Community Post Type: News

Williamson Art Gallery and Museum will open for 2025 on Wednesday 12^th February with six brand-new exhibitions. These include new presentations of rarely-seen works from their collections, immersive experiences, and celebrations of contemporary art from across the Liverpool City Region.

Following a period of detailed research and cataloguing, two exhibitions will focus on artists from their collection. The 80th anniversary of the death of Wallasey-trained war artist Albert Richards will be commemorated in an exhibition of some of the 200+ works of his they have in their collection.

Philip Wilson Steer: In Conversation will celebrate the work of this pioneering Birkenhead-born British impressionist. His works have long been considered highlights of the Williamson’s collection, and this exhibition will bring his work into conversation with both his contemporaries and local artists who followed in his footsteps.

Visitors who enjoy interactive experiences will have the opportunity to take an immersive journey into the inner worlds of soil and the subconscious mind in Subterranean Elevator by Di Mainstone. The artwork, commissioned through the Wirral Borough of Culture programme, is an experience which aims to deepen our understanding of biodiversity loss and engage with the emotional landscape of the climate emergency.

Two further exhibitions will celebrate the creativity of contemporary North West artists. Un/Earthed – A Retrospective by Landlines Studio will immerse visitors in the creative process of Angela Stringer and Nicky Perrin, and their alchemical process of turning raw earth into vibrant expressions of story and place. And following on from 2024’s exhibition of ‘Going to the Match’ by L S Lowry and funded by Arts Council England, we have commissioned award-winning photographer Marge Bradshaw to work with Liverpool Trans and Enby FC, visually documenting participants’ stories and experiences of participating in football at the grassroots club.

An extraordinary life will be celebrated in Elizabeth Smolen: Trailblazer. Smolen was a Polish refugee who settled in Birkenhead and became a champion scooter racer and successful businesswoman. Produced in collaboration with Big Heritage, this exhibition tells her incredible story.

All exhibitions will be open from Wednesday 12^th February, except Elizabeth Smolen: Trailblazer which opens on Friday 21^st February. Un-Earthed – A Retrospective by Landlines Studio and Marge Bradshaw’s commission will close on Saturday 28^th June, with all other exhibitions continuing until 20^th December.

Deputy chair of Wirral Council’s Tourism, Communities, Culture & Leisure Committee,  Cllr Ann Ainsworth, said: “This is an incredible programme of exhibitions for 2025 and shows how the Williamson is a vital and exciting part of our local arts scene. There will be something here for everyone, and I have no doubt that everyone will enjoy what is coming up with so much to look forward to. And such a range of arts, showcasing so many different skills and styles, illustrates perfectly how vibrant the arts are here and how this amazing gallery has so much to offer the people of Wirral and the wider city region and beyond.”

More information about the exhibitions, artists and Williamson Art Gallery & Museum can be found on their website

Look out for copies of a new magazine appearing in your library, bookshop or arts centre. It’s called Glass Eye and is being produced to feature the arts and culture scene in St Helens with a special emphasis on heritage.

In fact it’s been funded by the Heritage Lottery and is a continuation of the Creative Underground 82-95 Project which was launched in 2023. The Project continued through the Borough of Culture year to gather and publicize heritage material from that thriving period of the town’s history for inclusion in the town’s Archive. It included the production of a film, Another Country: A Journey through St Helens past about the period. Now readers of Glass Eye will be able to dig even deeper into neglected aspects of St Helens history and culture and contribute their own heritage items to its pages.

What kind of publication is Glass Eye, and who is it for? Its editors say that,-

“Glass Eye” is a “zine”, partly a fanzine in the spirit of early punk,- also maybe a culture-zine. It’s for people who are keen on heritage, but heritage as the sediment of the past and the building materials for the future. Its focus will be St Helens but not in a narrow way. It aims to be a bit cheeky, a bit eccentric and to raise as many questions as it answers.” 

The first issue will feature a range of photographs of the 82-95 scene taken by Barry Gore and a tribute to Mike Parker, stalwart of the local music scene, who died earlier this year. There will also reflections on the idea of “heritage”. “Glass Eye” is free and is already looking out for contributions from local people across the Borough, also help with editorial and production.  

