Name: Monday Lunchtimes 2026
Start: 2026-12-14T13:15:00
Location: Royal Northern College of Music

Belle Wong

Chloe Chen

Asia Movsovic

Hannah Chiu

Jake Stevens

Annalise Southerton-Platt

Nyra Jain

Jane Xiong

Dongru Tong

Candy Yuan

Kamil Kulich

Gema Lu Cai

Scott Manson

Erin Thomas

Lois Lezdkan

Alice Clarke

Siying Tang

Yanqi Zhou

Anastasia Gould

Tilly Crutchley

Jason Cheung

Théo DG

Amit Segev

Khaled Issa

Frederick Johnston

Aster Duo

Royal Northern College of Music

Monday Lunchtimes 2026

Under the glow of candlelight, these intimate ariettes and lyrical romances offer tenderness, reflection, and quiet, luminous stillness.

Spotlight: By Candlelight – Ariettes and Romances

RNCM (Royal Northern College of Music)

This interactive sandpit and workshop afternoon brings together artistic practice researchers, including PhD students, working in sound and music to explore the ethical dimensions of their work. Through collaborative discussion, hands-on activities, and knowledge sharing, participants will engage with challenges around consent, authorship, representation, cultural sensitivity, and the responsibilities of working with communities, technologies, and materials in creative research.

Designed as a supportive space for experimentation and exchange, the afternoon will combine short provocations with participatory exercises, enabling attendees to critically reflect on their own practices while learning from others. Whether navigating field recordings, working with collaborators, or developing practice-as-research methodologies, participants will leave with practical tools and fresh perspectives to inform ethical decision-making in their artistic work.

RNCM Research Forum: Workshop Afternoon

The American pianist makes her Manchester debut performing selections from her critically acclaimed album Nature.

Tiffany Poon is a pianist whose work centres on interpretation, atmosphere, and emotional precision. She approaches classical music as a living language, shaping sound and silence with intention and clarity, and allowing meaning to emerge through listening rather than explanation.

Tiffany Poon (piano)

Acclaimed in The Strad as ‘a duo of rare ensemble and musical intelligence‘, the husband-and-wife artistic partnership of Hannah Roberts and Simon Parkin has gained great critical and public success both at home and abroad.

No strangers to the RNCM, both have a long relationship with the College. Hannah Roberts is Professor of Cello, appearing recently as a soloist for Dvořák’s Cello Concerto with Manchester Camerata. Simon Parkin is a sought-after composer, arranger, and pianist, alongside his role as Deputy Head of Undergraduate Programmes. He celebrates his 50th anniversary working at the College alongside his 70th birthday this year.

Hannah Roberts (cello) and Simon Parkin (piano)

Drop in during your lunch break and discover a wide range of performances for free with our Monday and Thursday Lunchtimes.

Our relaxed performances are designed to be inclusive and supportive for all, with particular consideration for neurodivergent audience members, people with learning disabilities, and anyone else who benefits from a less formal setting.

Audience members are free to move around or leave and re-enter the space at any time. We may use additional lighting, and adapt elements of the presentation to keep the environment comfortable. A dedicated quiet space will also be available throughout the performance for anyone who needs a moment away. Our aim is to create a supportive atmosphere where everyone can enjoy the experience in the way that works best for them.

Thursday Lunchtimes: An American in Paris – Relaxed Performance

Join us for a light-hearted evening of music with the rare, but colourful, combination of horn, flute, and piano.

Spotlight: Silver and Gold – Music for Flute and Horn

Feel the pulse of the dance floor as the RNCM Session Orchestra transforms electrifying disco anthems into powerful orchestral creations. Iconic sounds from artists like Chic, Gloria Gaynor, and Diana Ross take on a new dimension, skilfully rearranged for the full sound of an orchestra and soloists from our Pop Department.

Track highlights include: Disco Inferno, I Will Survive, Le Freak, Everybody Dance, and more.

Feel the Fever – An Evening of Disco!

Since their 1996 debut Şehir, mor ve ötesi has shaped the sound of modern Turkish rock. With eight studio albums, iconic anthems like Bir Derdim Var and Cambaz, and a career that includes Eurovision, film soundtracks, and a historic stadium concert, the band continues to influence generations. Their 2004 release Dünya Yalan Söylüyor is still considered a defining moment in Turkish alternative music.

Now, mor ve ötesi offers a rare live experience with an unplugged concert series that reimagines their catalog for seated and intimate venues. Stripped of distortion but rich in atmosphere, these performances highlight the emotional depth and melodic complexity of their songs. Acoustic arrangements and minimal production create space for reflection, storytelling, and connection. It is a chance to hear familiar songs in an unfamiliar way. Raw, direct and closer than ever. This is mor ve ötesi unplugged and unfiltered.

mor ve ötesi

Drop in during your lunch break and discover a wide range of performances for free with our Monday and Thursday Lunchtimes.

Thursday Lunchtimes: Chiarina Trio

Expect drama, high emotion, and expansive sounds as Hallé Principal Conductor Kahchun Wong conducts the RNCM Symphony Orchestra. The concert also features soprano soloist Esther Shea and the world premiere of a new work by RNCM composer Amit Manna, conducted by Juan Jose Munoz Borja.

Written in the aftermath of the Second World War, Strauss’s Four Last Songs are a poignant farewell not just to his own life, but to the world as he knew it. A masterful marriage of music and poetry for soprano and orchestra, this swansong transcends loss, finding serenity and acceptance in the face of mortality.

Composed earlier under the Stalin’s regime, Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony was born out of one of the most terrifying and uncertain periods in both Soviet history and the composer’s own life. With his music under heavy attack from the government and the press, not only his career but his very survival hung in the balance.