previews, reviews, interviews, and recommendations with Steve Cooke
WEEKEND COLUMN SATURDAY 22 FEBRUARY 2025
Touchstones Side-by-Side group visits Factory International and the Aloe Veras go to the Whitworth Art Gallery
Review by Steve Cooke
Touchstone’s Side-by-Side groups started back in January and will be creating new work for the Side-by-Side creative community festival in August 2025.
The adults group were treated to a breakfast and special tour at Factory International and got to see the incredible David Hockey: Bigger & Closer (Not Smaller & Further Away) exhibition.
The youth group also visited our eclectic museum stores, looking at fascinating objects to inspire the projects, they will develop over the coming months.
If you would like to get involved in the project, please contact creativecommunities@yourtrustrochdale.co.uk
The Aloe Veras group started off the year with a visit to The Whitworth Art Gallery.
They were lucky enough to have a private tour when the gallery was closed to see exhibitions by Barbara Walker and Shirley Craven. The Alo Veras also looked at the Everyday Art School and talked to projects producer Dom Bilton about how The Whitworth works on co-produced and co-curated exhibitions.
They found it really interesting to talk about some of the similarities in their projects and share with each other what they have learned through the process.
Experience a live music performance to accompany HOME’s upcoming exhibition, Imran Perretta: A Riot in Three Acts
Preview by Steve Cooke
A great opportunity to experience both A Riot in Three acts, an exhibition of Imran Perretta’s art and an intimate, live performance of A Requiem for the Dispossessed, an original score by Imran Perretta, performed by the Manchester Camerata Quartet.
A Riot in Three Acts is an exhibition by artist, filmmaker and composer Imran Perretta, combining sound, sculpture and performance to reflect on the narratives of our urban spaces, and the social inequality and racial violence that shape them.
The exhibition is a large-scale installation using the tropes and techniques of cinema, in the form of an expansive film set and cinematic score, to consider riots and civil uprisings that have occurred in response to systemic injustice experienced by marginalised communities. The exhibition provides a stage for the complex narratives that accompany such collective actions directed against the state, often spurred by racist policing, social deprivation, youth disenfranchisement and anti-war sentiment.
Originally commissioned by and developed in residence at Somerset House Studios in London, the work evolves from Perretta’s experience as a young person during the UK riots in 2011. Initially a response to police violence in London, the riots became a national uprising brought on by an age of endless austerity, quickly spreading to Manchester, Bristol, Birmingham and beyond.
Arranged by William Newell and co-commissioned and performed by Manchester Camerata, A Requiem for the Dispossessed is a 40-minute performance serving as a sonic representation of a civil uprising and its aftermath, questioning who controls the narrative around how these actions are interpreted.
Taking place on Fri 28 Feb, 18:00 and 19:30 and again on Wed 9 Apr, 18:00 and 19:30, this performance will be presented in spatialised surround within the exhibition installation, thereby mirroring the experience of cinema sound, with the audience physically located at the centre of the action.
For those wishing to gain a better understanding of Imran Perretta's wider artistic practice, this event is not to be missed!
Tickets are pay-as-you-can, but we advise you book ahead, as capacity is limited.
From Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake to a UK premiere from Anna Clyne, immerse yourself in a new kind of orchestral experience
Preview by Steve Cooke
The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra returns to Aviva Studios with an extraordinary setlist that soars across the entire musical map. From brand new electro-acoustic work by Anna Clyne to Tchaikovsky’s swooning Swan Lake, conductor and BBC presenter Ben Gernon lifts the veil on one of the most innovative orchestras in the world.
At the heart of the programme is the UK premiere of Anna Clyne’s PALETTE, a brand-new BBC commission. Alongside PALETTE, Gernon will guide listeners through John Adams' exhilarating Short Ride in a Fast Machine, a suite from Tchaikovsky’s timeless ballet Swan Lake, Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on Greensleeves. and a truly interstellar set from Tom Adès’ Danté.
PALETTE is a technical wonder as well as a Concerto for Augmented Orchestra, written using a process called The Augmented Orchestra (AO), which electronically transforms the real-time acoustic sounds of the musicians, creating an augmented sonic experience that is perceived as a natural extension of the orchestra and a fundamental component of the composition.
Clyne’s piece explores the symbiosis between music and art, with seven movements that all explore a different colour. As part of her creative process, Clyne created a painting for each movement, exploring elements that also translate to the music – visual gestures, textures, light, colour, and form, resulting in an orchestral work that is inextricably linked to the visual language of this extraordinary artist.
