From free concerts through to long-term projects, Learning and Participation invites schools, community groups and individuals to connect with the Hall’s work through music.
The Bridgewater Hall is owned by the people of Manchester, through the City Council. It is, in effect, the city’s building – from the giant earthquake bearings the whole structure balances on, to the triangular peak that points towards the Town Hall’s clock. Which is why one department at the Hall is dedicated to providing creative ways for schools, community groups and individuals to engage with and experience the Hall’s work. Funded by ASM Global and The Bridgewater Hall Community Education Trust, the Learning and Participation department connects with communities across Greater Manchester through resources, workshops, events and activities. It is the cornerstone of the organisation’s ethos: ‘we believe music should be for everyone’.
Guided tours behind the scenes, revealing the building’s surprises and secrets, are free for schools in Greater Manchester. Live Music Now concerts welcome over 300 pupils from specialist schools to the Hall each year, providing a relaxed environment in which to participate in performances with professional musicians, whether through singing, conducting or musical games. The department also delivers longer-term projects with schools, in which pupils engage deeply with themes connected to the Hall’s programme.
Free online resources transform the building itself into a Treasure Trail for children, packed with fun facts and activities. For instance: did you know the Stalls Foyer floor is made from limestone that’s almost 200 million years old? A beautifully illustrated Map of the Orchestra is designed to help young concertgoers get to grips with the instruments and different sections on stage, while the complete Family Discovery Booklet combines these resources into one pack. There are special, regular workshops for early years and families too: Music Makers, which invites babies and toddlers to take part in sensory sessions inspired by a much-loved piece of music, and Be Hear Now, a relaxed musical discovery session for children with special educational needs and disabilities.
Songs and Scones is a programme that brings together older people, at risk of loneliness and isolation, together for a cup of tea, scone and uplifting live performance from professional musicians. Part of the Hall’s regular activities and workshops, the series sits alongside pre-concert talks, masterclasses, creative projects and fortnightly lunchtime choir sessions with The Bridgewater Hall Singers – open to all without auditions or the need to read music.
Live at Lunchtime Series 2024
One of the most popular strands of this activity is Live at Lunchtime, a free concert series open to all. Taking place on most Fridays at 12.45pm from May to September, the performances range from singers to violinists, from alt-folk music to zarzuela. This year, the series kicks off with haunting vocals from up-and-coming ensemble The Mancunium Consort on 3 May, who’ve made it their mission to share the delights of choral music with new audiences. Next up is a performance from Chetham’s School of Music on 10 May, before prize-winning music collective NOMAD take to the stage a week later, known for experimental and intimate multi-media performances.
Soulful vocalist Mali Hayes follows on 24 May.Compared to the ‘Queen of Neo Soul’ Erykah Badu by BBC Radio 2, Hayes’ music is filled with stories and rich with honesty. Two duos are scheduled next: Ricardo Gosalbo and Julieth Lozano, who present highlights from the Spanish lyric-dramatic genre zarzuela on piano and voice, and Giuliano Modarelli and Kousic Sen who share Music for the Mind and Soul on guitar and tabla. Indie hooks and jazz-inspired harmonies abound in Emily Mercer’s solo set, while alt-folk musician Bay Bryan transports us to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado with his concept album, The Meadow.
Join Jazette with Carol Jason on 30 August for powerful interpretations of jazz standards or dip into Cuban classical guitar with Havana-born Ahmed Dickinson Cardenás. A world premiere of new music from the So Many Beauties Collective, co-created by a culturally diverse groups of people living with dementia, forms the centrepiece of the So Many Beauties Festival on 20 September. Dilettante closes out the series on 27 September.
Re:Discover Festival 7 & 8 June 2024
As well as regular series, the Learning and Participation department is all about creating opportunities to get involved in special, one-off events. Re:Discover Festival, a celebration of African and Caribbean heritage through the voices of people with lived experience of homelessness, is the perfect example of this. In partnership with Streetwise Opera, the Hall is hosting the north-west weekend on Friday 7 and Saturday 8 June, featuring performances, workshops and interactive concerts.
Sancho and Me with Paterson Joseph takes place on Friday 7 June. Performed by Paterson Joseph (Wonka, Timeless), and based on his novel The Secret Diaries of Ignatius Sancho. The show opens with the premiere of an opera by Streetwise Opera, and will also feature a Q&A with Paterson. Then on Saturday 8 June there’s the opportunity to appear on stage alongside the mighty Jazz Jamaica All Stars. Those who sign up to Jazz Jamaica – Take Part! will perform with the band’s inimitable musicians in a community choir, singing classics from Trojan Records’ back catalogue including ‘You can get it if you really want’ and ‘Lively Up Yourself’. A pack of resources will get participants started, along with an online introduction to Jazz Jamaica, before a three-hour afternoon rehearsal and sing-through at the Hall.
Alternatively, delve into opera as a family, for free: A Family Adventure in Opera includes workshops featuring song, storytelling and dance in the Hall’s foyer, and an interactive concert with Streetwise Opera soprano Abigail Kelly in the auditorium for families. Or experience the work of African and Caribbean heritage composers at Streetwise Opera Pop-up Arias, an open workshop with music from Shirley Thompson, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and more.
Re:Discover Festival is a brilliant example of the way in which The Bridgewater Hall’s Learning and Participation department blends regular activities with the chance to be involved in the most exciting events taking place in the building.
See full Re:Discover Festival series listing
By Polly Checkland Harding