Music events held at The Kazimier for Liverpool Biennial 2014

Music events held at The Kazimier for Liverpool Biennial 2014

Liverpool Biennial has announced a programme of activity throughout September and October including a performative project, The Companion, the announcement of the John Moores Painting Prize winner and the opening of Bloomberg New Contemporaries 2014. 

THE COMPANION 

Friday 19- Sunday 21 September Liverpool Biennial is pleased to announce a performative project, taking place in spaces across the city from Friday 19 - Sunday 21 September. The Companion, in collaboration with artist and writer Angie Keefer, will form part of Biennial’s overall exhibition reflecting on how artists disrupt the realms of habits and habitats, reconfiguring the objects, images, representations and activities that constitute their immediate surroundings.

The Companion performance weekend takes place at venues across the city including the Liverpool Philharmonic Dining Rooms, Merseyside Dance Initiative, the Kazimier and the Black-E. Performances include; Jeremiah Day’s first presentation of a larger project tracing the legacy of the American Anti-Imperialist League, and its failure; Angie Keefer and James English Leary’s durational performance The Screens , which will produce segments of Jean Genet's play of the same name,dancers and musicians stage works conceived by Oskar Schlemmer at the Bauhaus and musical recitals including an evening of live music performances at The Kazimier. 

A full schedule of the weekend, includes:

Friday 19 September 

12.00 – 13.15

16.00 – 17.15 

Mounira al-Solh (LB/NL)

Acousmatic Reading: NOA (Not Only Arabic Magazine) I & II Audiences read NOA I (Treason is Like a Bible), and NOA II (Arrest Buried Under Something Else), two magazines that exist in an edition of one print each. (Space limited to 12 people per session.) 

Studio Room, The Old Blind School, Free, booking required

21.30 – 23:00 

Will Holder (UK)

Last Futile Stab At Fun Typographer Will Holder reads a metered lecture “to be sung or chanted,” written by composer Robert Ashley. 

The Philharmonic Dining Rooms, Free, booking required

Josephine Foster (US) and Victor Herrero (ES) Josephine Foster and Victor Herrero play a live acoustic set. The Philharmonic Pub Dining Rooms, Free, booking required

Saturday 20 September 

10.00 – 18:00 

Angie Keefer (US) and James English Leary (US) with The Companion participants and Biennial mediators The Screens Artists and mediators produce segments of Jean Genet's play The Screens in an improvised film studio. 

Studio Room, The Old Blind School, Free, drop-in

10.00 – 18:00 

Lucy Skaer (UK)

Obscurantism A self-guided tour of the exhibition at the Old Blind School directed from the outside, looking in.

The Old Blind School exterior, Hope Street side, Free, drop-in

17:30 – 18.00 

Jeremiah Day (US/NL) with Bart de Kroon (NL)

Bagram, Kaiserslautern, Bethesda Jeremiah Day performs live, accompanied by guitarist Bart de Kroon, to debut the first presentation of a larger project tracing the legacy of the American Anti-Imperialist League, and its failure.

Merseyside Dance Initiative, Free, booking required

18.00

Adrian Henri Book Launch at The Bluecoat, Free, drop-in

20.00 - late

Musical and spoken word performances featuring: Hassan Khan (EG), C. Spencer Yeh (TW/US), Chris Evans and Will Holder (UK), Federica, Bueti (IT) and Jan Verwoert (DE), Jaxson Payne (UK), CONCERT - Chris Evans (UK), Morten Norbye Halvorsen (NO) and Benjamin Seror (FR), Anika, DJs Shintaro Taketani and Oliver Baggott. 

The Kazimier, £5, booking required

Sunday 21 September 

14:00

Christophe Wavelet (FR) with Darko Radosavljev (DE), Alma Toaspern (DE), Erik Eriksson (SE), Alex Neilson (UK) Oskar Schlemmer Dances Dancers and musicians stage works conceived by Oskar Schlemmer at the Bauhaus.

The Black-E, Free, booking required

17.00

Phillip Jeck 

Vinyl Requiem Revisited, at The Bluecoat, £6/£4, booking required Liverpool Biennial director Sally Tallant said: “As we reach the halfway point in this year’s festival, we’re delighted to announce September and October’s activity programme and the performance weekend, The Companion. For those visiting the Biennial for the first time, there’s still the chance to see the rest of A Needle Walks into a Haystack at the Bluecoat, FACT, The Old Blind School, St. Andrews Gardens and Tate Liverpool. 

