Featuring classical and contemporary concerts, fascinating and fun exhibitions, circus, dance, and performance, Lancaster Arts introduces 'Land' as their new annual theme.
The exciting spring season of live events gets underway with international artists from as far afield as Finland to China and Palestine to New Zealand,
The programme features a diverse concert season, including The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra on 6 March, making their first appearance in Lancaster and performing pieces rarely heard in the UK.
Opera singer Benson White and pianist Chris White perform together for the first time on 27 February, before Chinese pipa virtuoso Gao Hong joins flamenco guitarist Ignacio Lusardi on 13 March.
The season will be rounded off with a special evening of choral music in Lancaster Priory with VOCES8 Scholars Ensemble on 15 May.
The Nuffield Theatre welcomes Gandini Juggling back with their latest show Heka (the Egyptian goddess of magic) on 12 February, followed by two shows exploring aspects of fatherhood in different ways, with Reece Williams' This Kind of Black on 26 February and David Labi's Pieces of a Man on 28 February. Both artists will participate in a special event on fatherhood and masculinity at Lancaster Library on Saturday 1 March.
VERVE, the international touring dance company of Northern School of Contemporary Dance, return with three pieces by different choreographers performed by 16 dancers, on 25 March. The final theatre show of the season will see Jean Daniel Broussé baking bread live on stage in his latest show (le) Pain on 1 May.
On 14-15 February, there will be a rare opportunity to experience theatre in Lancaster University's unique Jack Hylton Room, as Samuel Rees and Gabriele Uboldi present Lessons on Revolution, which garnered rave reviews at last year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Then, on 2 April, in partnership with Lancaster Litfest, leading Palestinian writer Raja Shehadeh, acclaimed author of Palestinian Walks, and co-author Penny Johnson will be in conversation in the Nuffield Theatre.
The first exhibition of the season Exploring LAND: a conversation through art, is now open and runs until 15 March, featuring works from the Lancaster University art collection in which artists have engaged with the theme of Land, be it through printmaking and photography or more traditional painting and drawing. Henna Asikainen will then return to Lancaster Arts, following her project NEST in 2024, as she presents Lintukoto/Haven, opening on 24 March.
Manchester based artist Jez Dolan's mini exhibition Queering the Collection will run alongside both exhibitions, featuring four of his new artworks that will be joining the university collection. These quietly-impactful works draw on the personal and the political, bringing together Queer history and lived experience.
Speaking at the start of the new season, Lancaster Arts Director Jocelyn Cunningham said: "We are proud to be welcoming so many artists from across the globe this season, offering a rich variety of world-class performances and exhibitions in our new theme for 2025, 'Land'.
"There are many artists coming to Lancaster for the first time, from the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra to Reece Williams, Gao Hong and the VOCES8 Scholars Ensemble. We have never had such an international season and we can't wait to welcome you!"
Away from the seasonal programme, Lancaster Arts has been selected to be part of a national project called Nature Calling, where they will be working with artist Rob St John on Are You Lost?, collaborating with communities in and around the Forest of Bowland to develop a series of film, sound and textile installations that highlight the diverse voices and perspectives of the communities in the area.
Rob St. John will also feature as one of four artists providing free talks as part of the Tuesday Talks series that will also include Shezad Dawood, Lesley Taker and Henna Asikainen.
There will be an array of free events, artworks and workshops taking place across Lancaster over the coming months, with new and intriguing projects popping up all the time so keep up to date via the Lancaster Arts website and social media channels.
