Formed in Birmingham in 1989, OCS spent six years fine-tuning their sound before lighting up the Britpop party with three Top 5 albums; 1996’s ‘Moseley Shoals’, 1997’s ‘Marchin’ Already’ and 1999’s ‘One From The Modern’. The band has also achieved seventeen Top 40 singles, including a staggering run of nine successive Top 20 singles and a mantelpiece full of awards. As with all the best groups, behind the swagger and style were great songs, with words and melodies that found their way into the public’s hearts. Honing their craft in the spirit of the soul, folk and blues greats who inspired them, Ocean Colour Scene’s celebrated live shows have cemented the relationship between the band and their fiercely loyal fanbase, with each concert serving as a communal outpouring of hope and joy, boasting the most life-affirming singalongs you’re likely to hear anywhere.

Erland Cooper: Carve the Runes Then Be Content With Silence Erland Cooper is a Scottish composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist originally from Stromness, Orkney. As a solo artist, he has released five acclaimed studio albums, including a trilogy of work inspired by his childhood home, as well as themes of nature, people, place and time. His work combines field recordings with traditional orchestration and contemporary electronic elements. Through music, words and cinematography he explores landscape, memory and identity. He develops these themes further by partnering with other artists, writers and poets. Cooper also works across mixed media projects including installation art, theatre and film. He’s widely known for burying the only existing copy of the master tape of his first classical album in Scotland, deleting all digital files and leaving only a treasure hunt of clues for anyone to seek it. The tape was found in 2023 and the album will be released, exactly as it sounds from the earth, this year along with its world premiere of the completed score. Presented by Hey! Manchester. This is a 14+ event. Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult

An exquisite mix of modern Polish music, klezmer, contemporary jazz and chamber classical music. Polish trio Kroke (Yiddish for Kraków) give audiences an extraordinary live musical experience. Their genre defying art is still at a peak after a stunning 30+ year career that has connected with global audiences. Their fans include Nigel Kennedy, Steven Spielberg and Peter Gabriel. Kroke return on a rare UK visit to perform a ‘best of’ performance of their most popular tracks. Expect jazz, contemporary and ethnic influences, plus their own stunning improvisations.

A beautiful blend of piano and strings, combining classical and folk traditions. This special collaboration between the Maxwells and Cordelia Williams integrates music from and inspired by the quartet’s Scottish homeland with iconic classical music works. Alongside traditional folk music is Maxwell Davies’ work, written as a protest against a proposed uranium mine on the remote Orkney Islands where the composer lived, and featuring beautifully simple melodies. Arvo Part’s masterpiece ‘Fratres’ is a series of variations on a similarly simple stepwise theme, creating a meditative effect. With Schumann’s work, dedicated to his wife Clara, the composer effectively ‘invented’ the piano quintet, a combination of instruments never written for before.

Join us for an unforgettable summertime concert of beautiful music and glorious singing. Internationally renowned soprano Rebecca Evans joins forces with the celebrated WNO Orchestra, with WNO Music Director Tomáš Hanus at the podium, for a delightful summer concert. With a wonderful mix of repertoire, the concert begins with the rousing overture to Weber’s Romantic opera ‘Der Freischütz’ (‘The Marksman’) and continues with the sublime Mozart concert aria ‘Ah, lo previdi’ sung by Rebecca Evans, which tells of the myth of Andromeda and her sacrifice. Leading to the interval, you will hear the wonderful Chamber Symphony in C Minor famously arranged for orchestra by the conductor Rudolf Barshai from Shostakovich’s String Quartet No 8. The concert concludes with the brilliance and enduring beauty of Beethoven and the magnificent Fifth Symphony, considered to be one of the cornerstones of western classical music.

The second in an exclusive series of concerts celebrating the influence of Johann Sebastian Bach. Dmitri Shostakovich was an avid admirer of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. Bach’s ‘The Well-Tempered Clavier’, is thought to be the direct inspiration for Shostakovich’s later set of 24 preludes and fugues. This concert unites the two composers in a celebration of Bach’s enduring influence.

The third in an exclusive series of concerts celebrating the creative genius of Johann Sebastian Bach. Max Reger described Johann Sebastian Bach as ‘the beginning and end of all music’. Bach’s influence can be heard in many of his compositions. In the third and final concert in their series, Chloë Hanslip and Danny Driver perform Reger’s Suite in the Old Style alongside the works of J. S. Bach.

Snowpoet premiere their much anticipated fourth studio album ‘Heartstrings’. Snowpoet’s third release on Edition Records, ‘Heartstrings’ follows two hugely successful albums. ‘Thought You Knew’, hailed by National Public Radio, USA as one of the best albums in 2018, and ‘Wait For Me’, were both performed at Turner Sims. The first was a BBC Radio 3 Live Broadcast double bill with Olivia Chaney, and the second was a coveted performance during Covid in 2021. Snowpoet’s music offers a rare insight into song and poetic lyric writing. It explores the complexities found in love, loss, change and ultimately renewal. Their music is ‘a beautiful statement of the heart’ (Arts Desk) and ‘the kind of music you often look back to’ (Written In Music). With a dedicated and ever growing fan base worldwide, their sound is a testament to the group’s original and ‘beautiful’ (BBC 6 Mary Ann Hobbs) voice.

