mercury and Queen live at The Empire – it’s gonna be epic!
FREE ADMISSION before 8.30pm - then £3 after for the band show (pay on the door). Then after the show, free entry again.
Bands are usually on stage from 9.30pm, finish around 11.30pm
Strictly over 18s
Dress code: smart casual
Ground level access (no steps).
Disabled toilet.
5 mins walk to the tram, bus, train or taxi rank
Phone: Paul Whitham 01706 551515
8.30pm
Empire Rochdale, 7 Packer Street, Rochdale OL16 1NJ
Saturday 28 December 2024 - Sunday 29 December 2024
Meet Elsa, Anna and Olaf
Find Elsa, Anna and Olaf at Rochdale Riverside this winter.
Come and say hello to the gang and have your photo taken – get creative - dressing up is welcome!
11am - 2pm
Rochdale Riverside, Riverside Walk, Town Centre, Rochdale OL16 1TR
Tuesday 31 December 2024
Treehouse Live NYE Acoustic Sessions
Tonight artist - Stevie O’Connor (free entry).
Everyone is welcome to enjoy live music and have a dance in our Rum and Cocktail Lounge, now with live music every Friday and Saturday evenings.
Music varies to accommodate most tastes.
Free
Phone: Tony Moore 07870 623456
7pm
Treehouse Bar Rochdale, 14 Baillie Street, Rochdale OL16 1JG
Tuesday 31 December 2024
Dan Fielden's Swing Thing - live music
Tonight's live artist is - Dan Fielden's Swing Thing.
Vicolo del Vino was once an abandoned cellar. The ‘Wine Alley’ has since been transformed into a candlelit wine cellar with a true Mediterranean ambience.
Free
Phone: 07870 155951
7pm
Vicolo Del Vino, Cellar of 8-10 Baillie Street, Town Centre, Rochdale OL16 1ES
celebrating creative arts and artists - an oasis of positivity supporting individual and community wellbeing.
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