Concert: Sedbergh Prep School Choir
2026-05-09 10:00 - 11:00 UTC | Henry Watson Music Library
Sedbergh Prep School will bring their tour to Manchester Central Library Saturday 9th May.
Mixing cultural activities with performances in a few well-known establishments around the city, the Casterton choir will be calling-in at the Henry Watson Music Library.
Based in the North-west, they have performed recent concerts at esteemed venues such as Bolton Priory, St Mary’s Church in Kirkby Lonsdale, Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral, and St Helen and St Martin’s York.
Composed of children aged 10-13 years old, the choir will be promising a mixture of songs to suit all tastes. The choir will be accompanied by the Head of Music at Sedbergh Prep School, Sian Norman.
Set to be a special, informal, early morning performance – all are welcome to attend this choral session from 10AM.
Free – just drop in.
Please consider making a donation if you can here or at one of our cash or contactless donation boxes in Central Library.

2hr DJ Workshop at Central Library
2026-05-14 17:00 - 19:00
Join us for a hands-on DJ and music production workshop at Central Library.
Hosted by tutor Niah Jemijog, this 2 hour session is designed to be an accessible, creative, and engaging tutorial for all experience levels.
This small group session will cover the fundamentals of beat making, mixing, and live looping/DJ performance, using industry-standard tools like Ableton Live, MIDI Controllers and live instruments.
The workshop will take a multi-genre approach, encouraging participants to explore and create across styles such as hip hop, electronic, house, experimental, and more.
The focus will be on building confidence, developing practical skills, and giving people the tools to start honing their musical intuition and creating their own music straight away.
With a strong emphasis on inclusion, creativity, and real-world application, this group session in the Henry Watson Music Library on the first floor will be suitable for all ages and abilities.
Tickets are limited, so be quick!
Book tickets here or click on ‘Book Now’ below and ‘pay-what-you can’.
All donations go to Manchester Libraries to support future activities.

Library Lunchtime Choir
2026-05-19 12:30 - 13:15 | Henry Watson Music Library
Fancy a sing on your lunch break? Or just a feel-good sing to boost your day? Then come along to our regular Library Lunchtime Choir session!
There is no pressure to be a virtuoso, we’re just singing to feel better. The session will be 45 minutes of warm-ups and an arrangement of a well-known tune. You don’t need to be able to read music, we will learn everything by ear using the lyrics.
Sessions are run by Sarah Adams (Choirs Manchester) and the ethos is all about setting a relaxed atmosphere to enjoy singing together as a group.
Come along with a friend or on your own, it’ll be a friendly, laid back session!
Free – just drop in.
Please consider making a donation if you can here or at one of our cash or contactless donation boxes in Central Library

Music Q&A: 'THE BEAUTIFUL DEATH OF OZZY OSBOURNE' with KEITH KAHN-HARRIS
2026-06-01 18:00 - 19:00 | Henry Watson Music Library
Acclaimed author Keith Kahn-Harris will be coming to the Henry Watson Music Library to discuss his new book ‘The Beautiful Death of Ozzy Osbourne’.
What is a ‘good death’? How about this: After years of terrible health, you gather friends and admirers for one last, glorious party. A couple of weeks later, you slip away, surrounded by your loving family. Then, the world comes to mourn. That is how Birmingham’s favourite son, Ozzy Osbourne, died.
By his death in June 2025 – at an age few believed he’d reach – Ozzy was much-loved, far beyond the metal world. Once a feared, demonic figure to some (and a joke to others), his Back to the Beginning farewell concert at Villa Park raised millions for charity.
In concise, arresting chapters moving from Death to Life via Art, Politics, Sex, Bodies, Voice, Family, Myth and more, Kahn-Harris explores how Ozzy – of all people! – attracted such generosity of spirit. The answer, he finds, is deeply embedded within the story and culture of metal – and has lessons for us all.
Keith Kahn-Harris has been writing about metal since the mid-1990s and he is one of the founders of Metal Studies as a discipline. Alongside his scholarly work, he has written metal journalism for many years, most recently for The Quietus, alongside books on language, and Jewishness.
Join Keith in person as he talks through the book at our Henry Watson Music Library on Monday 1st June at 6pm.
Tickets are just ‘pay-what-you-can’.
All donations go to Manchester Libraries.

