Manchester Collective x Sidiki Dembélé: Constellations

A joyful musical journey where tradition and spirituality meet future ancestors and sonic rituals.

“Full of playful experimentation and atmospheric sounds” – The Times

Join Manchester Collective, percussionist extraordinaire Sidiki Dembélé and his band for folksong and storytelling from the Ivory Coast, Mali and Senegal. Born out of his family’s griot tradition of West African oral history and music, Sidiki’s work “Teriya” (“friendship” in Bambara) celebrates where our roots meet and intertwine.

Adding her own colours to this vibrant palette is Nwando Ebizie. The Northern composer and multidisciplinary artist creates a brand-new work filtered through her very own Afrofuturist vision. Drawing from the power of ancestral heritages and rites, her piece looks back at our destiny and envisions our inheritance, welcoming the future by calling on the spirits of the past.

Along the way, lead violinist Rakhi Singh threads together and breathes new life into classical and contemporary works, including selections from John Playford, Henry Purcell, Hans Abrahamsen, Kevin Volans, Emily Hall and Edmund Finnis. You can be sure that rhythm will be your friend here.

Performers

Sidiki Dembélé Ensemble Calabash, djembe, ngoni, dundun, balafon, vocals
Manchester Collective Rakhi Singh (lead violin), string ensemble, bass guitar

Programme

Sidiki Dembélé Teriya
Nwando Ebizie New commission
Selections from John Playford, Henry Purcell, Hans Abrahamsen, Kevin Volans, Emily Hall and Edmund Finnis (arranged by Rakhi Singh)