Here at Lancaster University we are extremely lucky to be home to one of the most vibrant and established arts departments in the UK. We are even luckier to have such a vast amount of professional arts activity going on in the Great Hall, Peter Scott Gallery and Nuffield Theatre in the Live at LICA concert series. This year’s series is set to be as equally impressive as the last and here’s a little insight into what’s going on over the next couple of months in the world of music, art, theatre and dance.
Plastering the walls of the Peter Scott Gallery from the 1st October to 24th November will be the work of London born artist Ben Turnbull. The exhibition is named “Truth, Justice and the American Way” and will present both his visual arts practice alongside newly commissioned artwork all based on his passion for American politics and satire. His artwork explores the themes of war, propaganda and violence in America and with the election coming up in November, this exhibition couldn’t be more appropriate for this season – it’s safe to say that Turnbull has deeper messages to express behind the work’s apparent simplicity, so don’t let your cultured minds miss out on this one.
The Great Hall will be home to a very colourful spectrum of music this season with everything from classical orchestral music to funk and jazz based concerts. It’s all about the piano at the start of the season with Nikolai Demidenko presenting to us some of the greatest works ever written for the piano including Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition” on the 25th October. This will be shortly followed by the exciting return of Martin Roscoe on the 8th November along with his pianist partner Peter Donohue. Martin blew away the Great Hall audience early last year showing his virtuosity in all areas of piano music and this year the duo are set to impress you with the rarely explored beauty of music with two pianos.
With everything from Mozart to Stravinsky in the programme there’s definitely something for everyone to enjoy and the pure skill of this musical pair makes it a must-be-there event. Of course, the classical side of things isn’t for everyone but fear not – Live at LICA will once again be welcoming the award winning composer Andy Scott and his group SaxAssault on the 15th November – a guaranteed awesome night of music from jazz, pop and classical genres. SaxAssault involves nine saxophones from sopranino to bass and all players are extremely well respected having played with Supertramp and Duran Duran. Whether it’s that you love the sound of the saxophone or simply just enjoy impressive lively music, there’s every reason to grab a seat for this one.
Last but by no means least, the Live at LICA concert series also has a home in the Nuffield Theatre where a vast array of performances will be brought to you. An extremely iconic event will take place from the 20th – 24th October as Ockham’s Razor will once again be stepping on stage. This year the group will be exploring the delights of physical theatre with a show named “Not Until We Are Lost” which will explore the use of aerial movement to create environments that transform around the audience. Even if you’re not a big theatre fanatic, this event will be an exciting piece of theatre, bringing an interesting perspective on finding yourself. Also it mustn’t be forgotten that there is some fantastic dance concerts going on this season with the most iconic hitting the stage on the 22nd November with works by Alesandra Seutin, Gary Clarke and Antonia Grove all being performed in “12 Degrees North: Triple Bill”.
As you can see it really would be understatement to say that the new Live at LICA season is going to be fabulous and with student tickets at only £7 when you would usually be charged over twice at much to see this level of artistry, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t grab the opportunity to be there for…well…all of it! To find out more about what’s going on throughout the season go to www.liveatlica.org/whats-on and look out for what’s on mobile app which should be ready to use when you all return this year. See you in October everyone!
