The Battle of Manchester Hill took place in an area of high ground just outside Saint-Quentin in northern France on 21 March 1918. This hidden First World War story and battle took the lives of 79 men from the Manchester Regiment.
In April 2018 we were honoured to host this unique cultural event which saw some of our city’s best and most exciting musicians, artists and new talent rediscover and remember a piece of forgotten Manchester history.
We recruited 13 emerging artists who worked alongside artistic directors John Ellis, Katie Chatburn, Liam Frost, Luke Flowers and Stuart McCallum for four days. The music created formed part of a promenade performance at Manchester Cathedral on 13 April 2018.
This poignant performance also featured:
- Award-winning poet Michael Symmons Roberts
- Singer-songwriter Seaming To
- Music from the King’s Division Brass Band, Northern Voices Choir and the Ignition Orchestra
- Spoken word artists and poets from Young Identity, featuring Isaiah Hull
- A visual backdrop by digital multimedia artist Rebecca Smith (Urban Projections) with digitally mapped projections exploring musical themes and archive materials
"I was bowled over by this performance. It felt inclusive and respectful and artistically powerful. Loved it!"
Audience member
Want to hear more?
The full desk recordings are available on our Soundcloud below.
Credits
Artistic Directors:
John Ellis, Katie Chatburn, Liam Frost, Luke Flowers, Stuart McCallum
Visual Art:
Rebecca Smith (Urban Projections)
Artists:
Isaiah Hull, Michael Symmons Roberts, Seaming To
Collectives:
The Band of the King's Division, Ignition Orchestra Strings, Northern Voices Choir
Young Identity Poets:
Billie Meredith, Ella Otomewo, Frankie Blaus, Jardel Rodrigues, Roma Havers
Residency Artists:
Alan Keary, Brandon Bissell, Charlotte Barber, Darragh Burke, George Burrage, Hannah Ashcroft, James Davies, James Holt, Joe Luckin, Martyn Cawthorne, Sean Rogan, Simmy Singh, Tom Donaldson
Photos by Rachel Bywater.
Film by Slant Media.
Presented by Brighter Sound, Manchester Histories and Manchester City Council.
Supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England and Heritage Lottery Fund, and support from The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment through the Armed Forces Community Covenant and Manchester Cathedral.
