Manchester Camerata adapts to its new monastic life
The Manchester Camerata has set up shop in one of its home city’s more unlikely venues. The Monastery in Gorton started life in the 19th century as a friary before falling into disrepair in the 1970s when its congregation dwindled. It was placed on a list of the world’s 100 most endangered sites, along with the
Taj Mahal and Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, until a hardy group of volunteers brought it back to life at the turn of the century. After 20 years of renovations, the building is now home to the Camerata, which kicked off its first season in its new stomping ground with a programme of works chosen specifically for how they would sound in the natural acoustic of the Great Nave of the building.