Manchester People - Issue 39, Summer 2009

Manchester International Festival returns this July, bringing some of the world's most exciting artists to our fair city for 18 days of art, music, theatre, food and more.

Again, the Festival is full of firsts. People from around the world are snapping up tickets to exciting premieres, but it's not too late for Manchester people to join in.

The Festival, which runs from 2 to 19 July, was launched in 2007 with landmark world premieres such as Damon Albarn, Jamie Hewlett and Chen Shi-Zheng's opera, Monkey: Journey To The West, internationally acclaimed live art show Il Tempo Del Postino and atmospheric site-specific theatre piece The Pianist.

The Festival, which takes place every other year, goes from strength to strength in 2009, with an impressive line-up that includes Rufus Wainwright's debut opera Prima Donna; Everybody Loves a Winner, Neil Bartlett's new play, which will bring bingo to the Royal Exchange Theatre; Elbow and the Hallé teaming up for a musical love letter to Manchester; a double-bill featuring electro pioneers Steve Reich and Kraftwerk; and a very special performance by arguably the greatest male ballet dancer of his generation, Carlos Acosta.

Sir Richard Leese, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: "This year's programme is incredibly exciting and is even more ambitious than in 2007. To be hosting this internationally renowned festival of original new work is great for the city and further enhances its reputation as a leading international centre for art and culture in all its forms. It provides tremendous opportunities to showcase not only the city's artistic venues but also our home-grown talent alongside outstanding international artists, presenting work that is both innovative and groundbreaking, demonstrating just what Manchester is about."

For information and tickets visit www.mif.co.uk

Roadshow is on song

One of the undoubted highlights of this year's Manchester International Festival programme is the Young@Heart chorus's brand-new piece End of the Road - a moving, impassioned and life-affirming show.

The Young@Heart chorus, made up entirely of amateur singers of a certain age (the youngest 73, the eldest nearly 90), made its name by lending vitality and poignancy to the unlikeliest of pop songs. The 25-strong ensemble, formed in 1982 by Bob Cilman, returns to the UK after a sell-out run at London's Lyric theatre in 2000 to present a moving new show specially created for Manchester International Festival.

Blending songs by everyone from Buzz-cocks to Bruce Springsteen, with theatre and echoes of film noir, End of the Road is a haunting show about age, memory and the power of music. It follows Road to Heaven and Road to Nowhere, the first two parts of the trilogy that toured the world from 1997 to 2007.

None of the current performers were part of the original group that formed in 1982, but they have kept alive the spirit of the early pioneers and continue to push the group into glorious new directions.

Young@Heart in End of the Road by Bruntwood Theatre, Royal Northern College of Music, 11-18 July. Duration 75 minutes (no interval). Recommended for 8 years+. Tickets £15-£27. Booking at www.mif.co.uk or 0844 815 4960.