A screening of the BBC’s breathtaking Planet Earth II series is coming to Manchester AO Arena on 25 March, accompanied by live music performed by an 80 piece philharmonic orchestra.
Viewers will be treated to spectacular scenes from the Bafta and Emmy-award winning series, alongside a live soundtrack scored by Oscar winner Hans Zimmer, Jacob Shea and Jasha Klebe.
As part of the event, a philharmonic orchestra will appear on stage alongside science and natural history TV presenter Liz Bonnin.
There are may be as few as 3500 snow leopards left in the wild. They are famously illusive and difficult to film and have become increasingly threatened by climate change and human disturbance.
Liz will share behind-the-scenes insights from Mike Gunton, the BBC television series’ executive producer, whilst magnificent scenes of natural life are projected onto a giant, state-of-the-art screen for all to see.
The award-winning series, narrated by national treasure David Attenborough, takes viewers from the frozen tundra in the north to the dry forests of the equator – with Attenborough giving his own unique and compelling perspective on the planet throughout.
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Now, fans can experience it live in Manchester at the AO Arena as part of this special live tour – this time with narration from Liz Bonnin.
Showing the wonders of the natural world in breathtaking detail, its 2006 predecessor Planet Earth I was one of the very first nature documentaries to be filmed in.
Over a decade later, Planet Earth II zoomed in even more on wild and inaccessible landscapes, elusive animal behaviours and the city-dwelling habits of those creatures that have adapted to urban life – making history as the first-ever BBC documentary to be filmed in ultra-high definition.
Sloths are adept swimmers, as this pygmy three-toed sloth demonstrates. Found only on the tiny island of Escudo de Veraguas, Panama, the pygmy sloth is the smallest of all sloth species and is considered endangered.
Speaking on the upcoming show, wildlife expert Liz Bonnin said: “I’m delighted to be finally on the road with this as it’s been a long time coming. We’ve had to postpone it three times now.
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“I’ve been just so excited to do it from the moment I was asked, through the initial rehearsals and shaping the script, it’s been really special for me.
“Especially since the pandemic, to have such a multi-sensory experience that really celebrates not just nature, but the arts and the best aspects of humanity, where we can recognise the beauty of the planet around is something I’m really delighted and grateful to be involved with.”
This alpha male Rhesus macaque rules this part of town. Here in Jaipur, India, he not only takes the food he wants from the street markets but he, and his troop, have also taken over a house and been squatting it for the last 5 years!
Conductor Matthew Freeman added: “Seeing the footage in these huge arenas on an enormous LED screen, with all that colour and those underwater worlds so closely photographed, accompanied by a 64-piece orchestra and a 16-voice choir through a huge, state-of-the-art PA system, it really is a phenomenal and powerful experience.
“We have extraordinary visuals, heightened with music that takes the viewer to another level. It’s really quite emotional.”
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To find out more and book tickets, visit the website here.
Feature image – Supplied
City Centre
Manchester streaming platform StreamGM unveils four-part creative industry careers podcast
Thomas Melia
A new four-partpodcast by StreamGM featuring some of Greater Manchester’s top creatives has launched with the aim of powering creative careers.
Produced by Rebecca Swarray, a.k.a. ‘RebeccaNeverBecky’ – the founder of the Manchester events and arts collective – this podcast is designed to “ignite and elevate creative careers in music.”
Swarray deep dives into the current Manc music scene and beyond with the help of fellow insiders who vary upon each episode.
There are four parts in this latest series and there’s lots to cover, especially in an industry that’s ever-changing and ever-challenging.
Some of the guests and speakers you can expect to listen to on ‘ICAM’ (In Conversations and Masterclasses)Credit: StreamGM/The Manc Group
Listeners can expect to learn all about ‘Women Behind The Music’ as part of the In Conversations and Masterclasses series with Sophie Bee, Sara Garvey and Kat Brown.
The next episode delves into another key music industry area, ‘Promoters, Venues And Events’, which is broken down by Baz Plug One, Strutty, Tashadean Wood and Liv McCafferty.
‘Artist Development And Management’ features Karen Boardman, Karen Gabay, Damian Morgan, and Via Culpan deep in discussion.
The final episode in this four-part series is ‘Videography And Photography In The Creative Industries’, which sees Johan Reitan, Alice Kanako and Ahmani Vidal talking all things visual.
These four features will be an incredible resource for any creative talents as it put together by professionals for upcoming professionals of any age from any background, race, gender and walk of life.
After all, that’s what is all about, right?
Abbreviated to ‘ICAM’, the podcast is certainly one to check out, with for aspiring artist managers, producers, photographers, promoters—anyone driven to make their mark in music and events.
These podcast sessions understand industry challenges, explore career journeys, creative influences, crisis management and lots more creative field concerns.
You can find the first episode in full down below:
The first episode of the new limited StreamGM podcast.
This run of shows is the second instalment by StreamGM: Greater Manchester’s phenomenal streaming platform dedicated to all things music, nightlife and culture.
Whether you’re a budding creative arts talent or just curious to find out insights into this wonderful innovative industry, you can listen to all the episodes from the series directly on StreamGM HERE.
Elsewhere in Greater Manchester music news, another very special event is kicking off very soon:
Featured Images — Publicity Picture (Supplied)/The Manc Group
City Centre
One of Manchester’s oldest surviving Victorian mills to be repurposed into ‘distinctive’ rental homes
Emily Sergeant
A multi-million funding deal has been agreed to repurpose one of Manchester’s oldest surviving Victorian mills.
After £55 million plans to reimagine Talbot Mill into a 10-storey apartment block began back in May of last year, social impact developers Capital&Centric have now agreed a £37 million deal with Paragon Bank to finance the restoration of the historic mill and repurpose it into 190 new distinctive properties for rent.
Built in 1855 overlooking the canal, the imposing red-brick mill on Ellesmere Street in the Castlefield neighbourhood was the product of Manchester’s textile boom.
One of the city’s last massive mills to be restored, it was Talbot that spearheaded the rapid transformation of the Cornbrook area from undeveloped land to a powerful industrial hub in the late 19th century, before going on to dominate the local cotton industry in the early 1900s.
It was even used as a mushroom farm in the 1980s, while more recently, it has been the set of a period drama and a massive art exhibition.
But when the restoration is complete, over half the development will be newly-built and will offer residents of the nearly 200 ‘distinctive’ apartments a lush hidden garden, with plenty of green spaces to meet and hang out, while still managing to celebrate the mill’s past and retain loads of original features.
Capital&Centric is developing Talbot Mill as an investment, which it will retain for rent once finished.
This is something the developers have already done successfully on a number of sites in recent years, especially in its lengthy run of restoring Manchester’s iconic listed buildings and mixing the old in with the new.
One of Manchester’s oldest surviving Victorian mills will be repurposed into ‘distinctive’ rental homes / Credit: Capital&Centric
“We love to restore and repurpose historic buildings,” explained Tom Wilmot, who is the joint managing director at Capital&Centric.
“But as one of Manchester’s oldest mills, Talbot Mill is something a bit different, so we’re buzzing to be bringing it back to its former glory, [as] it had a huge role to play in the industrial revolution in the city and now it gets to be part of the city’s future.
“We’re retaining as many features as we can, to keep the history of the mill alive and so that our residents can enjoy becoming custodians of the past whilst enjoying all the trappings of modern-day living.”
Georgina Pellant -
15th March 2022 
