On the occasion of the revival of L'Histoire de Manon at the Palais Garnier, Dorothée Gilbert reflects on Kenneth MacMillan's great ballet, which she has chosen to perform as her farewell to the stage. The Étoile dancer speaks about her work in the studio and the way she approaches the complex and captivating character of Manon.

Toï toï toï : L'Histoire de Manon

Amphithéâtre Olivier Messiaen

All introductions are free of charge and included in the ticket fee. All introductions are held in Swedish and please note that introductions are not given for premieres (special introductions are held at premieres, so called "Premiere Talks" that start one hour before the performance).

Introductions & Talks

Royal Swedish Opera

How is a production created? Find out in the workshop! After attending a stage orchestra rehearsal in the large house, you will have the opportunity to talk to those involved in the production.

Workshop: Wednesday from Light

Deutsche Oper Berlin

Enjoy a pre-show talk before the performances of ‘Carmen’. NI Opera’s Chief Executive and Artistic Director Cameron Menzies will talk about the development of his production of ‘Carmen’, the first time he and the company have staged Bizet’s magnificent and much-loved opera.

Find out more about the creative processes that go in to developing and realising the vision for an opera of this scale and have the chance to see some of the costumes and designs from Northern Ireland Opera’s recent main stage productions up close.

Carmen: Pre-Show Talk

Grand Opera House Belfast

Podcast link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ_ZQW5C2pw&amp;t=2s

The Artelize Podcast Presenting Will Shutes: 'Bring it down out of the clouds to human being level'

Podcast link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFe6mW6x9pc

The Artelize Podcast: 'Amplifying What Makes Us Human'. A conversation with Zuly E. Inirio

Podcast link: https://youtu.be/4hagYvrYbuM

The Artelize Podcast and Kasper Holten - Pedefining Opera for the modern world

Podcast link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d36M5Hi6O80

The Artelize Podcast - A legacy of innovation in Opera: Celebrating Marc A. Scorca

Join Ian Page to discuss the evening concert.

EPSG:4326

Pre-Concert Talk: Ian Page

Wigmore Hall

Copperfield’s Books welcomes Kristin Hannah, author of The Nightingale and The Four Winds, for a conversation about her newest release, The Women, at once an intimate portrait of coming of age in a dangerous time and an epic tale of a nation divided. Set in 1965, it is a novel about deep friendships and bold patriotism, a richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose idealism and courage under fire will come to define an era.

Kristin Hannah, In Conversation

Luther Burbank Center for the Arts

Every so often a new play comes along that shines fresh light on uncomfortable contemporary issues. This one-woman show, giving voice to those who 'live lives of quiet desperation', is a perfect example of this. Gail Wylie will be talking to Patrick Sandford, Perth Theatre Associate Director about directing the play and his long career in theatre.

Theatre Talk: Remember You Are Beauty Full

Perth Theatre

Blackout is an immersive theatrical experience that pulls you into a world where fear and imagination collide.

Blackout – Fear Loves an Audience

Cast

Well, I loved my first tour – and I think the audiences did too - so here we go again! 

Join me, a stage, and a lifetime of gloriously ridiculous stories to share with you. You'll get the full Havers experience: charm, wit, and absolutely no running in slow motion.

I'll be taking you on a thoroughly entertaining trot through five decades in showbiz. From my early days as a fresh-faced drama school hopeful, to the highs and lows of a career that's seen me in everything from Chariots of Fire and Empire of the Sun to Don't Wait Up and some rather marvellous West End plays – and more than my fair share of Palladium Pantos.

Of course, there'll be behind-the-scenes gossip, tales of triumph (and disaster), moments of sheer madness, and a fair bit of talking b*ll*cks.

Nigel Havers: Talking B*ll*cks

Assembly Hall Theatre

The Director’s Talk gives an insight into the making of the production, with members of the creative team. Book tickets for the main show here.

The Disappearing Man – Director’s Talk

Queen's Theatre Hornchurch

Papa Haydn? Far from being merely dignified and formal, his symphonies are surprising, full of flashes of inspiration, play with expectations – and are full of wit. With 107 symphonies, Joseph Haydn not only left behind an impressive number, but also had a decisive influence on the genre. Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms and Mahler – they all built on the foundation laid by Haydn. With three of his favourite symphonies, Gürzenich Kapellmeister Andrés Orozco-Estrada invites you on a special journey of discovery – and takes you into the orchestra's engine room. In informal concert talks, you can hear and see how music is created, how it is refined during rehearsals – and perhaps the audience will even be allowed to have a say in one or two interpretations. An invitation to anyone who wants to experience classical music in a different way: accessible, exciting and full of the joy of discovery.

