City of Culture Hitting All the Right Notes

The Paraorchestra, a unique collective of disabled and non-disabled musicians, will be collaborating with hundreds of local musicians and singers for a unique two-day musical odyssey.

Created by Paraorchestra’s Artistic Director Charles Hazlewood and Turner Prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller for Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture, ‘The Bradford Progress’ will celebrate the people, communities and musical traditions of Bradford District.

The hugely ambitious piece of sonic choreography will begin at sunrise on Saturday May 17 against the stunning backdrop of the Cow and Calf Rocks on Ilkley Moor and continue unbroken over the weekend.

The public are invited to join the free event at different locations and possibly stumble across music in unexpected places.

You might hear Qawwali music on a bandstand, 60 Paraorchestra musicians performing Steve Reich in a shopping arcade, Handel arias on the moor, or marching bands playing pop and Bollywood music as they wind their way through a housing estate.

From solo artists to large ensembles, people will be able to enjoy a plethora of musical styles, including folk, punk, Bhangra, gospel, Baroque, Bassline, brass band, electronic, Sufi, Indian Classical, and Minimalist.

‘The Bradford Progress’ will culminate on the afternoon of Sunday 18 May, when everybody comes together, and all the musicians are united for a joyous and harmonious climax inspired by the compositional techniques of American composer Charles Ives.

"Bradford wears its long history on its sleeve, with terrifically rich musical contours, from old factory folk music and a multitude of South Asian traditions to male voice choirs and brass bands,” said Charles Hazlewood (pictured above)

“We’re going to stitch all of these bright colours into a fabulous tapestry, borne aloft by our mighty Paraorchestra. We want to create a glistening thread of continuous sound that arcs across the landscape from the moors at sunrise on Saturday to the mirror pool in Bradford city centre on Sunday afternoon.

“We want this unbroken musical odyssey to be a sonic meditation and spiritual experience, as well as a collective celebration.”

As well as Paraorchestra, featured musicians include: Annapurna Indian Dance; BD1 Brass; Bingley Ukulele Group; Bradford Accordion Band; Bradford Cathedral Choir; Bradford Music and Arts Service Youth Brass Band; Celebration Choir; City of Bradford Brass Band; Commoners Choir; Dibrova Choir; Dr. Devaki O’Riordan; Eeshar Singh; Ey Up Klezmer; Fagley Primary School; Fiyalka Choir; Flash Cassette; Gilank; Hot Aire Concert Band; Jenn Reid; Lizzie Bec; Mind the Gap Band; Ms. Srividya Venkat; Omotola and Friends; Peace Artistes; Pt. Kamalbir Singh; Punjabi Roots; Qaiser Khan; Revolution Show Band; Shah-e-Mardan; Song Geet; Steve Varden; Toby Brazier Quartet; Vijay Venkhat; and West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Band.

To find out more visit https://bradford2025.co.uk/programme/the-bradford-progress/