What’s on in the Arts

Wednesday 17th November 2021 at 1pm 0 Comments

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FESTIVALS

Outburst Festival: The 15th Outburst Queer Arts Festival returns from 12-20 Nov featuring programme of film, theatre, talks and music. Headlining the Festival is, MASS, the latest production from Ivor Novello nominated composer, Conor Mitchell. This epically proportioned production features 64 musicians of the Ulster Orchestra and specially commissioned visuals from six international film makers. Visit www.outburstarts.com

William Kennedy Festival of Piping: After a one-year pause, one of the longest-running international festivals of pipe-based music anywhere in the world is returning to Armagh. The 27th William Kennedy Piping Festival takes place from the 18th to the 21st November at venues across Armagh City.

The festival, organised since 1994 by Armagh Pipers Club, will feature three principal concerts, concerts in schools, an immersive Piping Academy, and master classes in several instruments. The 2021 Festival will not be like the massive 80-artist events of recent years: it is scaled down to ensure, as far as possible, Covid-safe events, with a back-to-roots emphasis on Irish piping, but with a few superb overseas guests.

Featured artists include Mick O’Brien, Emer Mayock and Aoife Ní Bhriain performing as the Goodman Trio; uilleann pipers Pádraig McGovern, Louise Mulcahy and Cillian Vallely, and Tiarnán Ó Duinnchinn who will be performing in duet with harpist Laoise Kelly. (All six pipers will contribute to the Academy) From Asturias, the festival is delighted to welcome back gaita virtuoso José Manuel Tejedor, while French favourites Sébastien Lagrange and Quentin Millet make a long-awaited return.

Scotland is represented by Mike Katz of Battlefield Band fame, and Alana MacInnes from South Uist. Completing the line-up is the sublime vocalist Diane Cannon from the west Donegal Gaeltacht. Visit www.armaghpipers.com

C.S Lewis Festival: returns from 18-22 November with a series of events in east Belfast. Special events includes,

C.S. Lewis and a Changing Ireland
St Mark's Church, Dundela
Thurs 18th Nov, 7pm
£8

One of this year’s flagship events is armchair discussion between C.S. Lewis expert Roger Courtney and renowned historian Myrtle Hill exploring Lewis’s take on home rule, partition and a changing Ireland. We are hosting this special event in St. Mark’s, Dundela at 7pm on Thursday 18th November.

Late Night at The Lamppost
The Lamppost Café
Sat 20th Nov, 7pm
£45

An evening of Narnia inspired dishes to celebrate this year's C.S. Lewis Festival. Taking place in the unique setting of Belfast's only Narnia inspired cafe.

Enjoy a 5-course tasting menu, inspired by the food described in 'The Chronicles of Narnia'.

Urban Market at C.S. Lewis Square
C.S. Lewis Square
Sat 20th Nov, 1pm-5pm
Free

This special Narnia themed market including home-grown produce and local traders will be the perfect chance to support local businesses while getting ready for Christmas! With fun activities including arts and crafts, street performances and of course the C.S. Lewis Square Chrstmas light switch on, this is something the whole family can enjoy.

A TIME OF PUBLIC REMEMBRANCE
C.S. Lewis Square
Sun 21st Nov, 2pm
Free

To remember lives lost during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over these past months life has been very challenging for all, not least for those of us who have lost loved ones to COVID-19 or other illnesses. It has been particularly difficult to celebrate their lives as we would have wanted or wished.

As such, East Belfast Community Development Agency (EBCDA) and Inner East Churches Network are hosting a Public Time of Remembrance in C.S. Lewis Square. This event will last for 60 minutes and will consist of music, readings and a silent time of remembrance.

The aim of this event is to give encouragement and support to all who mourn and also give an opportunity to celebrate the lives of those that we have lost. Numbers are limited and subject to COVID-19 regulations. Registration required.

Plus a series of tours, talks and exhibitions. Visit https://www.eastsidearts.net/whats-on

Out to Lunch Festival: The 17th edition of the Out To Lunch Festival returns from 8-30 January 2022 with a packed programme of music, comedy, talks and drama. Highlights includes singer-songwriters Ciara O’ Neill and Brigid O’Neill who will be launching new music at the Festival. Also on the line-up is classical contemporary pianist, Ruth McGinley, Norman Jay, Robin Ince, Lucy Porter plus much more. For the full programme and tickets visit www.cqaf.com

VISUAL ARTS 

Golden Thread Gallery: presents the following exhibitions:

Outburst: The Rebel Dykes Art and Archive Show. Continues until 4 Dec.

The Rebel Dykes History Project collects, preserves and explores the history of the Rebel Dykes LGBTQ social justice and liberation movement. Outburst is thrilled to work with Siobhan Fahey and others from the Rebel Dykes History Project to bring a selection of creative works from this incredible collection – mostly housed at the Bishopsgate Institute – to Belfast for Outburst.