BLOOMBERG NEW CONTEMPORARIES

Saturday 20 September – Sunday 26 October 2014. World Museum, Free

Bloomberg New Contemporaries has been an integral part of Liverpool Biennial since 1999 and under the new directorship of Kirsty Ogg, this year marks Bloomberg New Contemporaries’ 65th anniversary. As the leading UK organisation for supporting emergent art practice from British art schools, New Contemporaries has consistently provided a critical platform for final year undergraduates, postgraduates and artists one year out of postgraduate study, primarily by means of an annual touring exhibition.

Participants were announced in May and as part of Liverpool Biennial 2014, the resulting national touring exhibition opens at the World Museum, National Museums Liverpool, 20 September 2014, offering a compelling picture of contemporary practice with the work of 55 artists on display.

JOHN MOORES PAINTING PRIZE

Saturday 5 July - Sunday 30 November. Walker Art Gallery, Free

The first-prize winner of the UK’s best-known and longest-running painting competition will be announced on 19 September 2014 at the Walker Art Gallery. 

50 artists were originally selected from more than 2,500 entrants with the shortlist of five prize winners announced on 5 July 2014; Rae Hicks, Juliette Losq, Mandy Payne, Alessandro Raho and Rose Wylie, from which one overall winner will be selected.

The 2014 judges are Tim Marlow, Director of Artistic Programmes at the Royal Academy and artists Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Zeng Fanzhi, Chantal Joffe and Tom Benson.

ISABEL LEWIS

30 September, 7-10pm, Palm House, Sefton Park, Free, booking required

This September, Liverpool Biennial welcomes artist Isabel Lewis who will host a unique event in the Palm House, Sefton Park. Continuing the theme of her current work, which takes the form of hosted "occasions" that are concerned with composition in the space of social encounter, Lewis’ event will take the form of a party, at which Isabel will present her own work. Within the occasion hospitable conditions are generated for the mixing of modes from the sensual to the discursive. 

Similar perhaps to the ancient Greek symposium, or "drinking party", the occasion is a celebratory meeting of things, people, plants, music, smells and dances.

An Occasion Hosted by Isabel Lewis is a Frieze Project co-commissioned by 

Liverpool Biennial, ICA and Frieze. Isabel Lewis will be hosting a series of occasions as part of Frieze Projects in London from 14-17 October 2014.

KEY EVENTS FOR OCTOBER INCLUDE 

Wednesday 8 October

6.30pm

Sharon Lockhart Film Programme: Bill Douglas Trilogy

FACT / £8 / £7 (concs)

Bill Douglas's reputation as a film director rests largely on three films he made in the 1970s, the total running length of which is only just over three hours. My Childhood / My Ain Folk / My Way Home

Saturday 11 October

10am-4pm

International Biennial Association Summit

The Bluecoat / Free, booking required

The Summit brings international representatives of the IBA together with professionals in the UK that organise periodic and Biennial festivals. Together they explore a range of Biennial models in order to broaden knowledge of international practice in the UK.

Wednesday 15 October

7pm

Paul O’Keeffe: Whistler v Ruskin: the 'Pot of Paint' Libel Trial

The Bluecoat / Free, booking required

Whistler’s famous court case with John Ruskin is brought to life in this illustrated talk.

Friday 17 October

6.30pm

Sharon Lockhart World Premiere

6.30pm / FACT / £6/£5 

Join Sharon Lockhart herself and be the first to see her new film, commissioned by Liverpool Biennial and FACT. In making this film, Lockhart returned to Poland to work with Milena and a group of twelve adolescent girls from the Youth Center for Sociotherapy, an orphanage in the town of Rudzienko. On a nearby farm, through a series of workshops led by educator and philosopher Bartosz Przybył-Ołowski, the group developed exercises and activities designed to empower the authority of their own voice and perspective on the world.

Thursday 23 October

6.30pm

Drinks With... Ben Highmore

Liverpool Medical Institution / Free, booking required

Drinks With... is a series of commissioned presentations by noted speakers, asking pertinent questions in response to the key curatorial concerns of A Needle Walks into a Haystack. 

www.biennial.com

Liverpool Sound City review 2013

SoundCity took over Liverpool at the May Bank Holiday weekend and once again proved why it is so popular and draws people from from and near to the city centre year after year.

As there was so much musical genres on offer, over so many venues, it's obviously impossible for us to bring you a review of everything that happened, so you'll just have to hear about what we considered some of the many many highlights of this years musical frolics and festivities.

