Red Violin Festival: A HundRED Violins

Carmel Smickersgill, Tours & Activities Editor

Visit now

Red Violin Festival: A HundRED Violins Flashmob and Workshop

19 October 2024

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Flashmob performance in Trinity Centre, 12-1pm
Image supplied by Leeds Inspired
Book now

This October, whilst some may be looking forward to the more brass fuelled, stein drinking and tent based Autumn activities, Leeds will be consumed by the sound of one of the world’s best loved instruments – the violin. As part of the Red Violin Festival, violinists of all abilities are being invited to come together for a morning workshop followed by three flash mob performances. In total, over one hundred violins will be filling the open acoustic of Leeds Trinity with a newly composed commission by Leeds based violinist and composer James Gerrard. 

Red Violin Festival fosters a true sense of collaboration between the classical establishments of Leeds. From Opera North to South Asian Arts, Leeds Conservatoire to local churches there’s plenty to hear, watch, experience and join in with, whether you’re a player of the violin yourself or just an appreciator. You’ll hopefully come away with your idea of what the violin can be having been challenged and your understanding of what noises a violin can make broadened.

James Gerrard is a Leeds based composer who recently graduated from Leeds Conservatoire after studying with Ben Gaunt. Having been an active violinist for decades he’s surely the perfect person to encapsulate the vibe of a city in an instrument he’s so familiar with.

This workshop is just one of the many events happening over the festival. Be sure to also check out the film screenings at the Everyman, several concerts by internationally renowned chamber groups and orchestras at The Venue, Leeds Cathedral and Howard Assembly Rooms. There will also be a performance from the more local Sinfonia of Leeds and Opera North.

Obviously here in Tours and Activities we are also thrilled to see a walking tour as part of the programme. Historian Dr Rachel Unsworth will be leading you through the city to a soundtrack of violin heavy classical bangers and hidden gems.

What's on at Leeds Conservatoire

A black woman sat down looking to the left.
Until
MusicLeeds
Sound Out Leeds 2024/25

Leeds International Concert Season is on a mission to push boundaries, expand horizons, and ask the question: ‘What haven’t we heard?’ as it presents its city-spanning Sound Out Leeds series.

From £10.00

Where to go near Red Violin Festival: A HundRED Violins

Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre building
Leeds
Event venue
Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre

The Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre is located in Leeds’ thriving cultural quarter on Quarry Hill, offering an exciting programme of dance, theatre and family-friendly shows.

Leeds
Event venue
Leeds Print Workshop

The workshop is a co-operative, membership-based printmaking studio, open to all those with an interest in print.

Yorkshire Dance
Leeds
Event venue
Yorkshire Dance

With three well-equipped studios, Yorkshire Dance HQ is a super performance venue for dance, theatre and spoken-word events.

Music venue
The Wardrobe

Located in the city centre’s eastern Art Quarter, The Wardrobe features a bar and kitchen on its ground floor plus a cosy dedicated event space in the basement. Dance, jazz and world music regularly feature on The Wardrobe’s gig calendar, while the venue hosts popular club nights and comedy too.

Leeds
Theatre
Leeds Playhouse

The Leeds Playhouse, formerly the West Yorkshire Playhouse is a producing theatre in Leeds with two stages at its disposal.

Leeds
Gallery
East Street Arts

East Street Arts showcases parts of the city that many people don’t even know exist, inviting visitors to participate and engage with artists on an entirely different level.

Gallery
Leeds
Gallery
BLANK_

BLANK_is a Leeds-based gallery, run by the School of Creative Arts at University Centre Leeds. It encompasses a physical exhibition space and a publication that showcases new contemporary visual art…

Colours May Vary Leeds
Leeds
Shop
Colours May Vary

You can spend hours browsing in Colours May Vary for unique and hard-to-find greetings cards, stationary, homeware and magazines. Of especial interest are the one of a kind ceramic ornaments.

Leeds
Restaurant
Sarto Leeds

Sarto, Leeds’s long-awaited pasta restaurant is a joint project between Laynes Espresso and The Brunswick.

The Gallery at 164, Leeds
Leeds
Gallery
The Gallery
at 164

The Gallery at 164 is an independent gallery in Leeds City Centre, exhibiting an eclectic mix of styles and media from both established and emerging talents.

Leeds Kirkgate Market
Leeds
Shop
Leeds Kirkgate Market

Leeds Kirkgate Market is Europe’s biggest covered markets, featuring over 800 stalls, with goods ranging from clothing to fresh produce.

What's on: Music

Barbara Dane
CinemaManchester
Kinofilm/ Soul on Sunday at Nia Centre

Kinofilm present a special screening of documentary The Nine Lives of Barbara Dane as part of Soul on Sunday an all-day event celebrating Northern Soul at the Nia Centre.

From £8.00
A black woman sat down looking to the left.
Until
MusicLeeds
Sound Out Leeds 2024/25

Leeds International Concert Season is on a mission to push boundaries, expand horizons, and ask the question: ‘What haven’t we heard?’ as it presents its city-spanning Sound Out Leeds series.

From £10.00
Aisla dancing and Dj'ing
ActivityAncoats
Become A Superstar DJ

Get hands on with the decks in this funk and soul superstar DJ workshop from BBC Radio 6’s Ailsa.

Free entry

Culture Guides

A young boy with a white sash around his left arm cries.
Cinema in the North

Outdoor cinema announcements, a major retrospective at HOME, and the best of indie cinema.

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

Experimental performance, thought-provoking new writing and our picks of Manchester International Festival - here’s what’s taking centre stage this summer.

Isabel Galleymore in conversation
Literature Events in the North

There's a lot of experimentation going on in our Literature guide, from poets playing with form to short story writers looking long.

Music in the North

Gigs are coming in hot this spring – from long-awaited returns to one-off happenings you’ll blink and miss if you're not careful.

Experience a unique deep listening art installation inviting audiences to lay down and be bathed in sound and light.
Exhibitions in the North

From city-wide art festivals to open-air sculptural installations, we have exhibitions from all around the North, both indoors and out.