Featuring photographs, stunning crafts and radical art videos from the 80s and 90s, this exhibition is a punk dyke time machine that confirms how the DIY and collective ideals of radical dyke culture reverberate and are as relevant today. The award winning Rebel Dykes film screens at QFT Belfast at 6.15 Sunday 14th Nov.

Original exhibition Curated by Atalanta Kernick and Kat Hudson
Produced by Siobhan Fahey from REBEL DYKES HISTORY PROJECT CiC
Showing as part of Outburst Festival 2021

Lighthouse 2016-2021: Donovan Wylie
27 Nov – 8 Jan 2022

Golden Thread Gallery is delighted to present an exhibition with photographer Donovan Wylie. The exhibition will explore Wylie’s Lighthouse series, 2016 – 2021. This photographic series explores the subject of borders in the wake of Brexit. The artist utilises the physical barrier of the sea to highlight our current borders and those we may have in a post-Brexit future such as the suggestion of a border between Northern Ireland and the UK.

The MAC: presents the following exhibitions:

Alfred Wallis: Artist and Mariner, 8 Dec – 27 Mar, presented in the Tall and Sunken Gallery.

Alfred Wallis
Artist & Mariner

Alfred Wallis (1855–1942) was a mariner and scrap merchant born in Devonport, Plymouth, who spent most of his life in Cornwall. He started painting around the age of seventy, with no formal training and little income. Despite these challenges, his artistic output was prolific. After going to sea as a cabin boy at the age of nine, Wallis spent his early life working on lugger and deep-sea fishing boats off the Cornish coast and in the Atlantic. He later set up a marine scrap store in St Ives. Following the death of his wife, he turned to making art as a creative release from the loneliness he felt. All works in the exhibition are by Alfred Wallis and from the collection of Kettle’s Yard, University of Cambridge. For further information visit at www.themaclive.com

VOID: VOID gallery in Derry-Londonderry presents,
Eva Rothschild, The Shrinking Universe until 15.1.22

Void Gallery is delighted to presemt The Shrinking Universe by Eva Rothschild. The Shrinking Universe at Void marks the final part of the Ireland at Venice 2019 National Tour, and was the national representation of Ireland at the 58th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia 2019, curated by Mary Cremin.

The Shrinking Universe consists of individual works made up of multiple elements. Each sculpture retains its own distinct presence while forming a cohesive totality. The array of materials that Rothschild uses in her work, alongside the distinction between the presence of the artist’s hand and industrially created works, brings about a tension between the monumental and the personal.

Through her diverse use of materials and sculptural formats, Rothschild constructs a sculptural and immersive environment that allows the public to be both viewer and participant. Rothschild’s exhibition creates a socially sculptural space, allowing for contemplation of the material legacy of both present and past civilisations.

One of the leading sculptors of her generation, Eva Rothschild’s practice demonstrates a great awareness of the modernist tradition while maintaining its own distinctive sculptural language. Her works also engage with objects from the surrounding urban environment that she lives and works in, and the eternal forms of geometry and classicism. Her sense of materials, scale, monumentality, colour and line reflect a refined aesthetic sensibility that redeploys and subverts familiar sculptural formats.

Rothschild’s works are dynamically active, unapologetically monumental and bold. Expanding on the artistic lexicon of process, form, scale and materiality, Rothschild creates her own unique sculptural language. The Shrinking Universe is an invitation to look, to be attentive to your surroundings and most of all to be present with the work.

Visit www.derryvoid.com

Belfast Exposed: Presents the following exhibitions:

Belfast Exposed announces collaboration with Melbourne Centre of Contemporary Photography.

25 November to 23 December | Studio Gallery

Belfast Exposed, Northern Ireland’s leading photography organisation, will launch a new exhibition ‘We, Us, Them’ in collaboration with the Centre of Contemporary Photography in Melbourne, next week on Thursday 18th November. The exhibition, which is supported by the UK/Australia Season, is a collaboration between the British Council and the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the Arts Council for Northern Ireland, will focus on racism and how communities are viewed and stereotyped globally.

‘We, Us, Them’ will see the collaboration for the first time of artists from Belfast/UK and the Centre of Contemporary Photography in Melbourne, Australia collaborating to create an exhibition. Within the exhibition, five artists from Australia will exhibit alongside Northern Ireland stills photographer, Helen Sloan, who has spent her recent years undertaking photography with the worldwide production Game of Thrones, much of which was created in Northern Ireland.

