Manchester Collective x Sidiki Dembélé: Constellations

Manchester Collective and Sidiki Dembélé bring Constellations to the Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall at Campus West, University of York, on Wednesday 7 October. It's a West African and European crossover that puts a West African ensemble and a British string group on the same stage, with the two traditions calling out to each other across the set.

On one side is the Sidiki Dembélé Ensemble, playing calabash, djembe, ngoni, dundun, balafon and vocals. Dembélé comes from a family griot tradition of oral history and music from the Ivory Coast, Mali and Senegal, and his piece Teriya means 'friendship' in Bambara. On the other is Manchester Collective, a string ensemble with bass guitar, led from the violin by Rakhi Singh, who's one of their co-artistic directors alongside Jasmin Kent Rodgman. Singh takes the lead with bold reimaginings of classical and folk tunes, while Northern composer and multidisciplinary artist Nwando Ebizie adds a new work commissioned by the Collective, filtered through her own Afrofuturist vision.

Manchester Collective is an award-winning ensemble that marks its tenth anniversary in 2027 and is known for redefining audiences' relationship with classical music; it's also a Resident Artist at Southbank Centre. The York date is part of their England Tour, and the show is supported by the Radcliffe Trust, the Leche Trust, the Maria Björnson Memorial Fund and the Vaughan Williams Foundation.

The concert starts at 7:30pm at the Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall, Campus West, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DB. Tickets are £7 to £20, and booking is required.