We'll start you off on this three day musical journey, with Liverpool's very own Robert Vincent who performed at the Black E, Rob is fast becoming known nationwide for his folk/country style of music, distinctive vocals and heartfelt lyrics. This time around he had a full band playing with him, including Anna Corcoran on keyboard, which showed a different perspective to his music and worked fabulously in a larger environment. Rob treated us to some of his favourite tracks including a bouncy rendition of his latest EP, "The Bomb" and what has to be one one the most heart felt performances of the weekend with, "Demons".

One venue that was completely new to SoundCity this year was Liverpool's historic Anglican Cathedral, which played host to a few select artists, including Thursday night headliners, Noah and the Whale, whose folk fueled opening numbers including Blue Skies, and a new track from their latest album, Heart of Nowhere, with the same title, which was a heady synthesized rock number, slightly reminiscent of The Killers, the rest of the set had a rockier edge to it and Charlie Fink's vocals which reverberated around the Anglican creating an amazing atmosphere and was great headlining act for the Anglican's first night of musical fun. 

Also playing at the Anglican were none other than 80's legends of denim dungarees, Dexys Midnight Runners, who played firm favourites, Come on Eileen and Geno, but a vast array of old and new numbers and dungaree clad (YAY) lead singer Kevin Rowland showed his vocal range going from folk to blues to pop throughout the set. I have to admit I was slightly perplexed at one point when they seemed to re enact scenes from a bizarre spaced out episode of The Bill, with Kevin Rowland, trying to report an incident to a "policeman" but he couldn't recall what it was.....I'm still slightly confused as to what that was all about now and have at times wondered if I imagined it!! But the crowd seemed to be enjoying it immensely as were Dexy's.

This year, we managed to see quite a few acts in one of my favourite live music venues, The Kazimier and The Kazimier Gardens. I can't ever recall ever being disappointed listening to a band in these acoustically sound joined venues. This year they had some fab acts on offer but the Gardens won outright for me. With French electro pop act Concrete Knives, as a prime example, they had the crowd hooked from the start of their set. Performing their own songs "Wallpaper" and ""Be Your Own King" and a fab rendition of "Hot Stepper" the band looked like they were enjoying themselves just as much as the crowd. With twisting electro pop sounds and hedonistic beats from the drums it had a hypnotic vibe throughout the set that kept on transcending upwards and onwards taking everybody with them on their musical journey, Concret Knives definitely deserved the massive amount of cheers and applause at the end of their set.


The next day we were back in the very sunny and shiny Kazimier Gardens for "Korea Rocks" and after a few hours spent there I can say it definitely does. As we approched we could hear the raw rock rifts drifting over the walls and were pretty much blown away by "Galaxy Express" This trio are the very embodiment of rock and roll. From their looks, music and raw rasping rock vocals top this off with a free BBQ to sample Korean food (yes I went back more than once as it was amazing!!), goodie bags and the happiest atmosphere Ive felt in a long time and definitely put Korea on the musical go to map.

Later that night we were off to a very packed, very very hot and very very very sweaty O2 Academy for Enter Shikari. and what can you say apart from "Oh my frickin God"...these guys are amazing. The energy alone from them is enough to make your head spin, let alone trying to keep up with what part of the stage they're jumping from or climbing up onto but damn, they give one hell of a show. I don't really want to put them into a "genre" as they cross over so many to create their pretty unique sound and whatever influences they draw on, it definitely works for them and their legion of fans love it, especially when they performed tracks like, "All Eyes On The Saint" and crowd favourite "Destabalise"


Keeping on the metal theme, I'll move onto The Marmozets who played at Screenadelica on the Thursday night. We literally came across these by chance after a fair bit of folk music and being surrounded by the obligatory hipsters at most venues we went to. Marmozets are fronted by lead singer, Becca McIntyre who gave it her all with some full on raw metal vocals and rest of the band providing some heavy back up on guitars and drums, they were like a breath of fresh metal air to hear....I'm still in awe at her range of vocals. Loved these guys totally for their music, energy, head banging finesse and leaping off the stage to play in the crowd.....what can I say apart from fanfuckingtastic. 

And finally I leave you with Fire Beneath The Sea, an eclectic little group of pals who are full of fresh bouncing jazz and ska fueled energy with a dab of hip hop and according to them "skanking" flung in for good measure, and nope, I'm still not too sure what that is, but it definitely works for them. Playing to a very very packed Brooklyn Brewery, and thankfully minus the clown masks this time they performed with such energy and gusto that you cant help be swept up with atmosphere they create. If you love happy bouncy times with a band that is full of character then these are definitely the live act to catch. Perfect for an outdoor summer gig....Kazamier Gardens, I hope you get them in there soon!!


