Manchester Collective: WEATHER

Manchester Collective are playing Weather at the Schwarzman Centre on Thursday 27 May 2027. The performance is a reimagining of Michael Gordon's composition, and they're not doing it alone: field recordist Chris Watson and filmmaker Carlos Casas are on the bill too. The music is layered with field recordings of threatened habitats and immersive sound, so it's as much about the environment as it is about the score.

It's part of the Schwarzman Centre's 2027 season, which runs from January to July and brings together international musicians, artists, choreographers and filmmakers. The line-up for the season includes new work by Cultural Fellows Anoushka Shankar and Wayne McGregor, alongside appearances by Yo-Yo Ma, Angela Hewitt and De La Soul. A lot of the projects are specially commissioned and developed with Oxford University researchers, looking at the links between the arts, science, technology, the environment and human wellbeing.

The venue itself is the Sohmen Concert Hall, inside the Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities on Woodstock Road. The Centre opened to the public in April 2026 and houses seven of the university's humanities faculties, the Bodleian Humanities Library and state-of-the-art performance, screening and exhibition spaces. That's where you'll find the concert hall, so it's worth keeping in mind if you're planning your route into the city. The performance takes place on 27 May 2027.