| Sunday 05 October 2025 | 16:00 |
| Tabakova, Dobrinka (b. 1980) | Such different Paths, for string septet | |
| Saariaho, Kaija (1952-2023) | Terra Memoria for string quartet | |
| Traditional | Veni Creator Spiritus (arr. Rakhi Singh) | |
| Adams, John (b. 1947) | Shaker Loops (with new text by Christ Bryan) |
| Christ Bryan | Spoken word |
| Manchester Collective |
Life, death, and divine ecstasy.
Music and movement are doorways to spiritual experience. Enter the Shakers. A radical Protestant sect with roots in 18th-century Northern England, they harnessed this power for holy connection and transcendence. American minimalist composer John Adams pays homage to their frenzied worship and ecstatic energy in the high-octane Shaker Loops.
This is no ordinary concert. Weaved into Adams’ oscillating rhythms is freshly-penned spoken word from lyrical force Christ Bryan. The Lancastrian poet emerges from the depths of The White Hotel – the iconoclastic Salford nightclub and arts space – to join the Collective live on stage. In three poems, we wade through the industrial smog of the past and the spiritual malaise of the present to seek salvation.
Before we reach the heavens, there’s a mysterious ode to the departed and an ancient hymn invoking the Holy Spirit. Come, let the light in, and surrender to a force larger than yourself.
Our Inspirational Artists series is graciously supported by The Haworth Trust.