So after three days, we have seen once again that Liverpool Sound City has hit the bullseye once again, offering a vast array of different musical styles to please even the hardest musical connoisseur of modern music. so thank you for a fun packed festival and hears to next years, but if you're going to get Bastille again, try to get them on before 2am if you could!!


Review by Alison Goggin

Photos by Thomas Lennon

SENSE OF SOUND A CAPPELLA FESTIVAL HAILED A SUCCESS

Sense of Sound, organisers of the Voices Festival of a cappella singing, has hailed the event a great success.

Over the course of the weekend, the city of Liverpool was filled with the sound of a cappella singing in all its forms. From the uplifting and powerful sound of choral singing, to the music of Joni Mitchell the incredible talent of a world-renowned beat-boxer and even Mongolian Throat Singing, all capped off with a Big Sing at the Bluecoat which closed the festival.

Voices began with an innovative national conference into the effects of singing on health, at which the groundwork for an open forum sharing ideas and best practice in the field was laid, following presentations from key industry professionals including Phoene Cave (Nordoff Robins) and Trish Vella-Burrows (Sidney De Haan Research Centre for Music, Arts & Health).

The conference was followed by a weekend of performances, with standing room only available at both Friday evening’s tribute to Joni Mitchell, which featured Connie Lush and Saturday 

evening’s concert, performed by world renowned beat-boxer Shlomo. Over a dozen choirs performed to a busy bluecoat hub on Saturday afternoon and a huge crowd packed out the space to take part in Sunday evening’s Big Sing. 

Saphena Aziz, Director at Sense of Sound and Festival Organiser said “We had a fabulous time organising this year’s Voices Festival and I can’t believe how much of a success the weekend was. I’d like to thank all of those people who were involved, the choir and to those who came along to enjoy a performance or a workshop over the course of the weekend as your support means so much to us. Plans are already in the making for next year’s festival, which will be even bigger and better, taking place throughout the city.”

Voices Festival was presented by arts organisation, Sense of Sound and arts venue, the Black-E. Sense of Sound is one of the most unique and inspirational companies in the UK today. Led by four female directors; Jennifer John, Saphena Aziz, Juliet Russell – recently a voice coach for BBC One’s upcoming talent show ‘The Voice’ -  and Perri Alleyne-Hughes, the organisation aims to create and produce amazing ways to celebrate singing and the Voices Festival  was no exception.

The Voices Festival was produced by Sense of Sound and the Black-E, more information can be found at www.senseofsound.net. 

Raise your voice - a cappella countdown begins in Liverpool

Sense of sound voices festival in Liverpool begins this week

Sense of Sound and the Black-E present

VOICES FESTIVAL – THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS!

Three Day Festival Celebrating A Cappella Singing

Set to Wow City of Liverpool This Weekend

The countdown to Liverpool’s biggest a cappella celebration, the Voices Festival, has begun – This weekend (Friday 16 March to Sunday 18 March) the city of Liverpool will be filled with the sound of singing in all its forms. From the uplifting and powerful sound of choral singing, to the incredible talent of a world-renowned beat-boxer, Voices Festival will wow audiences of all ages at the Black-E and Bluecoat arts venues.

Voices Festival is presented by Sense of Sound and, the Black-E. Sense of Sound is one of the most unique and inspirational companies in the UK today. Led by four female directors; Jennifer John, Saphena Aziz, Juliet Russell – recently a voice coach for BBC One’s upcoming talent show ‘The Voice’ -  and Perri Alleyne-Hughes, the organisation aims to create and produce amazing ways to celebrate singing and the Voices Festival is no exception.

The festival kicks off on Friday 16 March with a National Conference for Singing and Health featuring a number of presentations from key UK vocal experts. The conference will discuss the positive links between singing and physical and mental health and wellbeing and will provide an opportunity to share best practice and discover the latest breakthroughs.

The conference is the perfect event for health educators and researchers, speech therapists, vocal coaches, singers and anyone with an interest in singing or health.

Featuring presentations from Nordoff Robbins Speech Therapist, Phoene Cave, Victoria Hume - Arts Manager at Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust, Dane Chalfin - A Director of the British Voice Association and one of the UK's leading professional vocal coaches and voice rehabilitation experts and Trish Vella-Burrows , Assistant Director  of the Sidney De Haan Research Centre for Music, Arts & Health.