Meanwhile a year after its launch at the Lucem Cinema the film Another Country: A Journey through St Helens past is being launched on-line. and for free, courtesy of the St Helens Arts Service. Written and produced by Roger Hill.

What’s it about? Well, here’s what it says about itself-

“Another Country tells the story of a not-so-quiet revolution. It is a documentary account of a particularly memorable period of music and culture in St Helens, a township among the many which sprang up across Northern England in the Industrial Revolution. In the 1980’s and 1990’s an exciting, unexpected and uniquely wonderful scene developed in the town, apparently from nowhere, and here it is in all its wayward spontaneity, as told by the surviving “actors” in that scene, with material from the period, and brought into the present with an optimistic glance into the future. Can culture make history? And then make it again? “Another Country” says Yes.”

You can access the film by going to https://vimeo.com/892908308. The film was made to provoke new activities and to open up the debate about local culture and is still available for public showings. 

E-Mail: glasseyemag@gmail.com .

Kenny Thomas stands as one of the UK’s most successful soul singers of his generation, having had two Top 10 albums and eight Top 40 singles over his thirty-year-plus career.

His debut album ‘Voices’, released in 1991, sold over a million copies worldwide on Chrysalis Records, going double platinum in the UK alone within the first two weeks and it featured the top 5 hit ‘Thinking About Your Love’. He also appeared on TOTP a remarkable 9 times in under 3 years.

The Multi-platinum selling and 2 x Brit-Award nominated UK singer has also been busy performing to sold out crowds across the UK and Europe, with recent interviews on BBC Radio2, The Sunday Times, Record Collector, Uncut, Mojo and The Mail on Sunday.

Tickets for the KENNY THOMAS – February 2025 – Liverpool Dome show are available from:

Friday 21st February 2025
Price – £32.50 plus BF’s
Doors – 7.00pm
Website – https://www.seetickets.com/event/kenny-thomas/the-dome-at-grand-central-hall/3170913

For more information on KENNY THOMAS, please click onto the following links below:

Website – https://www.kennythomasmusic.com/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/thekennythomas/
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/kennythomasofficial

You Tube clip – ‘Thinking About Your Love’ – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WLmWKT3vUA

Liverpool Shared Reading charity The Reader has announced a joyful new season for this spring 2025.

Brand new events announced for Calderstones Park include a Jane Austen Day, St Patrick’s Day Ceilidh, Easter Family Tea Party and children’s World Book Day Ball.

Kara Orford, Associate Director of Programme Delivery at The Reader, said: “Grab your bonnets and regency dresses as Austenmania is set to take over the UK this year. Here at The Reader we are lucky enough to have the Director of Jane Austen’s House Lizzie Dunford celebrating the author’s 250th anniversary with us in style on Sunday 27 April as part of our new spring season.

“There’s plenty more to get excited about including the Barnsley-born poet and novelist Andrew McMilllan on his new book Pity, and a celebration of Judith Kerr’s 1970s classic children’s story Mog the Forgetful Cat, as well Mother’s Day and Easter events for all the family.” 

2025 is the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth whose astounding popularity shows no sign of decreasing with statues, real-life balls, films, books, stage adaptations, and new TV dramas inspired by her to mark the occasion, including new exhibition Austenmania at Jane Austen’s House from 22 January 2025. 

LITERARY AND WELLBEING

The Reader is hosting a Jane Austen Day at the beautiful Grade II Listed Mansion House to celebrate Britain’s best-loved author’s anniversary on Sunday 27 April, 10.30am-4.30pm.

Events will be run in collaboration with Lizzie Dunford, Director of Jane’s Austen House, Hampshire, where all six of the author’s major novels were written and published.

