On Saturday 27th April at 7.30pm in Halifax Minster, Halifax Chamber Choir present a concert of Sacred Choral Music of the Baroque. Halifax Chamber Choir is one of the oldest performing choirs in Yorkshire having been founded in 1899 as the Halifax Madrigal Society. In the early part of the last century the choir was in great demand, performing concerts across the North.

Fake news, propaganda, scheming manipulators, a great story line and some knock ‘em dead tunes: the musical Wicked has it all including its very own Yorkshire lass, Wakefield’s home-grown superstar, Laura Pick as Elphaba. It’s been doing the rounds since 2003 and, with every viewing, this Stephen Schwartz / Winnie Holzman show reveals a little bit more of itself.

Highly experienced criminal psychologist, guest lecturer, radio host, podcaster, and writer Linda Sage is teaming up with Writers Retreat UK in Beal, North Yorkshire, to host a weekend crime writing residential from 20-22 September. Linda has spent forty years working with some of the UK’s most notorious criminals, including the Kray twins, Charles Bronson and Myra Hindley.

Tickets are still available for Yorkshire’s leading classical music festival, the Northern Aldborough Festival; 2024 marks the festival’s 30th anniversary. A charity, its mission is to bring a high-end live music to its rural location, making the sleepy village that was once a prosperous Roman capital, an unlikely epicentre for classical music.

York Theatre Royal has announced that a new large-scale community production will take place during the summer of 2025. Focusing on the life of York social reformer and philanthropist Seebohm Rowntree, research volunteers are being sought to delve into the fascinating history of the period and the life of this famous York figure to shape the theme of the production.

When Take That reunited in 2006 after their breakup, the group returned stronger and more popular than before. Now with Gary Barlow, Mark Owen, and Howard Donald seemingly back for good, the trio arrived at Sheffield Arena for the start of their This Life tour—a mammoth 41-date outing across the country, selling over 700,000 tickets in the process.

Our film critic and media correspondent has been looking and trawling the new releases. Here's what you can see on the big screen this week.

Joseph Marcell was most recently seen in Chiwetel Ejiofor’s debut feature film, The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind. TV credits include Mammoth and I Hate You, both for the BBC and he is soon be seen in Candice Carty-William’s Queenie on Channel 4. His prolific stage credits include Hamlet at the Young Vic with Cush Jumbo, Kathy Burke’s Lady Windermere's Fan, extensive work with Shakespeare’s Globe including the titular role in Bill Buckhurst’s King Lear and Derek Walcott’s Omeros, as well as seasons at the Royal Shakespeare Company. Joseph plays Sir Peter Teazle in The School for Scandal at York Theatre Royal from 23-27 April.

It makes a change to enter the world of spies and spying; fast action, drama and tension with a good old fashioned Russian enemy who needs to be stopped when all efforts to thwart him are, in turn, thwarted by a traitor, at the very heart of British Intelligence.

Opening with the slick America, it is clear that Lyra has the production values to make it on the international stage, but it is with the Rihanna-driven Drink Me Up that the album kicks into fifth gear.

Once again, the Lyceum theatre has welcomed Jamie back to his home city and what a joy it is for all Sheffield theatre goers. The show is based upon the genuine story of Jamie Campbell, a Sheffield teenager who dreams of becoming a drag queen and of attending his forthcoming school prom in a glamourous dress.

“There’s nothing more human than failure” was a touching backdrop displayed on stage before the British powerhouse vocalist, Paloma Faith, took to the stage at Sheffield City Hall. Rather than be a sad and sorrowful tale, the tracks off the new album felt empowering, engaging, and electrifying.

Northern Ballet will open its autumn 2024 season with Three Short Ballets a triple-bill featuring two world premières and a Northern première. The trio of works will be performed in Leeds at the Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre from the 6-14 September and in London in early 2025.

Sir Matthew Bourne’s ballet, based on Tim Burton’s film, has enchanted audiences across the world since it opened nearly 20 years ago. Presented by Bourne’s own New Adventures company, it perfectly captures the innocence of Edward as he navigates through the prejudices and fears of a small town that, while seemingly embracing diversity, can never fully accept true differences.

Harrogate International Festivals has announced Peter James as the final Special Guest for the 2024 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, the "world’s largest and most prestigious celebration of crime fiction" taking place 18-21 July.

It was quite a defining moment for Martin Venning. The West Yorkshire author is sitting down to discuss his third novel The Value of Luck and tells me he started writing to stop him getting bored after a serious accident that left him spending six months in hospital.

After the success of last year's sell-out tour, the UK's number 1 multi-platinum selling vocal harmony group, The Overtones, will be bringing a non-stop party featuring songs for all the family. The set will include their original songs plus covers from the likes of Stevie Wonder, The Drifters, Frankie Valli, and The Four Seasons, plus festive favourites!

And so, volume 9 in this series of Chandos, Manchester Camerata, and Jean-Efflam Bavouzet Mozart Piano Concertos continues with three concertos that were composed together in 1782/83, shortly after Mozart had left his patron and position in Salzburg to establish himself as a freelance composer and performer in Vienna.

There are times when classical music must wake up and realise that, despite the foibles of a particular recording, it can be an excellent means of expanding the genre for a larger audience. Surely, not a bad philosophy?

An exciting new recital series welcomes the future stars of the classical music and opera world to perform in the splendour of Sledmere House in Yorkshire Three lunchtime recitals in the spring (27 April, 12 and 25 May) will showcase the talents of musicians from the Royal College of Music and the Royal Academy of Music, as well as two former Royal Opera House Jette Parker Young Artists Music h…

Billed as the untold story of the iconic Ursula the Sea Witch, this wonderful parody on Disney, particularly The Little Mermaid, grabs you firmly by the tentacles, ringing out laughter from the opening scene to the final curtain. I went hoping for an interesting night out and left having witnessed the funniest show I have seen in many a year.

Tramlines Festival, Sheffield’s biggest party, has revealed the stage splits and the incredible grassroot talent winners of the Apply To Play talent competition for the 2024 edition, taking place at the 40,000 capacity Hillsborough Park from Friday 26th to Sunday 28th July. Each of the festivals’ five stages has something completely different to offer.

Shakespeare’s greatest love story returns to the Lyceum stage with Northern Ballet’s wonderful production of Romeo and Juliet adapted by Christopher Gable and Italian choreographer, Massimo Moricone. This ballet must be one of Northern Ballet’s most well-known and critically acclaimed productions.