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The Nash Ensemble – Howard Assembly Room, Leeds
Reviewer: Ron Simpson The Out of the Shadows festival continued with the Nash Ensemble, in typically assured and sensitive vein, playing Music in the Terezin Ghetto at the Howard Assembly Room. All the...
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Richmond Jazz Festival – Georgian Theatre Royal, Richmond
Performers: Alexander Bone Trio Reviewer: Ron Simpson The Richmond Jazz Festival fills the Georgian Theatre Royal for three nights. A Grade 1 listed building that first opened to the public in 1788...
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Fantastic Dreams and Visions – Huddersfield Town Hall
Orchestra: The Orchestra of Opera North Conductor: Aleksandar Markovic Soloist: Pavel Kolesnikov (piano) Reviewer: Ron Simpson Kirklees Council’s bold and far-sighted decision to continue its concert...
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DUBLIN THEATRE FESTIVAL: Ancient Rain – Olympia Theatre, Dublin
Director: Chris Drummond Composers: Paul Kelly, Feargal Murray, Camille O’Sullivan Reviewer: David Keane Inspired by last 100 years of Irish poetry and centring around the theme of the four elements,...
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The Orchestra of Opera North: How It Works – Town Hall, Huddersfield
Presenter: Pui Fan Lee Conductor: Martin Pickard Soloist: Nicholas Watts (tenor) Reviewer: Ron Simpson The Orchestra of Opera North’s How it Works concert attracted a youthful audience, stretching to...
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Opera North Christmas Concert – Town Hall, Dewsbury
Conductor: David Cowan Performers: Orchestra of Opera North Chorus of Opera North Opera North Youth Chorus Opera North Children’s Chorus Reviewer: Ron Simpson In recent years Opera North has received...
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Winter Wonderland – Howard Assembly Room, Leeds
Musical Director: David Le Page Reviewer: Ron Simpson There are many different types of Christmas celebration concert and Winter Wonderland was the sort that provides more breadth than depth, 15 named...
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Orchestra of Opera North: Viennese Whirl – Huddersfield Town Hall
Conductor: Aleksandar Markovic Soloists: Ellie Laugharne (soprano) & Heather Lowe (mezzo soprano) Reviewer: Ron Simpson As with Opera North’s Christmas Concert at Dewsbury, the company’s Viennese...
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Ensemble 360: Music in the Round – Sheffield Crucible Studio
Reviewer: Ron Simpson Ensemble 360’s opening concert of the Spring season of Music in the Round deployed nearly all the group’s musical forces, only the piano being missing from its 11 members. The...
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The Magic of Motown: 10th Anniversary Tour – The Lowry, Salford
Reviewer: Rebecca Cohen The Magic of Motown has come to The Lowry, ready to thrill music lovers with some of their most loved tracks from the past. But unfortunately the only Wonder they are going to...
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Roberto Fonseca – Howard Assembly Room, Leeds
Reviewer: Ron Simpson This exhilarating concert by Roberto Fonseca was the first in a short UK leg of a European tour – and how lucky we were to get it when only the Midlands and London, apart from...
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Orchestra of Opera North: Sibelius, Bruch and Strauss – Town Hall, Leeds
Conductor: Adrian Leaper Soloist: Jack Liebeck (violin) Reviewer: Ron Simpson The final concert of the Orchestra of Opera North’s Kirklees season was repeated at Leeds Town Hall as part of the Leeds...
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Audra McDonald – Leicester Square Theatre, London
Performers: Audra McDonald, Seth Rudetsky, Will Swenson Reviewer: Scott Matthewman If your knowledge of Audra McDonald is limited to her role as the opera singer-cum-wardrobe, Madame de Garderobe, in...
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The Sons of Pitches: SOP TV -The Lowry, Salford
Reviewer: Dave Cunningham Although The Sons of Pitches shot to fame as a cappella singers on TV’s The Naked Choir they seem determined to expand their range from being simply vocalists. SOP TV sees the...
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Sounds of Palestine – Howard Assembly Room, Leeds
Performers: Mohamed Najem & Friends Performers: Nai Barghouti and band Reviewer: Ron Simpson The Howard Assembly Room continues to punch above its size in its programming, with this inspiring...
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Back to the Future in Concert – Millennium Square, Leeds
Conductor: Jessica Cottis Reviewer: Mark Clegg Well done to Leeds City Council for organising their Summer Series: a programme of live events and film screenings held in the beautiful open air...
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Ladysmith Black Mambazo – Howard Assembly Room, Leeds
Reviewer: Ron Simpson Ladysmith Black Mambazo seems to have solved the problem all successful groups have of renewing themselves over a period of time. The 2017 version manages to be full of youthful...
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Little Mix: Glory Days Tour – Echo Arena, Liverpool
Reviewer Helen Patrick The return of all-girl group Little Mix (Perrie Edwards, Jesy Nelson, Jade Thirlwall and Leigh-Anne Pinnock) to Merseyside with their Glory Days Tour, ensure once again that the...
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Marc Almond: Shadows & Reflections – Town Hall, Leeds
Reviewer: Rich Jevons Some two years on since Marc Almond came to Leeds Town Hall to celebrate the release of The Velvet Trail which was followed by a recital of torch songs with the pop orchestra of...
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Keith Jack: Movie Nights – Wild Cabaret, Glasgow
Reviewer: Lauren Humphreys Astonishingly, it’s a decade since Dalkeith native Keith Jack was runner up in the BBC’s search for a ‘Joseph’ in Any Dream Will Do. Only 19 years old at the time, much has...
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