The Stoller Hall at Chetham’s in Manchester is reopening its doors to public audiences, with a line-up of concerts featuring live jazz, an international piano series and an autumn season of chamber music.
A summer of live jazz, in partnership with NQ Jazz and The Yard, will begin on Monday 7 June – the first time public audiences have stepped inside the venue for 14 months. The NQ Jazz programme features lunchtime concerts, evening performances and live streams.
Amongst the artists involved are multiple MOBO award-winning saxophonist and composer Soweto Kinch, seminal vocalist Norma Winstone alongside long-term collaborators Stan Sulzmann and Nikki Iles, plus Jazz FM Instrumentalist of the Year 2016, Mark Lockheart, the renowned saxophonist and bandleader who rose to prominence with the influential big band Loose Tubes.
On Monday 7 June Soweto Kinch – one of the most exciting and versatile musicians in both the British jazz and hip-hop scenes, will re-open The Stoller Hall with a special lunchtime concert and an evening performance at The Yard. There will be Covid-19 safety measures in place throughout to keep audiences and staff safe, including track and trace, social distancing and mask wearing for audiences and staff.
Fran Healey, General Manager at The Stoller Hall said: “This is the moment we’ve been waiting for – we cannot wait to welcome audiences back and to restart live music.
“Creating exceptional live music experiences for our audiences is what we’ve been doing ever since we first opened our doors in 2017 and we’re so excited for that to continue once again. Soweto Kinch promises to be a fantastic start to a summer of live music, which will see us bring some of the UK’s finest jazz musicians to Manchester, as part of a major new programme for us and the city.
“We’ve been working hard behind the scenes to ensure that audiences can enjoy live music again, safely and securely. This includes test and trace, paperless ticketing, one-way systems, reduced capacity seating and social distancing.
“We know that not everyone will want to return straight away, and capacity will be severely reduced to ensure social distancing, so we’re continuing to live stream many of our concerts on our website too, providing online access to culture for audiences of all ages.”
As well as live jazz, the upcoming concert programme at The Stoller Hall features the famous Chetham’s International Piano Series – two weeks of piano concerts, recitals and live streams including performances from Leon McCawley