They include: 

• A Shared Reading of Pride and Prejudice Shared Reading in smaller groups,
• A delicious Austen-themed lunch taking inspiration from the Dinner with Jane Austen recipe book by Pen Vogler 
• A talk from the Jane Austen House Director, Lizzie Dunford, on The Many Walks of Lizzy Bennet and Her Sisters. In this illustrated talk, Lizzie Dunford, Director of Jane Austen House, will take guests along the footpaths of Hertfordshire, Kent and Derbyshire to explore the politics and meaning behind walking for the author’s characters, Jane Austen herself and her contemporaries. From muddy petticoats to Romantic heroines, the talk will reveal the wildness of Austen and what her connection to the natural world can teach us today.
• Time to pick up pen and parchment, we’re writing a letter ‘to Jane’. In this reflective activity the importance of letter writing to Austen will be acknowledged and a chance to celebrate this dying art form.

Other literary events include a visit by award-winning author and poet, Andrew McMillan (Physical, Pandemonium) to The Reader Bookshop on Thursday 13 March for an evening In Conversation to discuss his debut 2024 novel Pity about two middle aged brothers, male identity and sexuality in a Yorkshire pit town.

The Reader’s founder, Dr Jane Davis will be leading a Masterclass: Six Poems, on Sunday 9 March, an opportunity to delve deeper into a work of literature and connect with other book lovers. Ticket includes Soup (VE), Tea and Coffee.

Three Wellbeing Workshops will be running this season. The first will be celebrating Springtime Poetry on Saturday 29 March, 1pm-3.30pm, looking at the work of writers including Gerard Manley Hopkins, Li Young Lee, Carol Ann Duffy and many more.

The second will centre on Shakespeare’s Sonnets on Saturday 19 April, 1pm-3.30-pm. The Bard composed 154 sonnets between 1593 and 1601, bursting with beautiful imagery and timeless insights about love, life, and human nature. In this session, the group will explore a small, curated list of the sonnets, as well as some contemporary poetry inspired by Shakespeare’s works.

A third Wellbeing Workshop will be inspired by Welsh poet RS Thomas on Saturday 31 May, 1pm-3.30pm. Recognised as one of the leading poets of his country, Thomas writes about the people of his country in a style that some critics have compared to the nation’s harsh and rugged terrain.  

For each workshop the afternoon will begin with a relaxed Shared Reading Session led by an experienced practitioner before taking a walk to take in the beauty of Calderstones Park at this time of year.  

The group will then return to the Mansion House to enjoy a warming drink and The Reader will provide everything needed to build a personal own poetry collection to take home – the perfect gift for a loved one or a treat for yourself when a moment of inspiration and calm is needed. Tickets include unlimited tea and coffee.

FOODIE/SOCIAL 

March kicks off with a ‘craic’. Following the success of The Reader’s Burns Night celebrations, traditional Liverpudlian Cèilidh band The Saltcutters will be returning to the Mansion House for a St Patrick’s Cèilidh on Monday 17 March, 7pm-11pm. 

A hearty Irish stew is included with each ticket to fuel an evening of dancing, poetry and merriment, and the beautiful bar will be open throughout. For those who fancy a breather from the fast and furious fray of the Cèilidh, there will also the option to browse selections of the work of Irish poets in our cosy Reading Rooms.

Spoil your mum on Sunday 30 March with a Mother’s Day Lunch – a roast dinner with all the trimmings and dessert – set against the spring blooms in Calderstones Park and a soundtrack of live music.

A second Reader Social will be happening on Sunday 23 March, 2pm-6pm. Join the charity for a fundraising get together raising money to fund Shared Reading in the community, grazing platters, a quiz and raffle. Tickets include a welcome drink, grazing board and dessert.

Pop up a deckchair or lay out a picnic blanket in the Mansion House garden at one of The Reader’s Garden Parties for a laid-back afternoon of food, music and crafts. Browse the Library on the Lawn – a handpicked selection of books for adults and children to explore, and enjoy live entertainment and activities for all the family. 

The BBQ will be sizzling, the bar serving summer favourites, and the Ice Cream trike will be rolling up. The Reader is a charity – expect free entry, donations welcome and no booking required.

CHILDREN & FAMILIES

One of the big highlights for little people this spring is The Reader’s very first World Book Day Ball on Thursday 6 March, 5pm-6.30pm.

Calling all Matilda’s, Gruffalos, Hungry Caterpillars and Harry Potters! The Storyhunters will be throwing a party for their favourite day of the year which will be it is the perfect chance for children to show off their costumes, play games, have a bookish boogie and get crafting. 