Friday evening will then see Voices Festival start the weekend in style with a stunning concert celebrating the legendary artist, Joni Mitchell. The concert will feature special guest star, Connie Lush, and the fantastic Sense of Sound Singers. Described as one of the most influential recording artists of the 20^th Century, Joni Mitchell’s music has touched millions of people the world over. This poignant concert performance will offer an opportunity to see why, as Mitchell’s unforgettable songs including ‘Big Yellow Taxi,’ ‘Both Sides Now’ and ‘A Case of You’ are performed in  unique a cappella arrangements.

Saturday 17 March has an exciting day of performances and interactive events for singing enthusiasts, starting with a series of performances from choirs across the region. Merseyside choirs have been invited to perform in the Bluecoat Hub venue, and is a free event offering the opportunity to enjoy the musical diversity of a cappella singing. Members of the public are able to come along, enjoy the music and take part.

Choirs that will perform on the day include The Raucus Caucus Recovery Chorus; Vox Voices; Singing Our Socks Off; Liverpool Community Choir; Liverpool Harmonic Gospel Choir; Indigo Vibe.

The tempo of the day is then ramped up as the world-renowned Olympic beat-boxer, Shlomo, takes to the stage at the Black-E arts venue. Possessing vocal skills that have to be heard to be believed, Shlomo has performed on a world stage with Icelandic artist, Björk, at the Athens Olympic opening ceremony to 4.5 billion viewers across the globe. His fans range from Jools Holland to Jarvis Cocker and he has worked with the likes of Martha Wainwright and Damon Albarn to name a few. This exciting and astonishing talent will wow a lucky Liverpool audience for one night only.

Shlomo is also in Liverpool to work alongside the Voices Festival to provide a workshop for local youth workers to learn more about his skill and how it can connect and inspire the young people of the city.

A FREE day of family fun will take place at the Bluecoat on Sunday 18 March. With interactive activities for all ages taking place throughout the day, this is any budding singer’s opportunity to take part in workshops covering many musical genres, with an a cappella twist.

The festival will end with a massive ‘Big Sing’, which will take place in the Bluecoat Hub on the afternoon of Sunday 18^th. Everyone is invited to come along and join in the fun!

Sense of Sound Co-Director, Saphena Aziz, commented: “We are absolutely delighted to present Voices Festival to the city of Liverpool this year. The festival incorporates everything from interactive events, incredible performances and access to learning more about the benefits of singing. We hope to showcase the diversity of a cappella singing over the course of the festival, and look forward to the many spectacular performances we have lined up.”

Sense of Sound Co-Director, Juliet Russell, said: “March is an exciting month for Sense of Sound with the Voices a cappella festival and the launch of the new BBC series The Voice. I was one of the vocal coaches on the show and it gave me the opportunity to do what Sense of Sound is passionate about; developing and showcasing fantastic singers, as part of what promises to be a groundbreaking television singing competition.

“We have an inspiring line up for this year's festival. Joni Mitchell is one of my all time favourite singers and songwriters and this celebration of her work and life feels very special to be involved with. This show is for anyone who loves Joni and her music or who loves to listen to contemporary choral music. Shlomo is someone who has turned beat-boxing into an art-form. What he can do with his voice is incredible, so musical and entertaining. Don't miss it!’’

The Voices Festival is produced by Sense of Sound and the Black-E, more information can be found at www.senseofsound.net.

FESTIVAL INFORMATION

Voices Festival

Friday 16 – Sunday 18 March

The Bluecoat & The Black-E

www.senseofsound.net

Olympic beat-boxer comes to Liverpool

 

Olympic beat-boxer Shlomo comes to Liverpool

Shlomo, a World Record holding beat-boxer and Southbank Centre Artist in Residence, is set to perform at the Black-E, Liverpool on Saturday 17 March.

Shlomo has worked for years to push the boundaries of beat-boxing as an art form and used his incredible vocal skills to make music within all kinds of musical genres. Now, he comes to Liverpool for a one off performance as part of the Voices Festival of a cappella singing, produced by Sense of Sound, which takes place from Fri 15 – Sun 17 March. 

Shlomo’s fascinating live performance technique utilizes a loop pedal to sample his voice on the fly, enabling him to create and rework a huge range of original songs and well loved classics

Demonstrating the breadth of his abilities, Shlomo’s amazing talent has lead him to make music with the likes of the Mighty Boosh, Björk, Martha Wainwright, Damon Albarn, Jarvis Cocker, Bill Bailey as well as appearing on Later with Jools Holland. 

