Entertainment News

Music legend Frank Ifield made a rare appearance at the Coventry Music Museum this week to show his support for the launch of a new Belgrade Theatre musical, Godiva Rocks. Born in Coundon, Coventry before later moving to Australia, the Country music singer returned to the UK to celebrate the announcement of this world premiere production that will feature some of his most successful songs.

Frank Ifield achieved 15 UK top 40 singles including four number ones throughout the 1960s, including I Remember You, Lovesick Blues, Wayward Wind and Confessin’ (That I Love You). He is just one of 20 artists with a Coventry connection to have their music featured in Godiva Rocks, alongside Vince Hill, Hazel O’Connor, The Specials, Terry Hall, King, The Primitives and The Enemy.

Written by Alan Pollock and directed by Hamish Glen, Godiva Rocks aims to capture a sense of pride for Coventry’s vibrant but often overlooked musical history, from the 1960s to the present day as Alan explains: “On one level, this is a warm, funny, human story that keeps you guessing right to the end.”

“But on another, it’s a story about an enormous pride: we, Coventry have produced this music. It came from somewhere inside us – from the people, the atmosphere and the soil of the place – and we sent it out into the world. Now it’s coming home and I hope people can celebrate that.”

The launch was held at the independent Coventry Music Museum, which is run by Coventry Music Historian and Journalist, Pete Chambers BEM, and is situated amongst Coventry’s 2 Tone Village. The area is named after what is perhaps the city’s most famed musical genre, with 2 Tone pioneers The Selecter and The Specials originating from Coventry.

Godiva Rocks will be Alan Pollock and Hamish Glen’s third collaboration following on from 2011’s Too Much Pressure and the acclaimed Coventry Blitz play, One Night in November. It continues the Belgrade Theatre’s commitment to staging productions that reflect the stories of the city and region, Nick Walker’s FA Cup play, We Love You City and, more recently, Bob Eaton’s 2 Tone Musical Three Minute Heroes.

Director Hamish Glen said, “It’s great to be teaming up with Alan once again, following the huge success of One Night in November. Godiva Rocks continues a Belgrade tradition of producing shows that bear witness to local history, local stories and local experiences. Although Alan has created a fictional story, it’s absolutely embedded in what happened to Coventry – its redevelopment, its regeneration, its loss of its venues, its decline and its re-emergence. As Artistic Director, this an essential strand of the Belgrade’s artistic vision.”

Premiering on the Belgrade’s Main Stage in October, Godiva Rocks tells the story of girl meets boy in Coventry – but nothing, and nobody, is what they seem, all because of one extraordinary night at the Orchid Ballroom, back in December ’64…

Shady financier Leo Freeman’s decision to knock down the Orchid ballroom has far-reaching consequences – as daughter Nell meets the extraordinary Patrick Vernon – and the hunt for a missing tape reveals a history of musical passions and romantic jealousies stretching back to the dawn of musical time.

The timely announcement of this new musical, follows the recent submission of Coventry’s Bid to be UK City of Culture in 2021 and is one of eleven cities currently vying for the title. The Belgrade Theatre hopes to continue the legacy of the bid with this production by highlighting the city’s cultural achievements and putting Coventry’s musical history on the map.

Godiva Rocks runs on the Main Stage from Sat 7 – Sat 21 Oct.

Tenerife's northern town of Puerto de la Cruz is ready to transform itself into a giant stage to host the 15th edition of its popular International Street Art Festival, commonly known as Mueca. Taking place from 11th to 14th May 2017, visitors to the festival can expect over 80 performances – including theatre, circus and dance routines – from both local and international artists in what is considered to be one of the most important cultural events in the Canary Islands.

This year's highlights include Quixote (nominated for the 2017 MAX Performing Arts Awards), a theatre show from Spanish-Argentinian company Puja, which includes live music and aerial acrobatics; El Coche (“The Car”), a mime performance from Chilean artist Karcocha, who creates a 'circus of laughter' thanks to his entertaining, improvisational skills; and The Primitals, a fun musical comedy performed “a cappella” by well-known Spanish company, Yllana.

The town's Plaza de Europa, Plaza del Charco and the dock esplanade will be the three main “stages” where the performances will take place, just 30 minutes away from Santa Cruz, the island's capital city.

Mueca is expected to attract over 60,000 visitors to Puerto de la Cruz during the four-day street art extravaganza. The festival is organised by citizenship organisation Plataforma Cómplices and the Town Hall of Puerto de la Cruz, which also arranges other popular cultural events including the Phe Festival (independent music festival), the Festival Periplo (International Festival of Travel and Adventure Literature), the International Agatha Christie Festival and the Tenerife Concerts of the Canarias Jazz & Más Heineken.