The Reader Bookshop will also be staying open until 7pm and fully stocked with all the best choices for children and young adults to spend their brand-new World Book Day tokens. Perfect for four to nine -year-olds but younger siblings welcome too.

There will be some cracking events taking place over Easter including Easter at the Storybarn activity sessions from Monday 14 April to Sunday 20 April. There will be games, storytelling and adorable Easter crafts for children to take home. 

Hop into the Easter Holiday with a little help from The Reader’s Storyhunter pals and some tasty treats. An Easter Family Tea Party on Friday 18 April at 11am and 2.30pm, is the perfect way to celebrate the Easter break with your little ones. After this special Springtime outdoor afternoon tea The Storybarn team will lead games, crafts and the silliest of activities outside on the lawn. 

A celebration of Judith Kerr’s iconic 1970 children’s book, Mog the Forgetful Cat, in collaboration with publishers Harper Collins, will take place on various dates between Sunday 24 May – Sunday 1 June. In these 90-minute sessions for four to nine-year-olds there will be stories, games and catty crafts to take home. Younger siblings are welcome too.

The Storybarn team runs a May Half Term Holiday Club and Spring Half Term Holiday Club for five to 10-year-olds with a difference – every day Storyhunters and children head out into the gorgeous Calderstones Park, dive into the realm of storytelling in the magical Storybarn, play games and much more. Each ticket purchased helps support The Reader’s charitable work with children and young people across the UK.

GARDENING

Estuary Botanics are back to help get would-be gardeners prepped for spring and summer in three workshops starting with Pruning Plants Made Easy on Saturday 8 March, 10am-3pm. In this workshop they will demystify the art and science of pruning. Discover how, why and when plants are pruned, and when its best to leave them be. Learn how to safely and effectively shape a shrub, train a fruit tree, or promote vibrant fresh growth. 

It will be followed by Planting Summer Containers on Saturday 5 April, 10am-3pm. Learn how to design and plant a vibrant, long lasting container display. The workshop will cover all the basics including container choice, composts, plant selection, design layout and maintenance methods to create successful and sustainable planters. Step by step, they will work to help budding gardeners in the group create their own stunning potted display to take home.  

Plant Propagation on Saturday 3 May 2025, 10am-3pm, is set to be a hands-on plant propagation workshop. Learn techniques in seed sowing, taking cuttings, and dividing perennials to create new plants for free. Whether a beginner or seasoned gardener, this workshop will help propagate with confidence. They will take home their own propagated plants and watch them flourish.  

In addition, a new six-week Wildlife course with Estuary Botanics, on Thursdays from 12 June will teach anyone interested in gardens how to transform their plot into a wildlife haven. They will cover how to attract, protect and provide for wildlife. Whether people are looking for the best spot for a bird box, creating a pond, or planting a nectar-rich flowerbed, this course will help them craft a beautiful, sustainable garden where both you and nature can thrive.

No gardening experience is necessary for these courses, all materials are provided and anyone who attends is advised to dress for all weathers.

About Estuary Botanics

Andy Lambie has more than 15 years’ experience at institutes such as the Welsh College of Horticulture and Ness Botanic Gardens. Nif Wilkinson specializes in botany, horticulture and conservation and currently serves as a botany tutor for the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI). 

For the spring season book tickets here.

Kicking off later this month, Mellowtone return to LEAF on Bold Street, with live music from Dan The Man, and Astles, plus DJ Richie Vegas, and hosted by the inimitable Plazzy Bag.

Next up, they have a show with Luce Mawdsley at the Tung Auditorium in February, as well as events at the Philharmonic Music Room in March and April – the return of Blick Bassy, and a St David’s Day Celebration with Catrin Finch & Aoife Ni Bhriain.

They return to LEAF on Bold Street, Thursday 23rd January, with live music from:

Dan The Man

Dan started playing the piano, drums and acoustic guitar at a young age, and began making songs on a Tascam 4-track in his bedroom at the age of 14. This is where his love for recording and writing music began and it continues to this day.  He’s been making music and performing with The Wombats for over 20 years. Along the way he has released 4 solo albums and an EP, and 2 albums with Sunship Balloon – a side project with fellow Wombat, Tord Øverland Knudsen.