Classically trained as a drummer and percussionist since the age of eight, Shlomo took up jazz drums in his teens. In 2002 he moved to Leeds to study Astrophysics, but his beat-boxing quickly got him noticed and he joined the award-winning hip hop group Foreign Beggars soon after, heading on tour across the UK, Europe and Canada.

In August 2004, Shlomo was invited by Icelandic singer Björk to beatbox on her all-vocal album Medulla. The track, ‘Oceania’, was commissioned to be performed at the Olympics Opening Ceremony in Athens and the performance was subsequently nominated for a Grammy Award. An estimated audience of 4.5 billion viewers saw this performance, making Shlomo the most heard beat-boxer in history.  In 2011 Shlomo represented the UK at the World Loopstation Championships in LA where he defeated finalists from 12 other countries..

Shlomo commented: "I'm delighted and excited to be performing at the Voices Festival. Sense Of Sound is a fantastic movement and I think it's going to a brilliant event. I will be sure to bring my baddest beats and basslines!"

Saphena Aziz, Director at Sense of Sound said: “We are delighted to welcome Shlomo to Liverpool as part of the Voices Festival. It’s tremendously exciting to have this innovative and highly-respected artist performing – we look forward to his appearance greatly.”

Other events taking place over the duration of the festival include a National Conference for Singing and Health, an a cappella concert featuring The Sense of Sound Singers and Connie Lush celebrating the music of Joni Mitchell at the Black-E both on Fri 16 March and a day of a cappella performances from 15 of the region’s choirs on Sat 17 March. Bringing the festival to a close on Sunday, March 18^th will be a free day of family fun with interactive activities for all ages throughout the day and will end with a massive ‘Big Sing’, which will take place in the Bluecoat Hub on the afternoon of Sunday 18^th.

Sense of Sound is one of the most unique and inspirational companies in the UK today. Led by four female directors; Jennifer John, Saphena Aziz, Juliet Russell and Perri Alleyne-Hughes, the organisation aims to create and produce amazing ways to celebrate singing and the Voices Festival is no exception. From hip hop to barbershop and contemporary jazz to choral, the Voices Festival will showcase the full (vocal) range of a cappella singing styles, giving plenty of opportunity for everyone to interact, get involved and get singing!

Catch Shlomo’s performance on ITV1’s Daybreak by clicking  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNzW39nxMgw&feature=player_embedded#!

More information on Shlomo can be found at www.shlo.co.uk

The Voices Festival is produced by Sense of Sound and the Black-E, more information can be found at www.senseofsound.net.

PERFORMANCE DETAILS:

Shlomo in Concert

The Black-E

Sat 17 March, 8pm

Tickets: £10/£8 – Student and Under 16s Special: £5

To book tickets call 0151 709 5109 or alternatively click www.senseofsound.net

Choirs invited to take part in a cappella festiva

Choirs Invited to Take Part in 2012 Voices Festival

Following the announcement of the Voices Festival 2012, award winning vocal group Sense of Sound is offering Choirs from all musical backgrounds the opportunity to take part in the Voices Festival on Saturday 17 March.

The Voices Festival is a three day celebration of a cappella singing set to take place at Liverpool’s Bluecoat and Black-E arts centres from Friday 16 – Sunday 18 March. Choirs at the Bluecoat will take place in the Hub at the Bluecoat.

Sense of Sound is looking for choirs of all shapes, sizes and musical backgrounds to perform a maximum of three a cappella songs as part of ‘Choirs at the Bluecoat,’ which will celebrate the diversity of a cappella singing. Members of the public will be able to come along, listen to the choirs and enjoy the music for free.

In order to apply, choirs should get in touch with Saphena Aziz, Director at Sense of Sound on Saphena@senseofsound.net.  A YouTube or Sound Cloud clip would be an advantage as some evidence of your work will be needed.

Saphena Aziz, Director at Sense of Sound said: ‘’I’m really looking forward to the ‘Choirs at the Bluecoat’ day as part of the Voices Festival. 15 choirs performing one after the other throughout the day will truly showcase and celebrate the diversity of the a cappella genre. We’re looking for all types of choirs from religious choruses and beat box groups to choirs who’ll perform popular numbers or classics in an a cappella arrangement to take part. It’s exciting to be searching for the choirs to take part in this year’s festival and to be able to offer such an incredible platform to showcase new talent.  It’s great to use this opportunity to invite other talented singers to be involved in the festival.”

