THE Hallé in association with Milapfest is delighted to announce a spectacular celebration of South Asian culture - the Hallé Taj Festival.

Manchester’s stunning Bridgewater Hall will be transformed on between 27 and 28 June for the festival, which forms part of the Orchestra’s 150th anniversary festivities.

On Friday 27 June at 7.30pm, one of the world’s greatest sarod players Ustad Wajahat Khan, will perform his much-awaited world premiere, Concerto for Sarod and String Orchestra. The concert also features one of today’s most exciting collaborative partnerships, tabla player Bhupinder Singh Chaggar and saxophonist Jesse Bannister as they perform a joint composition called Freedom of the Soul.

Joined by Hallé strings, voices, sitar, santoor, accordion and Scottish harp, this piece received fantastic reviews at its world premiere by the Hallé at Sheffield’s City Hall in March 2008.

On Saturday 28 June at 2pm the festival heralds the first in a brand new monthly international series in the Barbirolli Room, Music for the Mind and Soul presented by Milapfest. Celebrated sitar player Gaurav Mazumdar, a senior disciple of the legendary Pandit Ravi Shankar, will perform with his trio featuring leading tabla player Sanju Sahai.

In the evening, tabla star Ustad Zakir Hussain will join perform with his masters of percussion. Audiences will get the chnace to experience the traditional repertoire of North Indian drumming and witness the dazzling dancing drummers of Manipur. The concert will include extracts from Zakir Hussain’s own compositions for film, including Colours, Mr and Mrs Iyer and In Custody. The Hallé will also perform Lollapalooza by John Adams and Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite (1919).

The Bridgewater Hall foyers will be decorated throughout the festival for exhibitions, food and free foyer events suitable for all the family in Taj Bazaar. Highlights include mouth-watering Indian foods, displays of Indian dance in full costume, decorative sari displays, henna tattoos, face painting and an exhibition of Indian instruments.

For more information on the Hallé Taj Festival please visit the Hallé’s website at www.halle.co.uk.