Dan’s 4th solo album saw him again collaborating with regular co-producer Rob Whiteley (The Night Cafe/BC Camplight/Ladytron). Entitled ‘Episodes’, it plays out like mini chapters of Dan’s life and thoughts. At times deeply personal, at others surreal and apocalyptic, the album is a fantastic journey riding on the horseback of Dan’s mind.

On the night, Dan will be accompained by bass guitar, and a string quartet.

Astles

“he’s building a world inside his music – and it sounds gorgeous”
Clash MagazineAstles’ ‘Balloon Moon Pop’ colours misty melancholy in pastel seaside shades. Daniel’s songwriting has piqued the interest of the NME, Clash Magazine, Notion Magazine and none other than Sir Paul McCartney (you’ll have to ask Daniel for the full story here).

Astles has supported the likes of Bill Ryder Jones, The Mysterines and Michael Head, and spent the best part of 2024 recording his debut LP.

On the night, he’ll be accompained by cello.

Plus DJ Richie Vegas
Hosted by Plazzy Bag

LEAF on Bold Street
Thursday 23rd January
TICKETS

UPCOMING

Luce Mawdsley
“experimental, expansive, lush and cinematic instrumental compositions”

Wednedsay 19th February
The Tung Auditorium
On stage, 1pm
TICKETS

A St David’s Day Celebration, with Catrin Finch and Aoife Ni Bhriain
“A Spellbinding musical dialogue where traditional and contemporary elements converge”

In association with the Philharmonic
Saturday 1st March
The Philharmonic Music Room
Doors 7pm
TICKETS

Blick Bassy
“nuanced and delicate, organic and electric, powerful and profound”

In association with Africa Oye and the Philharmonic
Sunday 13th April
The Philharmonic Music Room
Doors 7pm
TICKETS

More details on all these events coming soon

Africa Oyé have announced that there will be no summer festival in 2025, but have assured fans that plans are in place to return stronger in 2026.

The announcement comes following a record-breaking festival for the Liverpool institution in 2024 that saw incredible attendances over the June weekend.

With the increased costs that come with this growth, and the rise in industry supplier costs across the sector (estimated at 20-30%), the charity behind the event have taken the difficult decision to have a ‘fallow year’ to ensure the event can return the following year, with festival dates already confirmed as 20th and 21st June 2026.

Artistic Director of Africa Oyé, Paul Duhaney said: “We understand that there will of course be disappointment with this announcement. Our relationships with the Oyé family, festival staff, traders and service suppliers are very important to us and we did not take this decision lightly. With increased infrastructure and compliance costs, it is simply a case that without major investment to cover the costs of delivering a festival of this size safely, it would be irresponsible to go ahead with the event in 2025.” 

The decision comes after the Music Venue Trust and the Association of Independent Festivals have just announced that around 125 grassroots music venues across the country closed last year, while an estimated 192 festivals have disappeared since 2019.

Paul explained: “I can reassure everyone that the festival will be back in 2026. The break will allow us to raise money through a series of fundraising concerts, allow us time to negotiate with major partners, sponsors, and funders, and work towards a safe and successful return to Sefton Park.”

The fundraising concerts that will help raise money for the festival’s return will take place at venues across the Liverpool City Region in 2025, with the first shows to be announced very soon.

For more information on the festival and other events held across the country by Africa Oyé please visit africaoye.com and follow them across social media.

Award winning theatre company 20 Stories High is marking its 19th year by embarking on an exciting new chapter.

Historically known for creating bold and innovative theatre with and for young people aged 13-30, after a year of consultation with participants, board and funders the company are now developing plans to “Open Up” their age groups with a brand-new
participation programme led by new Youth and Community Director Paislie Reid.

Paislie who is also a former 20SH participant and artist has worked extensively as an actor, writer, director and youth worker and is also a co-founder of the Black Actors Collective in Liverpool.

