If you fancy an evening’s entertainment that is full of fun and frivolity, then the English Touring Opera’s performance of The Gondoliers is definitely the show for you. From the moment the curtain was raised, the stage was filled with colour, energy, humour and joy.
The world’s only one-handed professional concert pianist – Nicholas McCarthy – makes his much-anticipated Harrogate International Festivals debut this month. Over the past 60 years, the Festivals have brought some of the most gifted, boundary-shaping classical musicians to Harrogate, with Nicholas the latest iconic star to grace the Festivals’ stage.
Lithuania has come a very long way since they debuted at Eurovision in 1994- After entering with the song Lopšinė mylimai, Ovidijus Vyšniauskas sadly saw the country's debut achieve nul points. Having since appeared another 24 times, they have an impressive qualification record - with 18 to date.
Can a rock band who are well into their careers have a renaissance? The answer is a resounding yes if you happen to be The Black Crowes, who have returned with one of their best albums to date.
Antonio Pappano and the London Symphony Orchestra make an impressive case for The Planets on this new LSO Live release, bringing to Holst's visionary suite both interpretative authority and the kind of orchestral finish that makes every movement feel freshly considered.
Whether or not you count yourself among devotees of the song recital, there is something here to give pause. English mezzo-soprano Kitty Whately turns her attention to Madeleine Dring, a composer whose relative neglect remains one of the more puzzling anomalies of the British music revival.
In the hands of Calum Huggan and Angela Wai Nok Hui, the two marimbas function simultaneously as engines and echo chambers. Every struck note blooms and fades; its resonance trails behind it like an afterthought— or an alibi. The instrument's characteristic decay becomes the music's central argument: nothing here simply ends; it reverberates, recurs, and resurfaces. Repetition is not monotony but the very texture of the system itself, the pendulum swing of patterns that Ledeneva identifies in Russian public life.
What a show this was! Opening night of Tina: The Tina Turner Musical had the sell-out audience hooked from the word go. The show is dedicated to the life of global superstar Tina Turner: her heartbreaking upbringing, her fight for survival in an abusive relationship, the rebuilding of her career from nothing and ultimately becoming one of the most renowned female artists in history.
Set in the living room of a house on Burngreave Road, Sheffield, young Kathy and Brian settle to make their forever home. With young love in the air and babies on the way the world is their oyster, but over the sixty years that the play spans, inevitably life gets in the way.
Poland has appeared in Eurovision 27 times since their 1994 debut, with 17 of those entries having made their way through to the grand final. However, it was back in 1994 that they achieved their highest ranking to date – with Edyta Gorniak finishing in 2nd place behind Ireland's Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan.
Last year Jason Donovan took to the road for a celebratory tour looking back over the various chapters of his career. Entitled Doin' Fine 25, the tour effortlessly captured the hearts and imaginations of his fans, and they flocked to the concerts to join his retrospective glance.
Taking us on a journey from the sun-drenched island of Jamaica to war-torn Britain and beyond, Small Island is a story of love, belonging, identity, and entitlement. The story is filled with humour, serving as a reflection of ourselves and our attitudes.
Bradford Live is fast becoming the venue for being a launching pad for big tours; a month ago Kaiser Chiefs began their British tour from the venue, and now an even bigger proposition: Gorillaz started their worldwide tour from the former cinema building.
She has worked alongside British intelligence, been befriended — and duped — by a real spy, and watched her government blow up buildings in the Welsh countryside. Now, with her latest thriller, The Hiding Season, Ava Glass is bringing the shadowy world of espionage to Yorkshire.
Across these fourteen pieces, all relatively compact, Puccini reveals himself as a born storyteller in music, deploying orchestration not merely for colour but to delve into emotional terrain. Wilson brings out the fine detail, nuance and subtlety with the same keen-eared authority he has applied so consistently in his Sinfonia of London series for Chandos.
The Royal Shakespeare Company returns to Blackpool Grand Theatre with a ‘must-see’ (Guardian) new production of Hamlet. Hamlet’s mother has married his uncle, and at a less than decent interval since the death of his father. As he pulls at the threads of his not-so-happy new family, Hamlet unravels a web of deceit and immorality that leads to the ultimate crisis of conscience.
