What's On

Welcome to the Autumn 2013 Concert Season at the University of Sheffield!

This autumn we continue our ‘A Boy Was Born’ programme of events celebrating the centenary of the birth of composer Benjamin Britten. Alongside a superb series of concert performances from our civic partners Department of Music students are working with the city’s only professional opera company Steel Opera on a production of Britten’s brilliantly creepy chamber opera ‘Turn of the Screw’. Earlier on UtterJazz provide an innovative and fresh take on some of Britten’s best loved vocal works, beautifully re-imagining Britten songs in a new kaleidoscope of jazz and world music alongside readings of WH Auden poetry by actor Roger Lloyd Pack. Towards the end of the season Ensemble 360 conclude our series of Britten’s string quartets performing ‘String Quartet No.1’ alongside Debussy’s ‘String Quartet in G minor’ an intricate tapestry of colour and timbre and Herbert Howells sublime folk influenced ‘Fantasy String Quartet.’

To launch the season we’re thrilled to welcome back one of today’s finest early music groups. The Rose Consort of Viols perform a mixture of sumptuous motets, exquisite consort songs and intricate instrumental pieces by Tallis, Byrd, Parsons and their contemporaries with countertenor Rory McCreery in ‘An Emerald in a Work of Gold.’

It is a tremendous privilege to be able to feature some of the biggest names in folk music in 'The Full English’. Fay Hield, Seth Lakeman, Martin Simpson, Nancy Kerr, Sam Sweeney, Rob Harbron and Ben Nicholls perform songs and tunes showcasing discoveries from the world’s biggest digital archive of English traditional folk music and dance tunes, a new resource based on research by Fay Hield from the Department of Music.

Internationally acclaimed percussionist Joby Burgess brings us a lavish audio feast in ‘Powerplant’. Including music by Steve Reich and Gabriel Prokofiev ‘Powerplant’ is an inspiring collaboration with sound designer Matthew Fairclough and visual artist Kathy Hinde where the worlds of minimalism and electronica collide.

Finally a feast of choral music permeates through the series, our Chamber Choir present ‘Picture and Portraits’ featuring music by Brahms and Debussy with Finnish chamber choir Kaamos.  We’re also delighted to present the soloists from English Touring Opera and period instrument orchestra the Old Street Band who team up with Sheffield Cathedral Choir for an evening of Handel’s Italian Vespers including the extravagant, virtuosic, extrovert and daring choral masterpiece, Dixit Dominus.

I look forward to welcoming you to our concerts this Autumn!

Stewart Campbell