A stellar cast of musicians combines for two classical masterpieces in the final concert of Cordelia Williams’ series. Brahms wrote his Piano Trio at the age of 20, but then substantially revised it 35 years later resulting in a work which is both youthful and mature. Schubert’s upbeat and joyful work has become one of the most popular pieces of chamber music. Written at the request of a music patron who particularly liked the composer’s song ‘Die Forelle’ (The Trout) and asked him to incorporate it, Schubert created a set of variations as part of the work’s fourth movement.

Much-loved folk trio, the Young’uns, celebrate 20 years of singing together. One night in Stockton-on-Tees, three teenagers heard strange sounds coming from the backroom of a pub. They went in. They heard people singing songs they’d never heard before. Songs without instruments. Songs in their own accents. Songs about places they knew. Folk songs. They joined in. Because they were the youngest ones there by several decades, they were soon labelled ‘the Young’uns.’ 20 years on and they’ve carried their unfortunate name around the world, from Sydney to Vancouver, from Radio Tees to Radio 4, won three BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards and gained a reputation for singing life-affirming songs of social conscience in immaculate three-part harmony. As well as their 20th anniversary, Sean Cooney, Michael Hughes and David Eagle will each be celebrating their 40th birthdays on tour!

Fairport Convention has been entertaining music lovers for over half a century. During that time the band that launched British folk-rock has seen many changes. But one thing has remained the same - Fairport's passion for performance. The band skilfully interprets traditional ballads and the repertoire also includes plenty of contemporary compositions.

Together Aly Bain and Phil Cunningham have established themselves as the epitome of excellence in the world of traditional music. With their musical magic and quick-witted humour they will pull your emotional strings one moment and have you falling off the seat with laughter the next. Mike Russell has described them as "probably the best traditional musicians you are ever likely to hear”.

Get ready for a toe-tapping, hand-clapping, adventure-packed storytime like no other! Join storyteller Becky, her soulful cello, and the uplifting sounds of the Beanstalk Band as we journey deep into the magical fairytale forest with none other than Little Red Riding Hood! All Little Red wants to do is deliver cakes to Grandma… but staying on the path? That’s easier said than done! Along the way, we’ll howl with the Big Bad Wolf, flutter high with the birds, and stomp through the trees on our way to Grandma’s house. A magical, musical storytelling adventure perfect for children aged 2-7 and their families

A musical voyage full of stories, songs and the sea… Upon a distant shore, a lonely lighthouse keeper has grown fearful of the sea and its wild and stormy nature. But when a mysterious stranger appears with songs of the sea’s magic and power, the keeper is forced to confront his fears. He slowly rediscovers the beauty of the ocean that surrounds him. Experience storytelling, traditional music, original songs and spellbinding puppetry. This is a captivating show full of myths, magic, music and folklore. ‘Tales from the Lighthouse’ is written and performed by Oliver Bishop, with original songs by David Gibb. Live music comes from two-time BBC Radio 2 Folk Award Nominee Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne. Join us for the perfect voyage into the world of theatre, puppetry and music for children. Suitable for ages 5+ and their adults

Join us this summer for a day of magical musical activities and events for children and grown-ups of all ages. Get the whole family involved with performances, workshops, music, dance, craft – and of course the chance to make LOTS of noise. Bring your picnic lunch to enjoy in the gardens, get your face painted – a perfect day out!

Jazz FM Award Winner and one of the most influential trumpeters of her generation, Yazz Ahmed closes our Summer Festival. With her fourth studio album, ‘A Paradise in the Hold’, the British-Bahrani musician dives even deeper into her dual heritage. She emerges with a treasure trove that draws on traditional music and stories from her childhood home. Yazz writes for the voice for the first time, with lyrics inspired by Bahraini wedding poems’ themes of beauty and nature and the songs of the pearl divers. A narrative that charts the heroic voyages of the jewel-hunters of yore, who sailed home through rough seas with precious cargo, echoes Yazz’s own voyage of self-discovery. Join us for an evening of intoxicating, compelling Arabic jazz.

Join two of the most revered female singer-songwriters for an evening of unparalleled music. Appearing together on stage for the first time to perform songs such as ‘Stay With Me Till Dawn’, ‘Sand and Water’, ‘Bring The Rain’, ‘This Kiss’ and their stunning collaboration, ‘Safe’. Alongside their musicians, this is set to be a beautiful night of lyric, song and harmony.

Qawal Najmuddin Saifuddin & Brothers are one of Pakistan’s most esteemed qawwali ensembles. The evening promises to be a transcendent journey through the mystical traditions of Sufism, featuring powerful vocals, hypnotic rhythms, and the timeless poetry of Sufi saints. This rare UK appearance offers audiences the opportunity to experience one of the most expressive forms of spiritual music in the world. The sons of Ustad Qawal Bahauddin Khan, the legendary maestro of the Khusrau tradition of qawwali singing, the brothers (5 in all) are direct descendants of the first qawwali choirs dating back to the 13th century. Now, the leading exponents of more than 700 years of this mystical Sufi devotional singing traditional qawwalis in variety of languages and dialects –Persian, Urdu, Hindi, Braj, Awadhi etc.