We are Going To Glastonbury!
Posted on May 3, 2017
Manchester Camerata & Haçienda classical with Graeme Park, Mike Pickering to open Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury 2017
Manchester Camerata and Haçienda Classical with Graeme Park, Mike Pickering are to open this year’s Glastonbury Festival main stage in the prestigious Friday morning slot, providing an epic performance to get the festival underway.
Last year’s opener on the Pyramid Stage saw The Orchestra of Syrian Music with Damon Albarn and guests in the slot. This year Haçienda Classical, which sees the clubs original DJ partnership Graeme Park and Mike Pickering reinterpret seminal dance classics with Manchester Camerata – “Probably Britain’s most adventurous orchestra” (The Times) – conductor Tim Crooks and guests, is charged with rousing the festival goers for the Friday morning start of the legendary main stage.
Haçienda Classical has returned in 2017 with a new set, aired for the first time at April concerts in Leeds and Glasgow. The Yorkshire Evening Post commented on the Leeds show, calling it “sheer enjoyment for the head, heart and feet, this is a show that’s hard to beat.”
Upcoming shows for Haçienda Classical over summer 2017 aside from Glastonbury include London’s Royal Albert Hall, Harbourside Ampitheatre Bristol, Manchester’s Castlefield Arena, Kew The Music, Lytham Festival, Newcastle’s Live From Times Square, Liverpool’s Hope & Glory Festival and Brighton Racecourse.
About Haçienda Classical at Glastonbury 2017, the project’s executive producer Peter Hook comments: “After forty years in the music business I still count my three appearances at Glastonbury as the peaks of my career, to be back with Haçienda Classical in 2017 is another landmark moment and is dedicated to Tony Wilson and Rob Gretton to celebrate their contribution to British music and culture.”
Bob Riley, CEO of Manchester Camerata, the orchestra collaborating in Haçienda Classical added: “Haçienda Classical has bound together amazing artists and audiences in a unique Mancunian musical story – it’s like a family. The opportunity to play Glastonbury and open the Pyramid Stage, is a massive honour and privilege for Manchester Camerata.”

Graeme Park who along with Mike Pickering has put together the set for the Haçienda Classical concerts added: “I’m utterly thrilled to be opening the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury this year. It’s a real honour to appear on the stage where I’ve seen so many of my favourite artists and legends play. Bringing Haçienda Classical to Glasto is a mouth-watering prospect and one that is sure to excite the Glastonbury crowd.”
As The Haçienda’s dance heritage has collided with the world of classical music, the concerts have been widely praised with great audience responses from the gigs, and dates selling out in minutes.
In its second year, the tour returns to venues that hosted 2016’s inspirational nights as well as new locations, recreating the tunes that defined a generation at the original club, renewed afresh and rearranged with a classical orchestra.
Friday 26 May 2017
Royal Albert Hall, London (SOLD OUT)
Saturday 24 June 2017
Glastonbury Festival (SOLD OUT)
Saturday 24 June 2017
Harbourside Ampitheatre, Bristol
Saturday 1 July 2017
Castlefield Bowl, Manchester (SOLD OUT)
Friday 14 July 2017
Kew The Music, Kew Gardens, London
Thursday 3 August 2017
Lytham Festival, Lytham
Friday 4 August 2017
Times Square, Newcastle
Sunday 6 August 2017
Hope & Glory Festival, Liverpool
Saturday 9 September 2017
Brighton Racecourse, Brighton
Reaction To Haçienda Classical 2016
“A near two hour blend of house music’s greatest players with an audience dancing and singing from the off. Dazzling mirror-ball speckles are flung out over a crowd whose jubilant euphoria almost blows the roof off.” – Mixmag
“Probably the best rave since 1997. A night of soaring synth riffs, euphoric drops, massive tunes.” – NME
“The atmosphere was incredible.” – The Times – Five Stars
On Manchester Camerata
‘Probably Britain’s most adventurous orchestra’ (The Times) and a Registered Charity, Manchester Camerata is redefining what an orchestra can do. Famous for innovation, the orchestra pops up in all sorts of places, from concert halls to care homes, and collaborates with a spectrum of artists, from classical superstar Martha Argerich to the Haçienda DJs. The orchestra’s Music Director and conductor, Gábor Takács-Nagy, is one of the finest musicians on the planet, and a magnet for international artists and collaborators. The award-winning Camerata is at the forefront of international music-led dementia research, and its pioneering community programme helps to promote social change in its communities.
www.archive.manchestercamerata.co.uk @MancCamerata
On AMC Choir
The AMC Choir who perform at all the Haçienda Classical dates sing with a style that fuses House and Gospel music perfectly.
Matching natural, full-bodied, vocals to recreate the classic tracks which make up the Haçienda Classical set, their voices resonate with the sounds of the DJ’s and The Camerata as their harmonies and considerable energy generate the atmosphere at the concerts.
Based in Manchester, AMC have performed together since the early 90s’ across many tours and special events and choir director Audrey Mattis, says of the involvement in the tour; “Singing these famous House tunes with the knowledge that Manchester and The Haçienda was at the heart of creating the original sound is an inspirational feeling. With the cheering, and the dancing crowds, we really feel like we’re part of a historical moment. It’s uplifting to hear the crowd singing along with us from the minute they hear the intros until the very last note.”