Here We Are: A Musical Afternoon In Rochdale’s Exchange

Yesterday, the Rochdale Exchange Shopping Centre was filled with music throughout the afternoon as we joined forces with the Manchester Camerata. As part of their Here We Are project, small ensembles from the orchestra have been travelling to all 10 boroughs of Greater Manchester, to bring music to weird and wonderful places such as skate parks, libraries, and train stations!

Our B Band kicked off the day with a mixed programme of popular songs, movie music and traditional brass band music. Then the quintet, made up of flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and French horn, performed a beautiful programme of classical favourites and some lighter, more familiar tunes. Our A Band finished off the day with an exciting set, and then we finished with some joint numbers, featuring the quintet members.

The sound carried incredibly through the Exchange and it was amazing to watch people, stop, smile or even start singing along! It was also lovely to chat to members of the public about their involvement with music, the emotions created by our performance, and how more people can get involved with music making to reap the many mental and physical benefits.  

Manchester Camerata and the Here We Are project are all about connecting people with culture in everyday spaces. The performances encourage moments of shared experience and break down barriers to the arts to make music more accessible to all.

The team at Bloom would like to say a massive thank you to all those who made the event a possibility. To the team at Manchester Camerata, all the musicians, Rochdale Development Agency, Rochdale Creates, Rochdale Exchange Shopping Centre – you were all amazing and we’re incredibly grateful!

We’re hoping to do more collaborative concerts like this so watch this space…