MANCHESTER Collective are preparing to visit Future Yard in Birkenhead to present a boundary-pushing concert with South African cellist, composer and singer Abel Selaocoe on Thursday, March 31.
It will see the long-time friends and collaborators come together to present The Oracle, a brand new show that promises to “lift the spirits and take audiences of all ages on a spellbinding musical ride through time and space”.
Selaocoe has written four new works which will explore this theme, the threads between the worlds of African rhythm and classical music, as well as Afrofuturism and Selaocoe’s interest in black art within the space of technology, the future and the cosmos.
The performance is being presented as part of Africa Oyé’s 30th anniversary celebrations and tickets costing just £5 are available for Birkenhead residents.
Selaocoe said: “My journey with Manchester Collective started quite some time ago and our relationship has now matured into something extremely beautiful.
“The collective has served as one of my homes to create without any inhibitions – something special always seems to come out of this environment they’ve created.
“Our latest collaboration will see us explore the sound worlds between classical music and African music, and beyond.
“Audiences can expect to be thrown into a world of both the familiar and unfamiliar. They will be taken on a journey that explores the types of sounds an instrument can make outside of itself, just like an oracle – somebody who can transcend their community and tell a story so that people can understand their purpose.
“Another theme that will bind everything together is Afrofuturism. This has been a very personal journey for me, exploring a topic that speaks to me as a black person and my idea of where my journey goes in the future – the use of technology, the idea of space, and of transcending what was before to look further ahead.
“For me, The Oracle is all about finding a universal idea of spirit that can take us to another world.”
n Tickets for The Oracle at Future Yard (£12 full Price / £5 Birkenhead residents) can be bought from manchestercollective.co.uk/oracle
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