ARTS DIARY

Ramps on the Moon awarded funding:

Ramps on the Moon and Sheffield Theatres have received £280,000 in funding from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation to continue Ramps on the Moon’s work supporting anti-ableist practice in the performing arts sector. Ramps on the Moon will also take up residency at Sheffield Theatres, advancing the organisation’s work. For the last seven years Ramps on the Moon has worked with a consortium of seven major theatres, including Sheffield Theatres, to embed change. This funding will enable Ramps on the Moon, with Sheffield Theatres, to support organisations to grow careers and leadership opportunities for disabled people in the performing arts. A core strand of the upcoming work is the Change Partner programme with Ramps on the Moon working with a new cohort of arts organisations over 12 months to facilitate and support change.

Dates for Leeds Opera Festival announced:

Northern Opera Group has unveiled the programme for its eighth annual Leeds Opera Festival, which this year takes place August 17-September 8. This milestone promises to captivate audiences with a blend of world premieres and exciting collaborations, designed for the whole community. The programme includes the world’s first Sherlock Holmes opera, Sherlock Holmes and the Sign of Four, by awardwinning composer Liam Paterson. For more details and for the full programme, visit northernoperagroup.co.uk

Northern Aldborough Festival:

The line-up for this year’s festival, which takes place June 13-22, has been announced. Tony Robinson, pictured, Leeds Piano Competition winner Alim Beisembayev, and one of the world’s great violin virtuosos, Viktoria Mullova, are some of the headline acts for 2024. Every year opera singers, acclaimed pianists, and jazz ensembles mingle amongst the village’s remarkable Roman history. Robert Ogden, festival director, says: “Each year we invite a headline speaker. It’s fitting Sir Tony Robinson is this year’s guest, given the setting of our festival and its rich historic and archaeological significance.” Details aldboroughfestival.co.uk