Rising UK pop artist Charlie Aky returns with his new single Perfume Regret, a gentle yet emotionally resonant track inspired by a fleeting moment of memory and scent. Built around delicate melodies and intimate vocals, the song reflects on how small triggers can unexpectedly bring the past rushing back.
MF Robots: III (Part One) That’s The Way; Children Of The World; The Pressure; Glide; Lay It Back; Hello Sunshine; Through The Pain; Show Us The Way Good People Records MF Robots return with a blend of soul and funk mixed with a touch of acid jazz; the latter genre is not surprising, as Jan Kincaid was the drummer, vocalist and co-write…
Runnicles confidently judges the pace from the stark severity of the opening Trauermarsch, which features well-phrased trumpet solos. Runnicles is a conductor who paints in broad strokes without sacrificing detail, and each section of the orchestra phrases with evident care. The drama is conveyed with real conviction, and he shifts mood with the kind of assurance that comes from long acquaintance with this music.
Here is a disc that will unsettle and beguile in equal measure, and listeners who approach it with an open mind will find themselves richly rewarded.
Laurence Osborn is a composer with a strong and distinctive voice—one that ranges from the arch and ironic to the deadly serious—and this collection of four pieces, engaging with classical music's heritage culture, the bold imaginative world of childhood, and the sometimes vertiginous boundary between the mechanical and the human, constitutes a powerful statement about where contemporary music can travel when it is in genuinely fearless hands.
Only Time Will Tell still sounds fresh and relevant forty-four years on from its first incarnation, whilst Wildest Dreams still sounds like a mix of early Buggles coming with a guitar solo straight out of a Yes song courtesy of Steve Howe.
Following the success of Likkle Lit Fest, Out of Many People’s first festival of Black literature for children held in Leeds last month, the arts and heritage organisation is delighted to announce that Likkle Lit Fest On The Road is heading to Kirklees.
A lost Cold War lookout post has been re-discovered at Scarborough Castle. An archaeological dig uncovered the forgotten post, which would have been used by the Royal Observer Corps to plot nuclear bombs falling across Britain. Experts from the Heritage Charity have opened the entrance and have lowered cameras into the chamber below to assess its condition.
Radio 1’s Big Weekend 2026 will be held in Herrington Country Park, Sunderland, from Friday 22 May - Sunday 24 May 2026. Over the course of the weekend, around 100 acts will perform - from the biggest names in music to exciting new and emerging artists. With around 80,000 music fans expected to attend, the event promises to be an unforgettable start to the UK’s festival season.
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) commissioned new research to explore the public’s views on AI in Music – a chance for the Orchestra to listen to the audience and to involve them in the ongoing industry debate.
Keswick Museum is hosting a new exhibition in the Community Gallery. The exhibition, ‘Curlew Recovery - Helping Curlews Thrive in the Cocker Valley’, is open daily, 10am - 4pm, from Monday 16th March to the end of April. Entrance to the Community Gallery is free, but there is a charge for Museum exhibitions.
Halifax Chamber Choir is holding a couple of tasters for singers who might enjoy performing chamber music. There will be two sessions, Tuesday March 31st and April 7th from 7.30pm in the Crossley Gallery at Dean Clough in Halifax.
You might have been at Leeds University’s Refectory in 1982 when Yazoo gave one of the most memorable gigs that year at the famed Yorkshire venue. The date was part of the only tour the duo completed of the country besides their Reunion shows in 2008. When Vince Clarke left Depeche Mode he formed Yazoo with Alison Moyet.
One of Europe’s most exciting opera stars is coming to Leeds for a rare UK recital outside London. The French singer Marianne Crebassa will perform at the Leeds Song Festival in a special concert with leading British pianist and Festival Director Joseph Middleton.
Eric Morecambe’s centenary will be celebrated by the only town’s only palm court orchestra this March. Bring Me Sunshine, Morecambe and Wise’s famous theme tune, will be performed by the award-winning Promenade Concert Orchestra as their tribute to Eric who was born in the town in May 1926.