Whether it’s powerful explorations of queer grief and human kinship, thrillingly original fusions of soundscapes and visuals or captivating collisions of Eastern and Western musical forms, Manchester International Festival stages an ambitious, all-embracing programme of contemporary classical performances inspired by storied tradition and globe-trotting diversity this July.
Drawing on Eastern traditions, MIF and Hallé present Sounds of the East, a spellbinding evening of music led by the orchestra’s new Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor, Kahchun Wong.
Opening with the European premiere of Chinary Ung’s Grand Spiral (Desert Flowers Bloom) – acclaimed for its harmonious blend of Eastern styles and western instrumentation – the unmissable concert features Debussy’s iconic sea-inspired La Mer, as well as the UK premiere of Wong’s orchestration of Mussorgsky’s Pictures At An Exhibition, where the ensemble will be joined by traditional Chinese Folk instruments.
Book tickets to an unforgettable evening of classical music below. Tickets include entry to a pre-concert talk in the auditorium at 6.30pm, where Kahchun Wong is joined by Chinary Ung to discuss the European Premiere of Grand Spiral (Desert Flowers Bloom).
Experience a world-premiere from the award-winning self-taught composer Rushil Ranjan, co-founder of the Orchestral Qawwali Project, performed by Manchester Camerata and iconic Sufi vocalist Jyoti Nooran.
Known for his work in bridging classical artforms from around the world, Ranjan unites Manchester’s devoutly innovative orchestra with one half of the Nooran sisters for a special MIF25 concert which promises a sparkling fusion of Sufi sounds and classical arrangements.
Book tickets below.
Working with a thrilling symbiosis of live DJing, violins, electronics, voice and visuals, Mary Anne Hobbs and Anna Phoebe bring their instinctual collaborative flair to Aviva Studios for a one-off performance on Tue 15 Jul.
Following a debut at Tate Britain’s 2023 relaunch and performances at BBC 6 Music Festival 2024 and Manchester’s Victoria Warehouse, the pair present the latest stage in their creative evolution as part of MIF25, mixing live performance with inventive installation pieces in a continuing effort to push boundaries and deliver a true multi-sensory audiovisual experience.
The brand new artwork from Dutch artist, Germaine Kruip, transforms the theatre space into a wondrous realm of illusion, sound and performance to create infinite possibilities across four days at the RNCM.
Featuring new compositions by British composer Emily Howard and American maestro Hahn Rowe, A Possibility opens the intermingled worlds of visual arts, architecture and performance to audience interpretation, melding into a meditation on sense, perception and experience for both the individual and the collective.
Set in two parts, the first act uses light to turn the stage into a blank canvas for a playful study of perception in which light interacts with shadows, reflections and the structure of the room itself. In the second act, Kruip employs the bodies of percussionists Youjin Lee, Akane Tominaga, Victor Lodeon, and Gil Hyoungkwon as performers. For this sequence, brass sculptures developed by Kruin and Thein Brass become both the set and instruments for musical ritual, set to a string and percussion score by Emily Howard which creates a mesmerising dialogue with Rowe’s arrangements.
Staged in partnership with Rochdale Development Agency, Mumbai-based artist Shilpa Gupta presents a captivating sound art installation at RISE Inavate Centre, gathering stories from different communities to offer a stirring exploration of persistence, hope, longing and belonging using a series of singing microphones.
Supported by local groups, the exhibition is the result of a series of workshops in which participants were asked questions like: Is there something you think about very often? What is it? Have you left it behind somewhere? Where? Do you miss it?
Through drawings and writings, their responses were rendered through music with local songwriters who composed their special works in some of Rochdale’s many languages, from Ukrainian and English to Punjabi and Cantonese.
The multifarious voices and experiences are woven into the sound installation as fragments of memory, transcending borders in a shared expression of longing and movement. pieces of memory, crossing invisible borders and speaking of longing and movement.
Aviva Studios, Water St, Manchester M3 4JQ
factoryinternational.org
- Words:
- Wolf McFarlane
- Published on:
- Fri 27 Jun 2025
Set to new music and live performance from renowned singer-songwriter John Grant and composer Jasmin Kent Rodgmen, Jonathan Watkins’ contemporary ballet breathes new life into Christopher Isherwood’s seminal, timely portrait of queer love and loss this July.
Grieving in the wake of the sudden death of his long-term partner, Jim, George contemplates the meaning of life and spends his days urgently seeking connection with those around him, seeking to rediscover the vibrant, vital part of himself that loves life.
Powered by exclusive new songs with choreography from Royal Ballet dancers and guest artists, A Single Man masterfully weaves multiple dance forms to render an achingly tender meditation on sexuality, grief and the resonant trials of midlife.