Through the project, all of which will be delivered remotely however exhibited in Belfast Exposed’s Gallery, the artists will create a brand-new exhibition for March 2022 reflecting inherent, innate and accepted racism in society. The preview exhibition of 'We, Us, Them’ will be launched in Belfast Exposed on 25 November 2021 and will run until 23 December 2021. Parallel, the six artists will undertake new imagery exploring the theme of ‘Land and Language’ within communities in Australia and through Helen Sloan’s work, locally. For her piece, Helen will work with the traveller community within the island.

Alongside this preview exhibition the gallery is hosting ‘The Default is White’, an exhibition of photographic portraits and written word by Belfast artist Sheila Chakravarti. The thought-provoking works, which will be on display until 27 November 2021, combine a series of images and video, in which Chakravarti illuminates the lived experience of immigrants of colour who come to make Northern Ireland their home. It makes for a startling and honest, yet difficult, reflection on society here. Through creating the work, Sheila has uncovered her experience of racism was not isolated, but rather is suffered by many universally. For further details visit www.belfastexposed.org

Also at Belfast Exposed is ‘Beasts of Burden’ by internationally-renowned documentary photographer, Paul Seawright OBE available to view until 18th December in Gallery 1. Paul Seawright is a Professor of Photography and Executive Dean of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Ulster. Paul’s work has been held in many museum collections including the Irish Museum of Modern Art, the Tate, the International Centre of Photography New York, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Rome and many more.

In ‘Beasts of Burden’, Paul Seawright turns his attention to Rwanda. In the Rwandan genocide of 1994, members of the Hutu ethnic majority murdered an estimated one million people, mostly of the Tutsi minority in just 100 days. 25 years later a distinctive project, “Cows for Peace”, pairs perpetrators with their victims. Seawright’s images examine what is invisible within this space: the tension of the place but also the delicate nature of the caretakers when working with these animals. Beasts of Burden: https://www.belfastexposed.org/exhibitions/beasts-of-burden/

R-Space: presents the following:

R-People, R-Time, R-Space, Exhibition/Poetry book launch/10th Birthday Party. 1 – 22 Dec 2021.

Exhibition - A Life in the Arts by Robert Martin, a retrospective exhibition that will include works in Glass, Plastic, Music and other ephemera from a lift in the arts runs from 1 Dec – 22 Dec 2021 at R-Space Gallery (32 Castle Street, Lisburn) with updates and stories via R-Space Social media channels and www.rspacelisburn.com

Poetry Book Launch - 05 06 50, an illustrated anthology by Robert Martin launch on 1 Dec 2021. The book is part poetry, archive, audio, historical, retrospective, fun and an expression of love. Words by Robert Martin, Design by Joanne McCrum, Music by Neil Foster. Robert Martin has an extensive career in the creative sector spanning roles from artist, educator, curator to director. Starting his professional artistic career in 1975 as a glass maker, his path has taken him through many roles in different countries, creating a worldwide network of contacts. Starting with an inspirational Supremes and Jazz playing teacher, Robert bought his first album by Thelonious Monk and became a Mod. Attending art school, he became a hippie before teaching in Art College, getting back to soul and starting The Boulevard Club playing Jazz Funk.

He was invited to Japan to set up a glass blowing furnace in Kumamoto with Toshinobu Takamitsu and on returning, set up his own glass studio, running that for ten years and teaching again. That led on to working at the Harris Museum and Art Gallery and a Maximum-Security Prison in Lancashire, followed by working for the Arts Council of England in the southeast. He left the arts council in 2010 and set up R-Space with Anthea McWilliams in 2011.

This exhibition is an opportunity to focus on his artistic practice and creative writing. Robert’s contemporary applied art practice underpins his interest in materials and the messages and meanings conveyed through artwork. His work has crossed disciplines, involving a wide range of media resulting in 2D and 3D work.

Please see R-Space Website and Facebook for further details https://www.rspacelisburn.com/exhibitions/05-06-50

Teatime exhibition, from 30th October – 26th November 2021 at R-Space Gallery (32 Castle Street, Lisburn) and online via R-Space Social media channels and www.rspacelisburn.com

Free entry Tuesday to Saturday 11am-5pm

Tea is the most widely consumed drink in the world, the paraphernalia surrounding its preparation and consumption is immense. R-Space presents a selection of items surrounding this wonderful beverage. Five artists / makers based in Northern Ireland at different career stages, working in a variety of media, were selected from an open call for this exhibition titled Teatime:

Amanda Croft
Fiona Jiandani
Paul Mulgrew
Millie Moore
Pamela Walker

The selected artists responding to the theme ‘Teatime’ will exhibit work that includes collage, photography, short film, and textiles. R-Space received a large response to this open call and the quality of the submissions was exceptional. The Gallery has also invited these artists to present their work during the exhibition and included items for sale in our online shop. This work includes embroidery, ceramics, cyanotype, sculpture and painting.