As well as leading on 20 Stories High’s integral Youth Theatre strand, Paislie will also be developing brand new projects with neighbours Windsor Street Primary school in Toxteth and piloting a brand-new Community Company for actors, singers, poets/rappers, musicians, dancers, designers, who are aged 18 plus with no upper age limit.

Keith Saha Artistic Director of 20 Stories High, said:

“We are so excited to have Paislie on board, she is an amazing artist and innovator who cares passionately about the young people and communities we work with. Opening Up our age group is a bold move for us, but also feels like a natural progression. As a company that is almost 20 years old, we are not only responding to the needs of ex participants who have grown with us over that time, but also the greater need for children and those over 30 to have creative spaces in which they can express themselves, especially during challenging times.

Young people will always be at the heart of what we do, but opening gives us exciting new opportunities to make new work and connect intergenerationally.”

Paislie Reid, Youth & Community Director of 20 Stories High, said:

“I am so excited to join 20 stories high in this new role and be working closely with the community to come together to play, create and celebrate the vibrant culture of Liverpool through acting, spoken word, movement and more.”

To get the New Year off to a flyer, National Museums Liverpool has announced a discount for residents of Liverpool City Region across weekdays in January for Bees: A Story of Survival – an exhibition at World Museum that plunges visitors into the world of bees.

Anyone with a postcode from a Liverpool City Region borough – Liverpool, Sefton, Knowsley, St Helens, Wirral or Halton – is  eligible to access this offer on National Museums Liverpool’s website.

Residents can receive a 25% discount on tickets from Tuesday to Friday for Bees: A Story of Survival at www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk.

Using the code LCR25 when purchasing a ticket, visitors simply need to provide proof of their postcode, such as a letter, to receive a discount… and kids also go free!

World Museum, Liverpool and the award-winning artist Wolfgang Buttress have partnered to create Bees: A Story of Survival, which runs from now until 5 May 2025.

Using cutting-edge audio-visual technology, the exhibition explores the lives of bees from across the globe, transporting audiences into their world – including a stunning soundscape featuring 40,000 bees.

Led by changing soundscapes, visitors embark on a journey through eight immersive rooms. On a path through spaces inspired and shaped by the architecture of the bee hive, audiences will engage with bees, through a live stream directly into the heart of a living colony. Using sounds and scents, visitors follow a trail from trees to digital wildflower meadows, highlighting the impact of bees as pollinators of the natural world.

A fusion of art, science, technology and incorporating film from the international scientific community Bees: A Story of Survival brings to life what it is like to see and hear like a bee. The exhibition imagines and dramatically highlights the devastating impact of a world without these fascinating and essential creatures, but ultimately presents a message of hope for the future.

Wolfgang Buttress, said: “Bees can be seen as sentinels of the earth. They have been around for over 120 million years and are exquisitely tuned to the environment. Their health and wellbeing mirror the health of the Earth and they are dying in unprecedented numbers. Their existential challenges reflect our own – they die and suffer, we die and suffer.

“This exhibition was imagined to be like no other. The intention was to create an emotionally engaging and sensory stimulating experience to express the wonder and diversity of bees. I want the audience to feel empathy as well as an understanding and appreciation of these incredible creatures. If we love and respect bees a little bit more after seeing this exhibition, then we may well make the earth a better place for them and us to live in.”

Bridging the gap between sculpture, sound and science, Bees: A Story of Survival draws upon a decade of collaboration between artist Wolfgang Buttress and specialist in bee communication, Professor Martin Bencsik. Taking inspiration from his immensely popular 2015 installation The Hive at Kew Gardens, Buttress delves deep into the world of bees to create an emotional experience that will resonate long after audiences leave.

Throughout the exhibition an ethereal soundscape brings each room to life.  The audio has been created in collaboration with members of Spiritualized under the production collective known as The Kármán Line.

Symphony, is a space where visitors can be part of a responsive artwork and soundscape, and features sounds from over 40,000 bees. Movement is captured live in the space and expressed as ‘light’ shadows resembling stardust or pollen.

World Museum’s extensive entomology collection and specialist curators have played a key role in the development of Bees: A Story of Survival. With over 30,000 specimens of bees – including the UK’s rarest bee, Osmia xanthomelana, found only on a single site in North Wales – the museum’s natural history collections are used to support national and international research on the impact of environmental change on plant and animal populations.