Enjoy an immersive orchestral experience as you wander through the South Warehouse – with musicians staged across three enormous platforms.
Whether you’re a seasoned classical music fan or just curious, this is a chance to see one of the UK’s most exciting orchestras in an immersive setting.
15 Mar 2025
South Warehouse, Aviva Studios, Water Street, Manchester, M3 4JQ
Tickets
Full price: £25
Affordable:
Concessions 50% Discount
Aviva £10 Tickets
A booking fee of £1.50 per ticket applies to all bookings.
RECOMMENDED
Saturday 22 February 2025
Hebden Bridge Brass Band Concert
Come and enjoy an evening with music from a fabulous Brass Band.
You're sure to have a lovely evening of entertainment.
£10.00 includes refreshments
Phone: Doreen or Eddie 01706 638262
7:30pm
St Clement's Church, Willbutts Lane, Spotland, Rochdale OL11 5BE
Saturday 22 February 2025
Paul Hale Organ Concert
Paul Hale, concert organist will be performing a varied programme of music on the magnificent 1913 J. J. Binns organ in the main hall in Rochdale Town Hall.
Online booking available at the link below (a small booking fee applies).
Standard £10, Concessions £8
Phone: Barrie Brailsford 01706 343163
3pm
Rochdale Town Hall, The Esplanade, Town Centre, Rochdale OL16 1AZ
Monday 24 February 2025
St John's Art Group
We hold an 'arts and craft group' in a side room every Monday afternoon. You are invited to come along, meet new friends, enjoy a cup of tea, and chat.
Everyone is welcome, whether you want to bring your own craft project, learn a new skill or just chat.
You can bring your own craft items, or we can provide some materials and support.
Phone: 01706 631973
1pm - 3pm
St John the Baptist R.C. Church, Dowling Street, Rochdale OL11 1EX
Tuesday 25 February 2025
Rochdale & District Camera Club - Word competition results
Session: Word competition results.
We meet every Tuesday at 8pm at Syke Methodist Church Hall.
You are more than welcome to come down to one of our club nights to see if you would enjoy joining the club.
Visit the link below for the 2025 syllabus.
Phone: Pete Williams 07967 969136
8pm
Syke Methodist Church Hall, Syke Road, Rochdale OL12 9T
Tuesday 25 February 2025
Knit and Natter
We hold a 'Knit and Natter’ in the Marian Room every Tuesday afternoon.
Everyone is welcome to drop by and call in for a chat with friends, old and new.
The church will also be open for anyone who would like to take time for prayer and reflection.
Phone: 01706 631973
1.00pm til 2.30pm
Saint John The Baptist Catholic Church, Dowling Street, Rochdale OL11 1EX
Wednesday 26 February 2025
Rochdale Photographic Society
Tonight's session - Club meeting.
We meet every Wednesday at Rochdale Unitarian Church, starting at 7.30pm prompt (doors open from 7.15pm). The door is kept locked so please ring the bell on arrival.
If you would like to see the club for yourself and meet our members, you are welcome to attend as our guest for up to 3 weeks before committing to membership. Annual subscription is £36 for single or £46 for joint membership.
A weekly room fee of £2.50 is also payable on arrival at the meeting. Refreshments are 50p.
Visit the link below for a full 2024 syllabus.
Doors open 7.15pm, 7.30pm start
Rochdale Unitarian Church, Clover Street, Rochdale OL12 6TP
Wednesday 26 February 2025
Toad Lane Concerts - Rochdale's Weekly Music at Lunchtime
This week we have - Jonathan Ellis concert pianist (Manchester University & RNCM).
The concert series has been held at St Mary’s since 2001 and was granted the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2020.
Running every Wednesday, Music at Lunchtime is a weekly live classical music concert series that has been going since the 1960s. The sessions were initially run at the old Rochdale Art Gallery by the local authority, but since May 2001 have been run by volunteer-enthusiasts and artistic director, Dr Joe Dawson.
£6
Phone: Dr Joe Dawson 01706 648872
Doors open 12noon, concert starts 12.30pm - 1.30pm
St Mary in the Baum, Toad Lane/St Mary's Gate, Rochdale OL16 1DZ
celebrating creative arts and artists - an oasis of positivity supporting individual and community wellbeing.
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