R-Space will also be hosting an alternative tea dance for local and international community groups, funded by Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council Arts Grants, to run alongside the exhibition. If your group would like to get involved please contact Mags at rspacelisburn@gmail.com

RUA: The 140th RUA Annual Exhibition returns to the Ulster Museum until 2nd January 2022. The RUA Annual Exhibition is one of the most eagerly anticipated exhibitions in the Northern Irish cultural calendar, providing a unique platform for acclaimed artists and emerging talent to showcase their artwork in the fabulous galleries at the Ulster Museum. It is also a chance for the public to engage with a fully democratic, free admission exhibition.

The exhibition contains examples of painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, video and more. Some of the works reflect the times we are living and allude to isolation, social distancing and surviving in Covid times. Other works share deep messages with hope, humour, passion and integrity. Before opening the exhibition the RUA will host a series of Wednesday lunchtime talks at their new premises on Rosemary Street. Visit www.belfastinternationalartsfestival.com

CCA: CCA Derry~Londonderry presents Tilt [at Windmills] until 18th December. Curated by Mirjami Schuppert, the project features newly produced work by Jarkko Räsänen with Fionnuala Doran, Paul Moore and Robin Price. The newly produced works in the exhibition examine and respond to the UTV archive, which is currently digitised by Northern Ireland Screen’s Digital Film Archive.

Through the works in the exhibition, Jarkko Räsänen has embarked on his personal battle against perceived problems and injustices; he goes on an offence against surveillance apparatuses and their use of AI, and blind trust and glorification of technology, fights for animal rights and highlights violence culture. He examines old footage with the help of technology, stepping away from the content-focused approach that historians mostly use when researching archives. Given the large amount of footage available in the UTV archive, the artist has developed different methods to analyse the material, giving the exhibition distinct directions and various starting points. For more information visit www.ccadld.org

ArtisAnn: ArtisAnn is delighted to solve all your present problems! With over 50 artists showing over 100 artworks in total, you’re sure to find something for everyone at their Christmas Exhibition from Wed 3rd November to Sat 18th December 2021. Visit www.artisann.org

Queen Street Studios (QSS): presents their exhibition, The Presence of Absence.

No booking required, please see the ‘visitor information’ section of our website for further details on visiting the gallery: https://www.queenstreetstudios.net/visitor-information/

General opening hours: Tuesday – Thursday, 10:30am-5pm.

The 2019 MFA group from Belfast School of Art, UU began their degree pre-Covid. Their first year was cut short, studios were packed-up and practices moved to alternative, makeshift spaces. Despite regaining access to their 5th floor university studios during Year 2, further disruptions ensued with many live shows cancelled or transferred online; as was the case for the Degree Show.

Within this context, the November show at QSS provides a relished opportunity for this cohort of emerging artists to exhibit physically alongside one another. A manifestation of the strong bonds formed against the odds at an uncertain time. The title of the show ‘The Presence of Absence’, reflects this sentiment by exploring the experienced effects of the pandemic, what was absent yet still felt. Unified by theme of internal and external landscapes, the group’s practice spans a diverse range of mediums across the fine arts.

QSS is delighted to host this event and showcase a body of work that captures this moment in our shared history in a poignant and timely manner.

Exhibiting artists: Andy Athanasiou, Declan Coyle, Amy Devlin, Emily Esdale, Anna Horvathova, Maria Horvathova, Susan Hughes, Zara Lyness, Oonagh McAteer, Lauren McCullough, Anna Nangle, Katrīna Tracuma, Charys Wilson and Drydan Wilson.

Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich every year invite young, dedicated artists from Coláiste Feirste to showcase their artwork in Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich. The Coláiste Feirste exhibition gives us an insight into the young people in our community and the subjects that inspire them to create their art. This exhibition is now a yearly event which showcases the immense talent coming out of the Coláiste Feirste art room. The pieces will include pieces of art from A-Level and GCSE students across a range of mediums. The exhibition runs from 7 October until 25 November.

The MAC: presents the following exhibition across all three galleries

Anne Tallentire, But this material…

8th September – 21st November 2021

This exhibition is the first significant institutional presentation of Anne Tallentire’s work since her career survey This and other Things 1999 – 2010 at the Irish Museum of Modern Art. But this material… brings together key works from the last decade as well as work which is re-imagined for the particular architectural and spatial qualities of the MAC galleries.

Tallentire’s practice explores the built environment and how we inhabit space; her process is characterised by a critical relationship to materials and technology. Fundamental to her approach is the repurposing of found materials often associated with the construction industry to delineate space in relation to specific cultural, social, geographic and architectural contexts. Through a visual and textual interrogation of everyday materials and structures, Tallentire’s work reveals systems that shape the built environment and the economics of labour. She explores dimensionality and mapping by using everyday building materials to transpose one physical space onto another.

