International Tour

As 2019 comes to a close and we look ahead to 2020, the team at Manchester International Festival are reflecting on a successful year and excited by what’s to come in the new decade.

This year’s festival - the second led by our Artistic Director John McGrath - was the biggest yet, with more than 1,000 ticketed events, ranging from dance, theatre, music and visual arts, to site-specific performance and immersive installations.

British Council has partnered with PRS Foundation again to bring emerging UK musical talent to Brazil for three musical residencies.

Musicians in Residence is a regular programme that sees three musicians make their temporary home in three different cities. In 2019 Belfast-based musician and producer Chris Ryan is going to São Paulo; singer and musician Anaïs is going to Salvador; and violinist, writer and composer Midori Komachi is going to Diamantina.

With World Cup Rugby at fever pitch for England fans, all eyes are on Japan for its upcoming sports and cultural events. British Council is leading on the UK in JAPAN 19–20 season, a year-long programme of cultural and education-focused events and activities in both Japan and the UK which provides opportunities for British and Japanese organisations.

The Culture Diary and Arts Council England is taking a delegation of visual arts leaders and emerging designers from across the UK to Hong Kong next month from 2–7 December. The mission takes place at Business of Design Week and is a direct result of working with a number of Culture Diary members eager to expand their creative and cultural practices internationally. The mission will work with the Department for International Trade and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office via the GREAT Britain Campaign.

After two years of work, Sarah Lucas’s major retrospective opens 2 November 2019 – 16 February 2020 at Red Brick Art Museum, Beijing, realised in close collaboration between the artist and curator Yan Shije, director of the museum.

Candoco Dance Company – a world-leading professional dance company for disabled and non-disabled dancers – is seeking applications for three dancers to join the company to tour nationally and internationally from spring 2020, with a minimum 2-year commitment.

The company encourages applications from all disabled artists at any point in their career. Apply by Monday 18th November 2019 at 10am.

Apply here. 

The world renown London Community Gospel Choir was approached by Holland Baroque an innovated and original Baroque orchestra based in Utrecht.

The two worlds of music although opposites could also flow tremendously well together.  The director for Holland Baroque came to see the choir's Christmas Show at The Royal Albert Hall and straightaway knew this could work.

The Culture Diary spent a few days in Edinburgh for the opening of the British Council Edinburgh Showcase 2019.

Taking place 19-24 August, we had a presence at the trade fair on Wednesday 21 August, promoting the use of the Culture Diary to a large amount of UK culture organisations also presenting, as well as international programmers invited by the British Council to attend.

A new DCMS National Museums Partnership Report reveals that an extra 33 million people saw objects from UK museums last year thanks to around 450,000 objects being loaned from 17 national museums.

750 museums across the UK benefitted from national museums loaning more than 60,000 objects, which were seen by more than 18.5 million visitiors, boasting local economies.

Showing the power of exporting culture worldwide, the 17 national museums toured 41 exhibitions to 79 international venues, which were attended by around 7 million people.

The first wave of the UK in Japan 2019-20 programme has been announced by British Council, with more activity planned for the full year starting in September 2019.

The programme includes highlights from BBC Proms Japan, BFI and National FIlm Archive of Japan, British Library, Jason Bruges Studiuo, Graeae Theatre Company, Royal Court Theatre, Scottish Ensemble and Anna Meredith, The Royal Opera, Philharmonia Orchestra and more.