Bees: A Story of Survival runs at World Museum, part of National Museums Liverpool, until Saturday 5 May 2025. The exhibition is sponsored by lead partner Radisson RED Liverpool and premieres at World Museum, before embarking on a global tour.

For more information visit: www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/bees.

Florrie Coffee is Now Open!

The team are so excited to welcome you to their brand-new coffee shop, serving fresh, delicious coffee in their beautifully refurbished café!

⏰ Opening Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:30 AM–2 PM
📍 Location: Inside The Florrie

Whether you want to sit in and relax or grab a takeaway on the go, Florrie Coffee is there for you. And the best part? Every single cup you buy helps keep The Florrie thriving as a hub for their community! 💛

Visit their website here

Happy New Year! Milap are making a positive start to 2025 with their brand new Spring season of Indian Arts & Culture, taking place across Liverpool from February.

Following a fantastic Autumn season, Milap are once again showcasing some of India’s most acclaimed Hindustani and Carnatic musicians as part of their special 40th Anniversary, alongside both established and emerging talent from the UK.

The opening show sees Milap head to The Tung Auditorium for a lunchtime concert, to present rising star Aparna Raguraman with her enchanting expression of Carnatic violin.

Awarded Milap’s National Youth Fellowship in 2020 and 2021, among many other accolades from prestigious national music competitions in her early career, Aparna Raguraman has quickly made her mark as a young female artist.

Praised for her emotional depth and technical precision, Aparna has shared stages with the world’s leading musicians and collaborated with world-renowned sitar virtuoso, Anoushka Shankar, further cementing her status as a promising young artist in Indian classical music.

Joining Aparna on stage are two powerhouse percussionists: Bangalore Prakash on mridangam and Prathap Ramachandra on the ghatam. This dynamic collective promise an afternoon of rich, intricate soundscapes, honouring the depth and beauty of Carnatic music.

The first evening concert of the season features the world-renowned, multi GRAMMY-winner, Rakesh Chaurasia on the bansuri. Rakesh – nephew and disciple of flute legend Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia – is celebrated worldwide for his expressive and technically masterful playing.

Carrying forward his family’s rich musical legacy, Rakesh brings a contemporary touch to the ancient art of bansuri. His mastery and dextrous technique has resonated deeply with audiences across the globe for decades – with him notably concluding the twenty-four hour live music BBC broadcast to a worldwide audience, celebrating Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth’s Silver Jubilee.

Accompanied by tabla maestro, Shahbaz Hussain – whose rhythmic precision and sensitivity is admired internationally – expect an evening of legendary musicianship that showcases the timeless appeal and emotional depth of Hindustani classical music.

2025 sees Milap return to Liverpool International Jazz Festival for another year, to present the extraordinary talents of Rekesh Chauhan at The Capstone Theatre.

Rekesh – a multi-award-winning British pianist and composer – is celebrated for his versatility in both Indian and Western classical traditions. Collaborating with many legendary artists – Pt. Birju Maharaj, MOBO award-winning jazz pianist Zoe Rahman and Mercury Prize-winner, Talvin Singh – Rekesh is recognised for his seamless amalgamation of eastern and western styles.

In this special festival appearance, Rekesh will be joined by internationally renowned tabla maestro Kousic Sen. Together, they will explore the dynamic intersection of Indian classical music and jazz, blending tradition with contemporary innovation. With Rekesh’s evocative piano melodies and Kousic’s virtuosic rhythms, this collaboration promises to offer a fresh perspective on the blending of genres.

To bring the season to a close, Milap return to The Tung Auditorium for another free lunchtime concert, this time spotlighting the rich, melodious sounds of acclaimed sitarist Mehboob Nadeem.

A celebrated and widely respected musician, Mehboob’s mastery over the sitar is unparalleled. Bringing decades of artistry to the stage from around the globe, his performances have been renowned for their virtuosity and intensity. Accompanied by the dynamic tabla maestro, Kousic Sen, the pair are set to deliver a serene and immersive experience – perfect for a midday escape.

Visit the Milap website for full details: milap.co.uk