In representing abstractions of living and shared space, Tallentire questions the conditions that determine, regulate and shape patterns in daily life. Her practice is a commentary on the present circumstances of infrastructure and the social impact of such living environments. The current debate on the rising costs of housing and the systemic failure of the state to provide adequate social housing is alluded to in her work. For further information visit at www.themaclive.com

MUSIC

Moving On Music: presents Xenia Pestova Bennett and Ed Bennett who perform Karlheinz Essl's Gold.Berg.Werk on 18 November at The MAC. Visit www.themaclivecom

William Kennedy Festival of Piping: After a one-year pause, one of the longest-running international festivals of pipe-based music anywhere in the world is returning to Armagh. The 27th William Kennedy Piping Festival takes place from the 18th to the 21st November at venues across Armagh City.

The festival, organised since 1994 by Armagh Pipers Club, will feature three principal concerts, concerts in schools, an immersive Piping Academy, and master classes in several instruments. The 2021 Festival will not be like the massive 80-artist events of recent years: it is scaled down to ensure, as far as possible, Covid-safe events, with a back-to-roots emphasis on Irish piping, but with a few superb overseas guests.

Featured artists include Mick O’Brien, Emer Mayock and Aoife Ní Bhriain performing as the Goodman Trio; uilleann pipers Pádraig McGovern, Louise Mulcahy and Cillian Vallely, and Tiarnán Ó Duinnchinn who will be performing in duet with harpist Laoise Kelly. (All six pipers will contribute to the Academy) From Asturias, the festival is delighted to welcome back gaita virtuoso José Manuel Tejedor, while French favourites Sébastien Lagrange and Quentin Millet make a long-awaited return.

Scotland is represented by Mike Katz of Battlefield Band fame, and Alana MacInnes from South Uist. Completing the line-up is the sublime vocalist Diane Cannon from the west Donegal Gaeltacht. Visit www.armaghpipers.com

Scott’s Jazz Club: Scott's jazz club runs a weekly concert in Ballyhackamore club 1a Sandown Road every Friday Night at 9pm. The club provides a welcoming environment for world class jazz music to be experienced in a concert setting. For details on upcoming performances visit https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/colin-harper

Ulster Orchestra: presents Salon Sessions. With the aim to expand their support of and collaboration with local music artists, the Ulster Orchestra has launched an exciting new digital series, Salon Sessions, which is available to watch on their YouTube channel.

Salon Sessions is free to view. For further information on Salon Sessions, please visit www.ulsterorchestra.org.uk.

The Ulster Orchestra also presents the following concerts:

• 17-18 November, MASS, The Telegraph Building, Belfast
• 25 November, The Charm of the Classical, Ulster Hall, Belfast
• 3 December, Rustioni conducts Pictures at an Exhibition, Ulster Hall, Belfast
• 4 December, The Snowman, Waterfront Hall, Belfast
• 10 December, Messiah Christ Church, Derry-Londonderry
• 11 December, Messiah, Waterfront Hall, Belfast
• 20 December, The Magic of Christmas at the Waterfront Hall, Belfast
• 21 December, The Magic of Christmas at the Millennium Forum, Derry-Londonderry
• 26 January, Celebrating the Classical at the Marketplace Theatre, Armagh
• 27 January, Celebrating the Classical at the Alley Theatre, Strabane
• 2 April, Shaken Not Stirred

For further details and to purchase tickets visit www.ulsterorchestra.org

Katharine Timoney: Belfast based jazz artist, Katharine Timoney has released her debut single, ‘Don’t Fret’, from her forthcoming EP. Produced by Ben Castle, the five tracked EP entitled, ‘Life Came into Colour’ combines jazz melodies, brutally honest lyrics with contemporary production and is due for release next year. Katherine Timoney is a BBC NI and Arts Council of Northern Ireland Young Musicians’ Platform Award recipient this EP is supported by The National Lottery funding through the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. Visit www.katharinetimoney.com

Oh Yeah: The Northern Ireland Music Prize honours and celebrates the very best of new, established and emerging Northern Irish music. Taking place in the Ulster Hall on Wednesday 17 November 2021. It is an annual awards night organised by the Oh Yeah Music Centre. The awards include Best Album supported by PPL, Best Single sponsored by YouTube Music and ATL Introducing Contender Award in association with Oh Yeah. The winners of two categories will be awarded a cash prize of £1,000 and £3,000 will go to the winner of Best Album.

