Dance extravaganzas and inspirational artists: What’s on at the RNCM this Autumn

The RNCM is a place for inspiration, imagination and musical exploration, where everyone is welcome.

This season, the RNCM is opening its doors and inviting you to experience a world where the future of music comes alive, boundaries are blurred, and genres seamlessly merge.

At the heart of this season’s programming is an exploration of DANCE:MUSIC, an inspiring celebration of the dynamic relationship between music and movement.

From soul-stirring performances by established artists to genre-bending concerts by students, RNCM’s lineup promises something for everyone.

Their brand new Inspirational Artists series showcases musical pioneers like the Manchester Collective and Paraorchestra, offering electrifying performances that push the limits of creativity.

Meanwhile, RNCM students will bring their flair to the Spotlight Series, a collection of concerts curated by the students themselves, spotlighting emerging talent and original interpretations.

With ensemble sessions, lunchtime concerts, and workshops, RNCM’s Autumn season has more than 100 free events and countless moments of joy, wonder, and emotional power. So whether you’re a lifelong music lover or new to the world of performance, RNCM is your stage.

So why not come on down and experience the joy, wonder and emotional power music brings?

What’s on at the RNCM this season?

Inspirational Artists

Manchester Collective: Radical Performance Series

The first of three bold performances by the Manchester Collective, challenging musical norms with their innovative interpretations. Alongside ‘cyborg pianist’ Zubin Kanga, and featuring music by Tchaikovsky, Bacewicz, Osborn, Kilar, and Shaw

Date: Thursday, 10th October, 7.30pm from  £22, £20 (balcony), Student/Under 26 £14, £12.50 (balcony)

There will also be a pre-show concert from the RNCM Spotlight team:  Ardentia Trio – Impressions of Colour, @ 6.30 pm (free entry)

Kantos Chamber Choir: In Your Dreams

Improvised soundscapes and choral music by Eric Whitacre, Vaughan Williams, and others bring this dream-inspired evening to life. Plus researchers from the RNCM and University of Manchester unveil the power of music as they project brain wave data in real-time during this performance.

Date: Wednesday 23rd October, 7.30 £18

There will also be a pre-show concert from the RNCM Spotlight team: Bastien and Bastienne – a comic opera in One Act @ 6.30 pm (free entry)

Paraorchestra

The world’s only orchestra actively increasing their representation of professional disabled players, Paraorchestra is an ensemble of disabled and non-disabled professional musicians who  blend artforms, genres, and technology to create large-scale music projects that challenge ideas of what an orchestra can and should be. They make their RNCM debut this Autumn.

Date: Friday 15th November, 7.30pm from £20

There will also be a pre-show concert from the RNCM Spotlight team: Can you see the sound? exploring visualisation in contemporary music @ 6.30 pm (free entry)

Sō Percussion and Caroline Shaw

Sō Percussion is a leading percussion quartet and nonprofit Organisation that fosters, creates, and presents adventurous new work with a unique focus on collaboration. Fuelled by a belief in the unifying power of music, Sō Percussion brings the joy, curiosity, and inherent connectivity of percussion in all its forms to an ever-broader audience.

Date: Tuesday 3rd, 7.30pm, Full Price £22, Student/Under 26 £14

Elias String Quartet

Hailed as one of the most intense and vibrant quartets of their generation, Elias formed at the RNCM in 1998 and have retained a strong association with the College ever since.

Schumann’s first quartet has long been one of their most beloved pieces. It magically blends intense introspection and personal reflection with exuberance, warmth, and joy. Highly charged and viscerally poignant, it is rewarding for both performers and listeners alike.

They will be playing:

Joseph Haydn String Quartet in G major Op 54 No 1 Hob III:58
Sally Beamish Nine Fragments – String Quartet No 4
Robert Schumann String Quartet No 1 in A minor Op 41 No 1

Date: Thursday 28th November 2024, 7.30 pm. Full Price £22, Student/Under 26 £14

The Planets: Kathryn Stott (piano) and RNCM Pianists

Experience a unique blend of seasoned artistry and fresh talent as Kathryn Stott joins student pianists for a captivating side-by-side performance of orchestral masterpieces for two pianos.

Holst’s The Planets began its life in the intimate setting of two pianos, capturing the mystical essence of each planet in our Solar System through their astrological characters.

The last piece he ever composed, Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances also originated as a work for two pianos and continues to be celebrated for its evocative and vivid soundscapes.

Date: Tuesday 19th November 2024, 7.30 pm. Full Price £18, Student/Under 26 £12

Dance: Music

Dance Divas: RNCM Session Orchestra

Date: Saturday, 26th October, 7 pm. Full Price £18, Student/Under 26 £12

Kick off the season with electrifying dance floor anthems,from Madonna and CeCe Peniston to Becky Hill and Beyoncé, club tracks through the decades take on a new dimension, skilfully rearranged to showcase the full sound of an orchestra.

There will also be a pre-show concert from the RNCM Spotlight team: Brass Meets Dance – from Bernstein to Piazzolla from 6.30 pm (free entry)

Antonio Lizana Quintet plus Alex Clarke and Dave Newton

Finalist of the BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year 2020 and winner of the Rising Star category in the 2019 British Jazz Awards, Alex Clarke showcases her talent alongside renowned jazz pianist Dave Newton before we welcome southern Spain’s most celebrated flamenco-jazz artist, Antonio Lizana and his quintet, for the first time in Manchester.

