A Musical Mediterranean Voyage Explores New Voices in Traditional Music This Spring

Press Release 24 March 2015

A MUSICAL MEDITERRANEAN VOYAGE EXPLORES NEW VOICES IN TRADITIONAL MUSIC THIS SPRING

This Spring, the Howard Assembly Room takes to the Mediterranean sea, stopping off in Spain, Turkey, Libya, Palestine and Italy, for a series of concerts, talks and films from this richly cultured, incredibly diverse and sometimes troubled region. Highlights of the series include the great Palestinian oud trio Le Trio Joubran (5 June) in a rare UK date, pizzica from Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino (20 May), the Orchestra of Opera North with guitarist Craig Ogden (23 April), and the astonishing Turkish rembetika singer Çigg dem Aslan (6 June) and her band. Alongside this are talks from broadcaster and commenter Tariq Ali (28 May) and Libyan novelist Hisham Matar (12 June).

The new season also brings together some of the most exciting international groups taking traditional music in new directions. With their first Leeds show in years, the world’s most illustrious Romanian gypsy band Taraf de Haïdouks (18 May) hit the stage, as fresh and hair-raising as ever. The UK’s own restlessly inventive innovators, folk group Lau (Martin Green, guitarist Kris Drever and fiddler Aidan O'Rourke), make a welcome return with their and much-anticipated new album The Bell That Never Rang.

The fast rising neo-roots music of the Heritage Blues Orchestra (4 June) and revered singer-songwriter Vashti Bunyan (13 June) complete the line-up. Best known for her iconic debut 1970 album Just Another Diamond Day, Bunyan plays music from her new (and final) album Heartleap. This tour is anticipated to be the swansong of a legendarily influential performer, presenting some of her most intimate, subtle and delicate music.

Spring sees the Howard Assembly Room turn into an intimate opera house, with two dramatic and intimate contemporary chamber operas. The Virtues of Things (15 May) was jointly commissioned by Opera North, Aldeburgh Music and the Royal Opera House and sees rising stars, writer Sally O'Reilly and award- winning British composer Matt Rogers, create a witty and off-beat family saga dissecting how operas unfold their fictions. Swanhunter (16-18 April), based on Norse myth, brings Opera North and acclaimed young theatre company The Wrong Crowd together for a sparkling new production of Jonathan Dove and Alasdair Middleton’s coming of age tale.

Finally the Opera North’s Children’s Chorus will present a new semi-staged production of The Selfish Giant (12 July). Based on the original short story by Oscar Wilde, the libretto is set to lesser known excerpts and arias from Handel’s operas, in a new arrangement by music director Justin Doyle, created especially for the young voices of the Children’s Chorus.

The other classical highlight of the season is one of the great song-cycles performed by a hugely exciting musical partnership, tenor Allan Clayton and pianist Paul Lewis (24 April) performing Die schoo ne Müllerin, Schubert’s timeless first song cycle.

More highlights of the Spring 2015 season at the Howard Assembly Room include:

 This season’s films include Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (25 April), Michelangelo Antonioni’s Red Desert (1 May, following a concert by award-winning folk, opera & jazz singer/songwriter Elena Piras), and Michael Curtiz’s Casablanca (30 May).

 Italian jazz piano virtuoso Stefano Bollani (21 May) performs a rare UK concert of his iconic improvisation.

 British/Palestinian singer, musician & broadcaster Reem Kelani (11 June) returns to the Howard Assembly Room, following a show-stopping sell-out performance in 2012, with repertoire that criss- crosses the Mediterranean.

 More than 877,000 Indian soldiers, many of them Punjabi Sikhs, fought in WW1. Sacred Sounds (1 July) sees the performance of their letters combined with sacred Sikh hymns.

 Tell Me What Yo’ Singin’ For (3 July) celebrates the sound of calypso and the pioneer of Caribbean music in 1950s Britain: Edric Connor, performed by Sheldon Blackman and members of the legendary Breakfast Band.

Notes to editors:

Howard Assembly Room

The Howard Assembly Room is a captivating, inspiring performance venue loved equally by performers and guests for its blend of Victorian and contemporary styling.

The 300-capacity central Leeds venue is a fitting host to receive Opera North’s rich and varied performance programming. The Howard Assembly Room has welcomed thousands of guests to hundreds of ticketed events, and has firmly established itself as one of Yorkshire’s most important centres for progressive and diverse musical performances since opening in 2009. The venue also plays an important role in fuelling the Yorkshire cultural scene with a varied programme of events, gigs, films, talks and family workshops. Finally, the venue serves as vital rehearsal space for Opera North’s award winning Orchestra, and has recently launched as a unique venue for corporate and private hire.

The Howard Assembly Room is located inside Leeds Grand Theatre, on New Briggate in the heart of Leeds City Centre.

Howard Assembly Room Entrance via Leeds Grand Theatre 42-46 New Briggate Leeds LS1 6NU

Box office: 0844 848 2727 howardassemblyroom.co.uk

For further information, images or interviews please contact:

Sian Dudley, Press Officer 0113 223 3528 | [email protected]

Julia Gregg, Press & Communications Manager 0113 223 3526 | 07956 647 573 | [email protected] www.operanorth.co.uk/press-centre