The NI Music Prize takes place during the annual Sound of Belfast, a festival that celebrates the music of the city, from grassroots to established names. It runs 4th – 18th Nov and there are over 50 events in 11 venues featuring 56 artists. All events can be found at www.soundofbelfast.com

NI Music Prize is supported by Arts Council Northern Ireland, Belfast City Council, YouTube Music, PRS Foundation, PPL and PRS.

The award winning NI Music Exhibition at Oh Yeah is now open for visitors after being shut for almost 18 months due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. The NI Music exhibition at Oh Yeah is the only permanent exhibit for popular music in Northern Ireland. There is much to see, including a series of storyboards documenting and plotting the history and the stories of Folk, Punk, Rock, Jazz and more. There is a ‘Legends’ series of wall displays that hail the great achievers including Ruby Murray, Van Morrison, Terri Hooley, Bap Kennedy, David McWilliams and Henry McCullough to name a few. Exhibition cases display some unique rock and roll memorabilia including the Fender Guitar that Gary Lightbody from Snow Patrol used to write ‘Run’ and ‘Chasing Cars’, a vintage street sign of Cyprus Avenue, made famous in a Van Morrison song, and a specially arranged exhibit of Gary Moore memorabilia.

Exhibition Opening Times

Mon – Fri: 10am-4pm
Sat: 12-5pm

More info will follow on when the Music Bus Tour will restart soon. To enquire about a visit, or for further info and group bookings please contact info@ohyeahbelfast.com or call 02890310845

Portico of Ards: Live music concerts are back at Portico! After 18 months of being forced to close due to the Covid restrictions, the Portico of Ards in Portaferry is finally able to open its doors to audiences. More than 50 concerts have been rescheduled over the last year and a half, which means there’s a jam-packed calendar of events coming up between now and Christmas.

A highlight concert is Portico Preludes, a glorious tribute to David McElderry taking place on Saturday 4th December. In memory of the late David McElderry, who built Portico’s magnificent organ, and with the support of the Arts Council and ANDBC, Portico has commissioned 10 chorale preludes for organ from 10 of Ulster’s leading musicians. During this event, Dr Joe McKee will pay tribute to the enormous contribution that David McElderry made to the world of organ building and music. This event will be delivered both as a livestream and an in person event.

The diverse range of ten composers include Scott Flanigan, Deirdre Gribben, Philip Hammond, Linley Hamilton, Piers Hellawell, Ruth McGinley, Michael McHale, Una Monaghan, Matthew Owens and (pictured) Stevie Scullion. Each prelude will be introduced by its composer before either Matthew Owens (Director of Music at St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast) or Simon Johnston gives it its first public airing. This will be a wonderful opportunity to meet the composers and hear the story of their compositions. To find out more about Portico or concerts coming up please visit porticoards.com

Duncairn: Duncairn’s video project, ‘In Focus’, continues every Sunday. Each episode is a documentary-style portrayal of young and emerging artists from across the island and includes musical performances in a variety of locations. Available to watch at 7pm every Sunday at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW8vA0LnFDwumD_oGo2FwqQ

ITMA: 'Drawing from the Well' is an online monthly ITMA series which connects artists with archival materials to inspire new art. To date, nine videos, podcasts and blogs have been created by leading traditional musicians, singers, and dancers, including Louise Mulcahy, Martin Hayes, Edwina Guckian and Cormac Begley. All episodes are free to view online at https://www.itma.ie/drawingfromthewell

Phil Taggart: ChillDaBeats is the brand new show from NI DJ, Phil Taggart. Every week he brings you a soft focus selection of the best alternative chill sounds along with the biggest guests picking some brain soothers in the Soul Food Selection. ChillDaBeats goes live every Sunday. Listen on Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/show/0M2IpL7ldc1Rui2aa9meX3 This podcast series is supported by emergency funding through the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and Department for Communities.

Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich: presents Music Corner, the best of traditional music with great traditional musicians which is streamed live on their Facebook page every Saturday. Visit Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich (facebook.com)

The Lyric Theatre: presents the following,

Pigeon and Plum’s Vaudeville Circus: 2-18 December. After 2 long years away this DECEMBER 2021 messers GILDA PIGEON & MADELINE PLUM return with a circus cabaret. Pigeon & Plum’s is a home grown Belfast Neo-Victoriana Cabaret. The Lyric Naughton theatre shall be transformed into an opulent Victorian music hall with a contemporary punk rock twist. So come submerge yourself into the decadent beer halls of old Berlin and let the FESTIVE FRIVOLITY COMMENCE!!! There will be 12 extraordinary acts on the night. Come witness an Anarchic Christmas Cabaret like you’ve never seen!

Grimes and McKee’s Christmas Album: 5-30 December. A brand new Christmas comedy from the not-at-all brand new Grimes and McKee. Join festive favourites Conor Grimes and Alan McKee from the 5 - 30 December 2021, for their brand new Christmas comedy.

Pinocchio the Musical: 26th Nov 2021 – 2nd January 2022. The creative team behind the Lyric’s hit shows “Alice the Musical” and “Peter Pan the Musical” return with a brand new musical version of the greatest magical adventure of all time; “Pinocchio The Greatest Wonder of the Age”.

For further details on all events and to buy tickets visit www.lyrictheatre.co.uk

Big Telly: Join Big Telly Theatre Company this Christmas as they turn Belfast into 'ELF'ast with an interactive installation that puts you right at the centre of the action.

Christmas Spirit is at an alltime low and Christmas Eve is fast approaching! Santa needs YOU to step up and save the day, in this miniature world full of tiny chutes and slides where magic is made and chaos is craic. Shrink down to elf size and join your fellow goblins in completing impossible and ridiculous tasks, resulting in lots of madness, mayhem and a very exasperated Mrs Claus!

Pop your head inside another world and operate your very own elf - under pressure to produce presents in a high powered production line! The factory floor has never been so much fun in this first of its kind interactive experience

Venue: 49-51 Royal Avenue, Belfast.
Dates: 20th Nov - 5th Dec

Each shift lasts 30mins.

Group bookings/office parties email collette@big-telly.com

Tickets £5 per head. Book at https://big-telly.com/book or pay at the door.

The MAC / A Night In November: 11-28 November.

Soda Bread Theatre in association with the MAC presents A Night in November by Marie Jones.

Can passion really change a man?

A Night in November is the stunning multi-award winning play from Marie Jones, the writer of shows such as Stones in his Pockets and Christmas Eve Will Kill You. This revival of the 2019 25th Anniversary production by Soda Bread Theatre Company, presented in association with the MAC, stars Matthew Forsythe as Kenneth McAllister, a clerk in the local welfare office, and a Belfast Protestant who has followed all the rules. He loved who he was supposed to love. He lived where he was expected to live. He fought who he was taught to fight. Until one night -- a night in November -- he did the most exciting, outrageous, crazy, mad thing he'd ever done.

The MAC / The Untold Truth of Captain Hook: 10 Dec – 1 Jan. This Christmas, Replay Theatre Company in association with the MAC presents The Untold Truth of Captain Hook.

Even A Villain Can Be the Hero of His Own Tale. Lost Boys, shipwrecks, mermaids, crocodiles, and pirates. You may know the facts, but do you really know the truth?

Why not bring the whole family together to find out this December at the MAC?

Join them for an epic, theatrical adventure through the time before Neverland, exploring how the best of brothers can become the worst of enemies, in this family show packed with excitement and charm. The Untold Truth of Captain Hook is a show perfect for families, but kids aged 5+ will get the biggest kicks.

Visit www.themaclive.com

Poetry Jukebox at Ballycastle Seafront: Located near the fountain at the seafront, the unique installation is part of the Poetry Town initiative. It aims to bring poetry into people’s lives and features audio versions of poems written by Heather Newcombe and Mairtin Crawford.

Heather lived in Ballycastle and was instrumental in nurturing literature activities in the town and surroundings area, including the Ballycastle Writers Group and the annual 'Let Me Take You To The Island' literature festival on Rathlin Island. Mairtin came from Belfast, and both are highly regarded for their influence on the local literary scene. Now sadly passed away, their poems are read by family members and friends.

For added Covid safety, you can use a pen or key to press the button. Posters have also been distributed throughout the town featuring a list of poems alongside their individual QR codes so you can scan and listen to them from the comfort of your own home too!

Launched to coincide with Poetry Town in Ballycastle until September 18th, the jukebox will reside at the Seafront until November 30th.

The Playhouse: presents

• As If I Cared- poems and other parts of a life, 7th December
• The Right Twig: Radio 2020, 13th December
• The White Handkerchief, January 2022

For further information visit www.derryplayhouse.co.uk

DU Dance (NI): presents Belfast Boys, physical dance theatre for boys aged 7-11 years at the Crescent Arts Centre. Classes at 2-3pm every Saturday starting 18th September. No experience is necessary. Book at info@dudanceni.com

BBC Arts Culture in Quarantine: Twelve D/deaf, neurodivergent and disabled professional artists based in England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland were commissioned earlier this year to produce new film and audio works for BBC platforms. Three of the twelve artists are from Northern Ireland and includes, playwright, Shannon Yee, animator, Joel Simon and poet/comedian, Alice McCullough. These new works are now available to view on BBC I-Player at https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p09ttsqk

The commissioning programme is part of BBC Arts’ Culture in Quarantine initiative, which has brought the arts into people’s homes during lockdown. The twelve new commissions champion the work of D/deaf, neurodivergent and disabled professional artists by helping them produce work when some may have been self-isolating, and provide a platform to explore their experiences of living through Covid-19.

The programme was established in a partnership between BBC Arts, Arts Council England, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Arts Council of Wales and Creative Scotland to mark the 25th anniversary of the passing of the Disability Discrimination Act into law, forming part of wider disability programming across the BBC.

Crescent Arts Centre: has reopened to the public and have released a new programme of classes and workshops available in person and online. Visit www.crescentarts.org

They will also be running monthly Book Festival events until March 2022. Details of all events can be found at https://belfastbookfestival.com/whats-on

Echo Echo Dance Theatre Company presents their Digital Programme, a series of online bite-sized courses, each designed to encourage the exploration of creativity in movement, in the comfort of your own home. The courses are aimed at different age groups and are all led by the highly experienced artist-teachers of the Echo Echo Ensemble. Each course consists of 8 easy to follow videos of roughly 15-20 minutes long which include a variety of playful warm ups and exercises, some technical instruction and much guidance for the development Visit www.echoechodance.com

Declan McConaghy Show: Newry based former BBC broadcaster, Declan McConaghy has created a new series of short films where he talks in-depth to creatives from Newry and the surrounding area who have made a contribution to theatre, music, dance and the performing arts in general. The view the films visit https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaH9LxmhE8O1Af3Csk-k6vA/

COMMUNITY ARTS

Wheelworks: Get creative this Festive Season with the WheelWorks ArtCart

Unique to WheelWorks Arts is their state of the art ArtCart — a mobile arts studio that travels to your venue and opens up to provide an additional studio space for workshops and is packed full to the brim with digital equipment such as ipads, music and film making technology.

Virtual ArtCart activities take place at your own venue. Where outdoor space is limited, Wheelworks bring the ArtCart creativity inside your centre. They also come with a full outdoor suite — marquees, stage sound, lighting and outdoor heaters.

This unique space allows your young people the opportunity to experience professional equipment in a custom-made studio. It allows your centre to offer a range of socially distance spaces and utilises outdoor space.

Digital Arts Workshops include:

• ‘Elfie’ Animation
• ‘Festive’ Film making
• ‘Jolly Jingle’ Orchestra
• ‘Christmas’ Coding



Non-digital visual arts workshops include:

• ‘Sparkle & Shine’ Crafts
• ’Festive’ Print design
• ‘Deck the Halls’ Decoration
• ‘Santa’s slay’ sculpture

To book your perfect digital and arts activities just email lisa@wheelworksarts.comand visit www.wheelworksarts.com

Tumble Circus: Award-winning circus company Tumble Circus will return to Belfast’s Writers Square this Christmas from 17 December 2021 until 3 January 2022. Despite a difficult 18 months due to the Covid-19 pandemic the team at Tumble Circus are back with their spectacular Winter Circus show presented in the Big Top. Now in its fifth year, the organisers at Winter Circus said fans can expect this year’s show “to return louder and prouder than ever before”. Tickets are £9-£14 + booking fee and available from wegottickets.com/JossersBigTop, or for more information go to tumblecircus.com. Family tickets are also available and group bookings (10+) can be booked by emailing bookings@tumblecircus.com

Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich: presents their Samhain Programme with a plethora of new events and programmes for all as we transition from Summer to Autumn signalling the arrival of the dark nights as we approach Samhain. They are delighted that children will return to the building to develop their creative skills in their drama school,Aisling Óg, along with a new series of Na Bopóga for young babies and toddlers with plenty of singing, art and storytelling.

Find out more and register at www.culturlann.ie

Duncairn: has released details of their new programme of theatre, music and digital classes. To book visit www.theduncairn.com

Duncairn Player: all of the previous video projects can now be viewed from the Duncairn Player including The Duncairn Virtual Cabaret, Take 2, Carlingford and the Ring of Guillion Sessions.  Visit Player — The Duncairn

Streetwise: Fancy learning how to juggle and other circus skills?! In response to Covid 19 Streetwise Community Circus has developed a team of tutors who are now working via Zoom to reach out to those who can no longer participate in workshops. To take advantage of this opportunity all you have to do is email Streetwise on streetwiseathome@gmail.com. Suitable for participants who range in age from 8 to 80 plus.

Arts Care: has a wonderful range of arts activities available online on their Arts Care 4U Premium +, their online arts delivery channel that everyone can access. Arts Care’s new dedicated online arts and well-being workshop resource, ‘Break-Time’, accessed via their website to support the mental, emotional and physical well-being of children and young people through the Arts. New art, music, dance & exercise, drama, creative writing and clown doctor’s CDTV videos will be uploaded regularly and it’s all FREE. Visit https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ85xLA2BlQQdrnWBhKw1hw