Sense of Sound is one of the most unique and inspirational companies in the UK today. Led by four female directors; Jennifer John, Saphena Aziz, Juliet Russell and Perri Alleyne-Hughes, the organisation aims to create and produce amazing ways to celebrate singing and the Voices Festival is no exception. From hip hop to barbershop and contemporary jazz to choral, the Voices Festival will showcase the full (vocal) range of a cappella singing styles, giving plenty of opportunity for everyone to interact, get involved and get singing!

Other events taking place over the duration of the festival include a National Conference for Singing and Health at the Bluecoat, an a cappella concert featuring The Sense of Sound Singers and Connie Lush celebrating the music of Joni Mitchell at the Black-E both on March 16^th, as well as a special performance from the most heard beat boxer in history, Shlomo on March 17^th. Bringing the festival to a close on Sunday, March 18^th will be a free day of family fun with singing workshops for all ages throughout the day and will end with a massive ‘Big Sing’, which will take place in the Bluecoat Hub on the afternoon of Sunday 18^th.

The Voices Festival is produced by Sense of Sound and the Black-E, more information can be found at www.senseofsound.net.

FESTIVAL INFORMATION

Voices Festival

Friday 16 – Sunday 18 March

The Bluecoat & The Black-E

www.senseofsound.net

Choirs at the Bluecoat

The Bluecoat

Saturday 17 March

10am-4pm

FREE

For more information click www.senseofsound.net

Sense of Sound get Liverpool singing with a cappella festival

Sense of Sound is delighted to announce the Voices Festival, a three day celebration of a cappella singing, set to take place at Liverpool’s Bluecoat and Black-E arts centres from Friday 16 – Sunday 18 March.

Sense of Sound is one of the most unique and inspirational companies in the UK today. Led by four female directors; Jennifer John, Saphena Aziz, Juliet Russell and Perri Alleyne-Hughes, the organisation aims to create and produce amazing ways to celebrate singing and the Voices Festival is no exception.

From hip hop to barbershop and contemporary jazz to choral, the Voices Festival will showcase the full (vocal) range of a cappella singing styles, giving plenty of opportunity for everyone to interact, get involved and get singing!   

On Friday 16 March, Sense of Sound will open the festival with a National Conference for Singing and Health.  Through a number of presentations from top vocal experts, the one day event will provide an opportunity to share best practice and discover the latest breakthroughs.  Perfect for health educators and researchers, speech therapists, vocal coaches, singers and anyone with an interest in singing or health, the conference will feature presentations from Nordoff Robbins Speech Therapist, Phoene Cave, Victoria Hume - Arts Manager at Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust, Dane Chalfin - A Director of the British Voice Association and one of the UK's leading professional vocal coaches and voice rehabilitation experts and Trish Vella-Burrows , Assistant Director  of the Sidney De Haan Research Centre for Music, Arts & Health.

Saphena Aziz, Director at Sense of Sound said: ‘’I’m delighted to present this ground breaking conference as part of Liverpool’s decade of health and wellbeing.  A great number of discoveries have occurred in the past few years, showing that singing has a fantastic, positive effect on health. This conference will allow practitioners to come together to share ideas, allowing us all to learn and keep this exciting field of health and wellbeing moving forward. ’

The renowned Sense of Sound Singers and special guest star Connie Lush will pay homage to Joni Mitchell with an a cappella concert at the Black-E on the evening of Friday 16 March, with support from acclaimed group Barbieshop.

Described as one of the most influential recording artists of the 20^th Century, Joni Mitchell’s music has touched millions of people the world over. This poignant concert performance will offer an opportunity to see why, as Mitchell’s unforgettable songs including ‘Big Yellow Taxi,’ ‘Both Sides Now’ and ‘A Case of You’ are performed in  unique a cappella arrangements.

On Saturday 17 March, Choirs from around the region will have the chance to perform in the Bluecoat Hub. This free day of music offers an opportunity to enjoy the musical diversity of a cappella singing.  Members of the public are able to come along, enjoy the music and take part. More details on how choirs can get involved in this will be announced shortly.

Shlomo, the most heard beatboxer in history and Southbank Centre Artist in Residence, is set to play The Black-E on the evening of the 17 March.

Shlomo pushes the boundaries of beatboxing as an art form, using his incredible vocal skills to make music with people from all kinds of musical backgrounds, including Björk, Martha Wainwright, Damon Albarn and Jarvis Cocker. He comes to Liverpool to show off his huge range of original songs and well loved classics.