Choirs Manchester - Live Performance
2026-06-13 14:00 - 15:00 | Henry Watson Music Library
Come along to the Henry Watson Music Library for some exceptional choral music from: Choirs Manchester.
Choirs Manchester are a collective of choirs running in Chorlton and Withington. They are all about singing to feel good and love nothing more than performing their original arrangements of current and classic tunes. They have performed yearly at the renowned Manchester 10k, at Refuge, Manchester and are consistently part of local community events in South Manchester such as Chorlton Arts Festival and for the charity Emmeline’s Pantry.
Choirs Manchester are led by the talented Sarah Adams, who among her many other accolades has conducted the Manchester’s Survivors’ Choir and performed alongside Take That. As a singer/songwriter of her own accord, she has also performed in reputable venues across the city such as Band on the Wall, Manchester Academy, Bury Met, Deaf Institute and been part of the ‘Live at Lunchtime’ series at Bridgewater Hall.
Speaking about Choirs Manchester and their concerts, Sarah says:
“I pride myself on creating a relaxed, no pressure environment that is all about singing to feel good and my ability to encourage a sense of community during a session. It is an empowering activity, not just for an individual but also for connecting people as a group.”
This June, take a seat in the historic music library, sit-back, watch, listen, and immerse yourself in their uplifting vibe.
Free – just drop in.
Please consider making a donation if you can here or at one of our cash or contactless donation boxes in Central Library

Never Mind The Books Here’s PUNK DAY!
2026-07-11 11:30 - 16:30 | Henry Watson Music Library
This July, the Henry Watson Music Library will be celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Sex Pistols’ iconic 1976 gig at the Lesser Free Trade Hall.
A definitive milestone in the city’s musical history, Sex Pistols’ first appearance in Manchester has since become the stuff of rock legend. Named “the most important gig of all time” by the NME, it was a watershed moment that ushered in a new generation of artists and a new way of thinking, and redefined music in the North, and beyond, forever.

With the former Lesser Free Trade Hall just across the street, the Henry Watson Music Library at Central Library will be commemorating that legendary date with a day that salutes everything PUNK.

Promising a packed afternoon of themed talks and Q&As, acclaimed author DAVID NOLAN will be presenting his book “I Swear I Was There – Sex Pistols, Manchester and the Gig that Changed the World”. Despite thousands claiming they were in attendance, only a handful of people were actually there – but those that were went on to form bands including The Smiths, Buzzcocks, Joy Division, New Order and The Fall. In a myth-busting masterclass of investigative journalism, Nolan has sorted the hardcore facts from the rock’n’roll fiction and will be appearing at the Library in-person to tell us exactly who really was at the Lesser Free Trade Hall gig, and who has just been blagging…

Elsewhere, Manchester music scene legend and talking head JOHN ROBB, will be talking about his brand new book “Punk Rock Ruined My Life and Other Stories”. As the frontman of both Membranes and Goldblade, and founder of tastemaker site Louder Than War, John is a man who knows punk inside-out. Chatting through his new memoir, he will be delving into his deep friendships with figures like Poly Styrene to Chris Packham, growing up in Blackpool, interviewing icons like Mark E. Smith to Patti Smith, plus opening-up on a host of other riotous stories.

Plus, proving it wasn’t just the Pistols tearing up the rule book, Louder Than War journalist IAIN KEY will be presenting his new “All The Young Punks: A People’s History of The Clash”. From their own punk explosion of 1976 to become an internationally acclaimed arena act, Iain will be discussing their history with lifelong Clash fan PAUL HANLEY (ex-Fall).

And in true punk spirit, one of Manchester’s most fiery new acts DEAD STILETTOS will be performing live to show us that the legacy of what the Sex Pistols started in the Lesser Free Trade Hall is alive and well. DIY to the core, the five-piece have been described as “Stoogified Mancunian Punk” and will deliver a shot of live rock’n’roll mayhem to close proceedings with a bang.

Book tickets here or click on ‘Book Now’ below and ‘pay-what-you can’. All donations go to Manchester Libraries to support future activities.

Stereo Listening Booth - LIVE!
2026-07-25 08:00 - 17:00 | Henry Watson Music Library
A special matinee show from the Manchester electronic act LIVE from the Henry Watson Music Library.

Ellesmere Port resident Patrick Oakford and Manchester’s Travis Eagle write and perform original electronic / dance / trance / club soundscapes under the name Stereo Listening Booth.
Reviewing the debut album ‘Disko Noir’, Louder than War magazine described the experience as ‘somewhere between a less sleazy Soft Cell and more interesting New Order’.
The band’s mission statement is a simple one: ‘nothing ruled out, nothing ruled in’.
Stereo Listening Booth will be performing live at selective venues throughout the year, with an exclusive performance right here in the Henry Watson Music Library at Central Library.
Special guests TBC – watch this space.
Book tickets and make a donation on Eventbrite here or ‘Book Now’ below
All donations go to the Manchester Libraries Trust (registered charity number: 1150161).

Watch / listen to “99 Otago St” here:
