The upcoming weekend is set to be an extremely active one for the Grand Union Orchestra, with events running right through Friday night to Sunday evening.
Kick-starting the lively weekend is an intimate performance at the Vortex Jazz Club on Friday night, as the Grand Union Bangla Band perform an exhilarating fusion of different styles, combining the seductive sounds of North Indian classical music and Bengali folksong with jazz, Latin and African rhythms. The performs showcases and features the acclaimed sarod virtuoso Shahadat Hossein Khan from Bangladesh with Grand Union’s Bangladeshi musicians Yousuf Ali Khan (tabla) and Lucy Rahman (Voice) with celebrated jazz soloists from the Grand Union Band.
Hitting the magnificent stage of Hackney Empire on Saturday night with a set to impress – featuring fiery upbeat numbers that will get you dancing well into the night – will be an exuberant mix of young musicians from the Grand Union Youth Orchestra and their Grand Union mentors. The evening entitled “World Music Live” has been programmed and organised by Renell Shaw, a member of GUYO and Associate Artist of the Hackney Empire and features an array of performances from emerging stars of Hackney’s young musical scene.
At 2:00pm on Sunday afternoon, the full force of the entire Grand Union Youth Orchestra will be hitting the main stage of Shoreditch Festival, in a celebrated return to the festival. A remarkable show that attracted a large audience at last year’s festival, is set to be even more impressive with new pieces, more young musicians and an even greater range of instruments including steel pan, sarangi, baglama and sitar as well as flutes, saxophones, violins and harp.
In a culmination of the GU’s busy weekend, Sunday night at Hackney Empire brings an explosive performance with the GUO AllStars, including internationally-celebrated jazz soloists Claude Deppa and Paul Jayasinha (trumpets), Chris Biscoe and Louise Elliott (saxes). As if this were not enough, the line-up will be featuring the talented West End stars Clive Rowe and Sharon D Clarke, which acclaimed director Tony Haynes has written new material and special arrangements for. This gig will be celebrating the beginning of Grand Union’s ongoing collaboration with the rejuvenated Hackney Empire as Associate Artists.
To find out more about any of these shows visit www.grandunion.org.uk or call 020 7375 1122.
Shahadat Hossein Khan and guests at Vortex Jazz Club
Grand Union Bangla Band
Vortex Jazz Club, 11 Gillett Square, London N16 8AZ
Box Office: 020 7254 4097
Friday 16th July 2010 – 8:45pm
Tickets: £12
Sounds Like Hackney – World Music Live
Grand Union Youth Orchestra
The Hackney Empire, 291 Mare Street, London E8 1EJ
Box Office: 020 8985 2424
Saturday 17th July 2010 – 7:30pm
Tickets: £12.50 / £10 Under 26s
SPECIAL OFFER Buy 2 tickets and get 2 free! Call 020 8985 2424 and quote ‘EMPIRE OFFER’
Shoreditch Festival – World in Motion Day
Grand Union Youth Orchestra
Shoreditch Park, New North Road, London N1 6JB
www.shoreditchfestival.org.uk/
Sunday 18th July 2010 – 2:00pm
Tickets: Free
Sounds Like Hackney – Clive Rowe and Sharon D Clarke with special guests
Grand Union Orchestra, AllStars and guests
The Hackney Empire, 291 Mare Street, London E8 1EJ
Box Office: 020 8985 2424
Sunday 18th July 2010 – 7:00pm
Tickets: £15 / £2 off friends and concessions
SPECIAL OFFER Buy 2 tickets and get 2 free! Call 020 8985 2424 and quote ‘EMPIRE OFFER’
