What's On

Programme

Henry Purcell Selection from The Fairy Queen
Sidiki Dembélé Traditional song
Johnny Faa Traditional
Sidiki Dembélé Traditional song
Nwando Ebizie For You, small in the embrace of untethered, unwinding possible futures

Performers

Sidiki Dembélé & Band percussion, calabash, djembe, ngoni, dundun, balafon, vocals
Manchester Collective string ensemble, bass guitar

About

An exhilarating musical journey, where West African and European traditions call out to each other.

Join Manchester Collective, percussionist extraordinaire Sidiki Dembélé and his band for folksong and storytelling from the Ivory Coast, Mali and Senegal. Born out of his family’s griot tradition of West African oral history and music, Sidiki’s work Teriya (‘friendship’ in Bambara) celebrates where our roots meet and intertwine.

Our destination is the musical meeting point between cultures. Guiding us there and directing from the violin is Rakhi Singh. Hear the old anew with her bold reimaginings of classical and folk tunes, baroque mixed with African percussion, and plenty of improvisational magic along the way.

Adding her own colours to this vibrant palette is Nwando Ebizie. The Northern composer and multidisciplinary artist creates a brand-new work filtered through her very own Afrofuturist vision. Drawing from the power of ancestral heritages and rites, her piece looks back at our destiny and envisions our inheritance, welcoming the future by calling on the spirits of the past.

Constellations is a human experience of sharing and connection. You can be sure that rhythm will be your friend here.

Photo credit: Mike Skelton

Constellations is supported by the Radcliffe Trust, the Leche Trust and the Maria Björnson Memorial Fund. Nwando Ebizie’s new work is commissioned by Manchester Collective with support from the Vaughan Williams Foundation.

Tickets

Full Price £24.50
Student/Under 26 £16.50
Affordable £10

Promoted by RNCM.

Affordable Tickets

We want everyone to have the opportunity to engage with our performances. That’s why across the 2026/27 season we’ve introduced a limited number of Affordable Tickets, available to anyone who feels they may benefit from this option. More information is available on our How to Book page.

Inspirational Artists Multibuy Offer

Book more and save. Automatically save 20% off your tickets when you book two to three events in this series or save 30% when you book four or more. Bookings must be purchased in a single transaction, and this promotion cannot be combined with any other offers or discounts.

This event will end at approximately 8.55pm.