Lizana is a jazz saxophonist, flamenco singer, and composer, and his live shows are described as a ‘breathtaking journey from flamenco roots to contemporary jazz’, spun together with his soulful lyrics carrying messages of optimism and sincerity to his audiences. His appearance at this year’s Saxophone Day is no exception, featuring a vibrant array of music complemented by a fiery flamenco dancer to bring the sound to life.

Born and raised in San Fernando, a province of Cádiz and one of the cradles of flamenco singing, Lizana has collaborated with countless local artists to inform his technique and style, allowing him to go on to share the authentic flamenco spirit with the world. He is one of the only Spanish artists to record an American NPR Tiny Desk concert and has worked with artists such as Arturo O’Farrill and Alejandro Sanz on Grammy Award-winning works.

Date: Sunday 3rd November, 6.30 pm. Full Price £22 Student/Under 26 £14

RNCM Symphony Orchestra: Ravel’s La Valse

Dance and music are deeply intertwined, but this symphonic programme takes a bold departure from classics like Swan Lake and The Nutcracker. Nowhere is this more evident than in Ravel’s La Valse. Spinning through the shadowy corners of Viennese waltzes, the piece unfolds into a dark commentary on the chaos of post-World War I Europe and the remnants of a 19th-century imperial society once obsessed with the waltz dance. Don’t be deceived by its elegant opening though; this journey was always destined to end in a tumultuous crash.

Speaking of the unexpected, the groundbreaking Parade broke free from ballet’s traditional escapism when it first premièred, placing the realities of life centre stage. In his music, Satie uses unconventional instruments like typewriters, sirens, and even aeroplane propellers to create a soundscape as jarring and innovative as the ballet itself.

Then there’s Dancing to an Orange Drummer, which reflects Vanessa Lann’s personal challenges adapting to life in The Netherlands, capturing the distinct rhythms and energies of her new surroundings; Larry Goves’ hollow yellow willow weaves a tapestry of patterns and sadness, with themes moving through the orchestra; and Paul Stanhope’s Piccolo Concerto contrasts lyrical melodies with jagged, dance-like figures and culminates in a ‘Funky and Fleet-Footed‘ scherzo.

Brace yourself for an evening of surprises and riveting unpredictability, where the boundaries of music, movement, and dance are redefined.

Date: Fri 1st November, 7.30pm Full Price £18, £16.50 (balcony) Student/Under 26 £12, £11 (balcony)

RNCM Wind Orchestra: Dancing Galaxies with Matilda Lloyd (trumpet)

Celebrated as an ‘eloquent trumpet soloist’ by The Times, Matilda Lloyd enthrals audiences with her exceptional artistry and communication. Her début album, Casta Diva, earned BBC Music Magazine’s Recording of the Month in June 2023, praised for its ‘intense expression and immense warmth’. She will be a European Concert Hall Organisation (ECHO) Rising Star for the 2024/25 season, performing on some of Europe’s most prestigious stages, and we’re delighted to welcome her to join forces with RNCM’s Wind Orchestra.

Brimming with excitement and pulsating rhythms, this dynamic programme, inspired by Augusta Read Thomas’ Dancing Galaxy, showcases the unparalleled vibrancy of a wind orchestra. Featuring bold and richly textured works, the evening offers a musical journey that promises to invigorate and inspire.

Date: Friday 22nd November 2024, 7.30 pm. Full Price £18, Student/Under 26 £12

RNCM Chamber Orchestra: Beethoven’s Eighth Symphony with Edward Gardner (conductor)

This evening of music showcases the perfect introduction to the world of classical music and its diversity, richness, and sheer enjoyment. Dive in and explore these masterpieces with the next generation of musicians.

In 1824, Schubert composed his six German Dances for his student and infatuation, Countess Caroline Esterházy. The music remained hidden in a private collection for nearly 70 years until it resurfaced decades after his death. Upon rediscovery, Universal Edition commissioned Anton Webern to arrange the work for the chamber orchestra. This resulted in a transformation praised as a ‘miracle of precision, tonal differentiation, and glowingly shaded colours’.

Premiering in 1941 and made into a choreographed ballet in 1944, Stravinsky’s Danses concertantes are full of motion, elegance, and athleticism, and are deliberately short. 

Why? Well, Stravinsky explained their brevity to a San Francisco Chronicle critic, saying: ‘The attention span of today’s audience is limited, and the present-day composer faces the challenge of condensation.’

Reportedly Stravinsky’s favourite, Beethoven’s spirited Eighth Symphony – nestled between his epic Seventh and Ninth – is filled with rhythmic ferocity and witty ingenuity. From the thrilling start, it captivates and delights with lively tunes and playful musical pranks and jokes, concluding with a boisterous and unconventional 19th-century finale.

Date: Friday 29th November 2024, 7.30 pm. Full Price £18 Student/Under 26 £12

RNCM ArkEnsemble with Company Chameleon

When visionary musicians meet exceptional dancers, the result is an immersive experience that transcends the ordinary. 

Join the adventurous ArkEnsemble and dancers from the internationally renowned Company Chameleon as they create a unique fusion of dance-theatre and evocative musical soundscapes. Transforming the stage into a vibrant, living canvas of artistic expression, they’ll explore the intricate connection between music and dance to unveil the profound emotions and stories that lie within each note and movement.

There will also be a pre-show concert from the RNCM Spotlight team: Sama – Dance music from past to present from 6.30 pm (free)

Friday 6th December 2024, 7.30pm Tickets: Full Price £18, Student/Under 26 £12