A FREE day of family fun will take place at the Bluecoat on Sunday 18 March. With interactive activities for all ages taking place throughout the day, this is any budding singer’s opportunity to take part in workshops covering many musical genres, with an a cappella twist.

The festival will end with a massive ‘Big Sing’, which will take place in the Bluecoat Hub on the afternoon of Sunday 18^th. Everyone is invited to come along and join in the fun!

The Voices Festival is produced by Sense of Sound and the Black-E, more information can be found at www.senseofsound.net.

FESTIVAL INFORMATION

Voices Festival

Friday 16 – Sunday 18 March

The Bluecoat & The Black-E

www.senseofsound.net

Singing and Health - A National Conference

The Bluecoat

Friday 16 March

10am – 5pm

Tickets:  Individuals: £40 Organisations: £55

EARLY BIRD OFFER Book before 20^TH February to receive a discount on delegate price

 Individuals: £30 Organisations: £45

How to Book: You can book in person at the Bluecoat Tickets and Information, School Lane, Liverpool. Alternatively, book by calling 0151 702 5324 or click www.senseofsound.net

The Sense of Sound Singers & Connie Lush perform the hits of Joni Mitchell

The Black-E            

Friday 16 March, 8pm

Tickets: £12.50/ £10.00 concessions

How to Book: You can book in person at the Bluecoat Tickets and Information, School Lane, Liverpool. Alternatively, book by calling 0151 702 5324 or click www.senseofsound.net

Choirs at the Bluecoat

The Bluecoat

Saturday 17 March

10am-4pm

FREE

For more information click www.senseofsound.net

Shlomo in Concert

The Black-E

Saturday 17 March, 8pm

Tickets: TBC

How to Book: You can book in person at the Bluecoat Tickets and Information, School Lane, Liverpool. Alternatively, book by calling 0151 702 5324 or click www.senseofsound.net

Family Fun Day with the Sense of Sound Singers

FREE

The Bluecoat

Sunday 18 March

For more information or to book a place click www.senseofsound.net.

Voices Festival Big Sing

The Bluecoat

Sunday 18 March

4-5pm

FREE

For more information click www.senseofsound.net

Harvest Sun Promotions presents...Josh Rouse at the Black-E

Harvest Sun Promotions presents...Josh Rouse at the Black-E Liverpool

This Thursday a Harvest Sun All Timer to Liverpool for the first time since 2004, as JOSH ROUSE comes to the landmark Black-E buildling.  The buidling built absolutely years ago (Wikipedia for all the juicy facts) houses one of the most wonderful venues we've seen in a very long time - think a mini version of the Paradiso in Amsterdam and you're almost there.

This is one of only 5 UK dates for Josh and the only one in the Northwest, all in support of his brilliant new album, Josh Rouse & The Long Vacations.  We can't wait to be honest, it could be our finest hour yet.  Check out the beautiful poster above listen to all his albums on Spotify then purchase your ticket.

Below are more of our upcoming shows including new ones with SLEEP PARTY PEOPLE, MOON DUO, The People's Balearic Disco with PSYCHEMAGIK, CHRISTIAAN WEBB of the spawns of Jimmy Webb, The Webb Brothers and WALLIS BIRD.

26/01 JOSH ROUSE @ The Black-E

30/01 FRANCOIS & THE ATLAS MOUNTAINS @ Leaf Bold Street

01/02 LINDI ORTEGA @ Leaf Bold Street

14/02 HIGH PLACES @ The Shipping Forecast

23/02 THE WAR ON DRUGS @ The Kazimier

24/02 COLD SPECKS @ Leaf Bold Street

25/02 FANFARLO @ The Static Gallery

07/03 CASS McCOMBS @ Leaf Bold Street

08/03 VERONICA FALLS @ Leaf Bold Street

16/03 DIAGRAMS @ The Static Gallery

24/03 PSYCHEMAGIK @ Leaf Bold Street

19/01 CHRISTIAAN WEBB (The Webb Brothers) @ The Static Gallery 

20/04 SLEEP PARTY PEOPLE @ Mello Mello

09/05 WALLIS BIRD @ Leaf Bold Street

23/05 THE HANDSOME FAMILY @ Leaf Bold Street

07/06 MOON DUO @ The Static Gallery

Tickets for all shows available right here:

http://www.ticketline.co.uk/harvest-sun#bio