Storyhouse, Chester’s brand new £37m theatre, cinema and library opening May 11, has announced a season of concerts will be staged in May and June in the eagerly awaited cultural centre.
The line-up includes actor and broadcaster Craig Charles storytelling to music, Manchester Camerata Orchestra, the return of the sell-out Gran caffe Venezia concert, performances by international music group Kabantu, music workshops for children and chamber music concerts performed by Storyhouse’s in-house ensemble, Ensemble Deva.
CEO at Storyhouse Andrew Bentley said: “We’re opening Storyhouse with a programme that offers theatre, film, digital art, literature and music. Our spring season of music is aimed at families, couples and lovers of all sorts of music as well as giving us a chance to welcome back Chester Music Festival audiences into our incredible new building.
“This is an opportunity for audiences, new and old, to experience the sights and sounds of some wonderful concerts, all performed in the fantastic setting of Storyhouse.”
The season kicks off on Monday, May 29 at 7.30pm with Craig Charles’s Tales of the Dark Woods.
The actor, presenter, poet and broadcaster tells his own version of the classic Little Red Riding Hood, underscored by musicians from Ensemble Deva, playing composer Iain Farrington’s haunting new music. Plus The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, made famous by Disney’s Fantasia. A spectacular evening of atmospheric storytelling and music on the brand-new Storyhouse stage.
Budding musicians are being catered for during May half-term. On Monday, May 29 at 10.30am children are invited to attend a workshop led by cellist Abel Selaocoe and percussionist Delia Stevens. Participants will devise a piece of music and then perform it during Abel and Delia’s lunchtime concert in Storyhouse’s Garret Theatre at 1pm. This is a chance to see (and to be in) the Garret’s first ever performance which will be a concert aimed just as much at adults as children as Abel and Delia perform their joyful brand of virtuoso music-making.
On Thursday, June 1 at 8pm five-piece Kabantu will be on the Storyhouse stage with their young and vibrant sound which draws on worldwide influences, from Brazilian Samba, Balkan folk music and vocal harmonies from South Africa to Celtic reels.
On Monday, June 5 and Tuesday, 6 at 8pm, orchestra Manchester Camerata performs in the Storyhouse restaurant which is called the Kitchen. These two Camerata In The Kitchen concerts are a wonderful chance to see Manchester Camerata in a less formal setting, underneath the dramatic architecture of the former Odeon’s proscenium. Audiences are invited to sit at tables in The Kitchen and relax, enjoying the consummate soloists with full orchestra which will fill the whole building with music. Performances will include pieces by Wagner, Strauss, Mozart, Mendelssohn and Beethoven.
The season of music is drawn to a close on Wednesday, June 7 with the triumphant Gran Caffè Venezia concert, which has been a sold-out highlight of the Ensemble Deva’s schedule over several years. Inspired by the spirit of Venetian Caffè music, the concert will feature tangos and wistful summer tunes in a programme devised by the musicians themselves. This year, the concert will really be in a café setting as the ticket price will include Italian inspired food and drink from the Kitchen.
Ticket prices range from £10 – £35, see storyhouse.com for full details
