Summer 2023 Festivals and Concerts

Rakhi Singh and Manchester Collective rehearsing for our performance at the BBC Proms in 2021. Photography: Chris Christodoulou

​​​It took a while, but the British sun is finally out – which means it’s festival season! Manchester Collective are ​keeping busy over summer, so there are lots of places to catch us over the coming months… 

MCR:CLASSICAL, Manchester

Just in time for our album release, we’re bringing Hannah Peel’s luminescent ‘Neon’ to Bridgewater Hall on 24 June for MCR:CLASSICAL. It’s part of a bumper weekend of music uniting Manchester-based ensembles the Hallé, BBC Philharmonic and ​Manchester ​Camerata. Visual projections will accompany our performance of Steve Reich’s Double Sextet: never-before-seen footage from the hedonistic depths of Manchester’s ‘90s nightclubs, captured on ghostly 8mm black-and-white film by Graham Hector. 

BBC Proms, London

Big news: we’re back at the BBC Proms this year! We’ve been invited to do a special late-night show on 19 August. It’s a set you’ll want to stay up for. Our restless programme is like a night-time tour through the city and its rhythms. Double Sextet and ‘Neon’ make a reappearance alongside music by David Lang, Oliver Leith’s reinterpration of a baroque piece, and Ben Nobuto’s glitchy ‘SERENITY 2.0’.

And if taking over Royal Albert Hall weren’t exciting enough, Hannah Peel and Ben Nobuto will also join us onstage for their pieces. 

Noah’s Flood, Leeds & Manchester

Together with Slung Low, we’re assembling a mega community cast for our vibrant and joyful take on Benjamin Britten’s opera. Among the hundreds of Leeds and Manchester participants are 180 schoolchildren from Ingram Primary School – as well as Lemn Sissay as the voice of God.  

You’ve got two chances to see Noah’s Flood: as part of ​LEEDS​ 2023 in The Warehouse in Holbeck on 7 July (currently sold out), then at Depot Mayfield for Manchester International Festival ​on 9 July. This is our most ambitious project yet – come join us for the ride. 

Chelthenham Music Festival

​​We’re also making not one, but two appearances in Cheltenham. First, we’ll be serving up musical delights as part of Classical Mixtape on 12 July (sold out), a relaxed evening in DEYA Taphouse that offers short samples of classical music from a diverse line-up. The following day on 13 July, we’ll be filling Cheltenham Town Hall with the sounds of Caroline Shaw, Wojciech Kilar, Richard Strauss and Shostakovich. Our Music Director Rakhi Singh will also have her own solo show on 14 July. 

Bold Tendencies, London

We’ve played our fair share of unusual venues, but a multi-storey car park in Peckham is a new one for us. On 15 July, we’ll be playing Strauss from the rooftop – ‘Metamorphosen’ and a brand-new arrangement of ‘Four Last Songs’ for string orchestra and piano. 

That’s a lot to keep us going before we head into our 23/24 season. Head to our Events Calendar to see all our shows in listed in chronological order.