A Haydn delight

Cologne Philharmonie

The journey from Beethoven’s first piano sonata to his last is among the most astonishing and consequential achievements in the history of music. In this lecture series, Gilles Vonsattel complements his season-long exploration of the sonatas, providing a listener’s guide and an interpreter’s perspective from the piano. This 75-minute lecture explores different facets of Beethoven’s creative process and his development as a composer.

Beethoven Lecture I

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center

This annotated and illustrated listening session offers an immersion into the abundant and astounding collection of field recordings made in Italy by the American ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax, during a journey undertaken in the mid-1950s.

An American in Italy: A dive into Alan Lomax's fabulous sound collection

Opéra National De Lyon

Join distinguished composer and public radio personality Bruce Adolphe for investigations and insights into masterworks performed during the Alice Tully Hall season. Inside Chamber Music lectures are beloved by regulars and a revelation to first timers for their depth, accessibility and brilliance.

Mozart's Quintet in A major for Clarinet, Two Violins, Viola, and Cello, K. 581

Seventh episode in this series of lecture-narratives, which celebrates great singular figures of art. Richard Robert recounts the adventures of the English musician Simon Jeffes, founder and leader of the unclassifiable Penguin Cafe Orchestra, who for more than twenty years broke down in a most delightful way the artificial barriers between popular and art music.

Simon Jeffes and the Penguin Cafe Orchestra

Shahbaz Hussain started learning tabla at five, taught by his father, the vocalist Ustad Mumtaz Hussain. He then went on to be taught by Ustad Faiyaz Khan of the Delhi gharana, Ustad Shaukat Hussain Khan of the Punjab gharana, and finally Ustad Allah Rakha — the man behind Ravi Shankar's rhythm section for decades.

Two Gharanas, One Musician - Shahbaz Hussain (Talk)

Barbican Centre

In just 20 minutes, a deliberate shift in breathing rhythm can measurably change how your nervous system responds to stress. When you slow to six breaths per minute - roughly five seconds in, five seconds out - your heart rate and breathing fall into sync, activating the vagus nerve and shifting your body from fight-or-flight into a state of calm that researchers call cardiac coherence.

The Science of Slower Breathing with Davel Patel

Sunanda Sharma is a senior disciple of the legendary Girija Devi and one of the foremost practitioners of the Banaras gharana style of khayal singing. In this masterclass, she opens up the tradition from the inside: how the gharana’s approach to raga differs from other schools, where the line between technical discipline and emotional expression dissolves, and why the Banaras style has always carried a distinctive intimacy.

The Benaras Gharana by Sunanda Sharma

This 40-minute Sky Arts documentary follows the Dagar family, whose unbroken lineage has preserved dhrupad — India’s oldest classical vocal tradition — across twenty generations. The film explores what it means to carry an art form that predates most modern nations, and what happens when that continuity is threatened by the pace of contemporary life.

India's Vanishing Voice (Film Screening + Talk)

Join BAFTA-winning actor, comedian, director, and writer Richard Ayoade for an evening of reflections as he shares insights from his latest book, Afterthoughts, or Some Pistachios Won't Open: Wisdom for the Unreflective.

Partially recognisable for being in The IT Crowd, his acclaimed films Submarine and The Double, he has also hosted TV landfill like Travel Man and The Crystal Maze, and lent his nasal voice to The Boxtrolls, Early Man, Soul and The Bad Guys. 

Toï toï toï : L'Histoire ...

Opéra national de Paris

Introductions & Talks

Kungliga Operan

Workshop: Wednesday from ...

Deutsche Oper Berlin

Carmen: Pre-Show Talk

Northern Ireland Opera

The Artelize Podcast Pres...

Artelize

The Artelize Podcast: 'Am...

Artelize

The Artelize Podcast and ...

Artelize

The Artelize Podcast - A ...

Artelize

Pre-Concert Talk: Ian Pag...

Wigmore Hall

Kristin Hannah, In Conver...

Luther Burbank Center for the Arts

Theatre Talk: Remember Yo...

Perth Theatre and Concert Hall

Blackout – Fear Loves an ...

Cast

Nigel Havers: Talking B*l...

Assembly Hall Theatre

The Disappearing Man – Di...

Queen's Theatre Hornchurch

A Haydn delight

Gürzenich-Orchester Köln

Beethoven Lecture I

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center ...

An American in Italy: A d...

Opéra National De Lyon

Mozart's Quintet in A maj...

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center

Simon Jeffes and the Peng...

Opéra National De Lyon

Two Gharanas, One Musicia...

Barbican Centre

The Science of Slower Bre...

Barbican Centre

The Benaras Gharana by Su...

Barbican Centre

India's Vanishing Voice (...

Barbican Centre

Richard Ayoade - Aftertho...

Assembly Hall Theatre