Wednesday 20 May
Music and Coffee @ St Werburgh’s
Call in for a coffee at St Werburgh’s this morning and enjoy a wander around the Arts and Crafts Exhibition plus music from our Festival regulars, The Ellesmere Quartet. Music includes Mozart’s Quartet in D minor, K421 and Smetana’s Quartet No. 1 in E minor (From My Life).
St Werburgh’s Church | 10.30am–12 noon | Free
Music at Lunchtime: Intriplicate
Flute, oboe and piano trio, Intriplicate was formed in 2001 and performs across the country as well as hosting its own concert series at Flixton House. In 2004 the trio recorded its debut CD and in 2005 gave the first complete European performance of Sir Malcolm Arnold’s ‘Suite Bourgeoise’ since it was lost in the 1940s. This recording was aired on the BBC in 2006. The trio’s second CD, released in 2007, received a five-star review in the Manchester Evening News.
St Clement’s Church | 1–2pm | Free
Interactive Workshop: How to become someone in the music business.
Guy Lovelady launched Ugly Man Records in 1986 and has helped the likes of Elbow, I Am Kloot and Black. Listen to him bring his open, frank and occasionally funny history to life, whilst applying what he has learned to the fast-changing landscape of the music industry. Advice and tips for anyone trying to establish a career in music.
Chorlton Library meeting room | 7pm | Free
FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHT
Chorlton Young Musician of the Year
Full details in Arts in Schools
Blue Box Theatre | 7.30pm | £5/£3
Manchester Road Players: Out of Order
Tonight sees the curtain go up on this year’s Festival drama from Manchester Road Players. Out of Order, by Ray Cooney, was written in 1990 and won the Comedy of the Year award twelve months later. Government MP Richard Willey is attempting to have an affair with one of the secretaries of the Leader of the Opposition in a top London hotel. However, with a conniving waiter, a suspicious hotel manager, an alert private detective, an angry wife, an unconscious nurse and a dead body, nothing is going to go as planned. (Runs until Sat 23 May.)
Chorlton Methodist Church Theatre | 7.30pm | £5/£3.50
FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHT
The Bird Room by Chris Killen
Torbay Road Book Club joins us for the first time this year with an open opportunity to drop in and discuss The Bird Room, the first novel of local author, Chris Killen. The group will be joined by the author, who will read from his book. www.thebirdroom.org.uk
The Lead Station (Upstairs Room) | 7.30pm | Free
The Voice Collective and Manchester Community Choir
The Voice Collective is a youthful, 13-piece, a cappella harmony group. They perform their own arrangements of jazz, soul, pop, rock, world music and folk, all sung with enthusiasm and style. Tonight they are joined by local favourites Manchester Community Choir, who will sing a selection of songs from around the world, culminating in a performance for choir and audience.
St Clement’s Church | 7.30pm | £5/£3
Northern Flute Quartet and Friends
The Northern Flute Quartet makes a welcome return to the festival and this year they have brought some friends along! They will present a feast of flute chamber music from Baroque Trio Sonatas and Classical Quartets to Romantic Duos. Programme to include works by Doppler, Dring, Mendelssohn and Mozart.
St Werburgh’s Church St Werburgh’s Church | 7.30pm | £5/£3
Manky in the Cellar
Manky Events presents an evening of words and music, including the premiére of Drowning Aristotle, a verse-play by Melanie Rees. The MC, copland smith, always lower case, once a mathematician, is a poet, fiction writer, playwright, essayist, Guardian letter-writer and writing teacher. He will read one of his funny Chorlton cum Hardy stories. (Adult content.)
The Spread Eagle Cellar | 7.30pm | £Free
Playback Theatre Manchester
Playback Theatre is the immediate, theatrical improvisation of real-life moments contributed by the audience. These might be thoughts, hopes, memories, or the ordinary, everyday moments of life. See your ideas acted out on the spot.
The Lloyds Hotel (upstairs) | 8pm | Free
Slightly Left of Centre
Claire Mooney, one of our new Festival Partners, joins forces with Dave Puller and Robin Sunflower for an evening of poetry and music around the themes of Peace, Love and War.
The Hillary Step | 9pm | Free
FESTIVAL FOCUS
Late Night CAF: Uncle Meat’s feast
Voted one of the top three bands in Manchester by manchestermusic.co.uk, Uncle Meat and the Highway Children are a transatlantic, fancy sextet of brothers and sisters setting out to paint your minds, hearts and souls. Full line-up includes Frazer King, The Whiskey Bastards, Captain Hotknives, Kin and The Yellhounds.
Chorlton Conservative Club | 9.30pm | £2