Grammy and Emmy Award winning comedian, actor, director, writer and producer, Chris Rock, announced today UK dates to his hit comedy tour, The Total Blackout Tour. The Total Blackout Tour 2018 marks the acclimated comedian’s first U.K. tour in ten years commencing Thursday 11 January 2018 and will visit cities across the U.K including Manchester, Leeds, Nottingham, Glasgow, Birmingham and London.

Lauded by peers and critics alike, Chris Rock is one of our generation’s strongest comedic voices. As an actor, director, producer and writer he has created many pivotal pop culture moments. With a career spanning more than three decades, Chris Rock is a true icon whose star shines even brighter.

This summer, Rock will be reuniting with Adam Sandler in production of Netflix’s original movie, “The Week Of.” He will also executive produce BET’s newest late-night talk show, “The Rundown with Robin Thede.”

Rock has won four Emmy Awards, three Grammy Awards and is a New York Times Best-Selling Author. In addition, he received two nominations for the 2016 Emmy Awards, for Outstanding Director for a Variety Special for “Amy Schumer: Live at the Apollo,” and Outstanding Special Class Program for the 88^th Annual Academy Awards.

Following the success of the 2017 Betway Premier League’s visit to Birmingham, the Barclaycard Arena has won the contract to host the tournament until 2021.

The world’s top darts stars returned to the 15,800 capacity Arena on April 27 for Night 13 of this year’s tournament, playing host to the likes of World Champion Michael van Gerwen, the legendary Phil Taylor and Scottish superstar Gary Anderson.

The evening saw the largest crowd ever for the Premier League’s annual visit to Birmingham, and has been followed with a new four-year deal to keep the tournament at the Barclaycard Arena.

The Barclaycard Arena is one of the largest venues on the darting circuit, with the ability to accommodate thousands of darts fans and hospitality guests from across the Midlands and the wider region, and has hosted the Premier League since 2007.

Having sold for the event for over ten years, the NEC Group owned ticket agency, The Ticket Factory, will also continue to sell tickets through to 2021.

Head of Sales for the Barclaycard Arena, Ian Congdon said: “The Barclaycard Arena has become a firm favourite for darts fans in recent years, and we are delighted to secure the tournament for another four.  2017 has proved to be our most successful league night yet, and I’m hopeful this event is only going to continue to grow.”

Professional Darts Corporation Chairman, Barry Hearn, added: “We’re delighted to extend our long-running partnership with the Barclaycard Arena to keep Premier League Darts in Birmingham for at least four more years. It’s always a great night with thousands of darts fans travelling from the city, the West Midlands and further afield to watch the stars of the sport in action and we look forward to entertaining them again for many more years.”

The Premier League sees ten top darts stars competing across four months at arenas across the UK, Ireland and Netherlands in a bid to win the coveted trophy.

The Barclaycard Arena hosted the 13^th league night of the 2017 season, with two further league nights remaining before the Play-Offs see this year’s champion take home the trophy and a £250,000 first prize.

In the wake of their momentous GRAMMY win for Best Reggae Album for the self-released ‘Strictly Roots,’ the iconic multi-award winning culture-driven band, Morgan Heritage, has managed to create yet another classic album ‘Avrakedabra’ out via their own independent label CTBC Music on May 19.

In their latest quest to keep reggae music relevant in a continuously evolving world of music, the band has stayed true to their formula of authentic reggae with an effusively eclectic array of tracks in ‘Avrakedabra’. The untraditional creation of this album with recording sessions taking place across four different continents highlights the groups effort of taking Reggae music to each corner of the Earth.

As you listen to ’Avrakedabra’, surprise appearances are as captivating as the title - from the opening record ‘Want Some More’ featuring Mr. Talkbox, (Bruno Mars’ 24k Magic collaborator), to the alliance of two great musical legacies with Ziggy Marley and Stephen Marley appearing on ‘One Family’, the breadth of this body of work is undeniable. This is further cemented by the awakening of the spirit of the late great lead singer Bunny Ruggs (Third World) on ‘Tribute To Ruggs’. On stage, DreZion performs as a keyboardist. However, this multi-talented star in his own right not only co-produced ‘Reggae Night’ but also lays down a great verse like a veteran DJ/MC from Jamaica. On ‘Ready For Love’, the dynamic pairing of Billboard chart topping duo R. City and Morgan Heritage emphasises the diversity of this album whilst ’We Are’ brings together Kabaka Pyramid and Dre Island, two of reggae’s future leaders, perfectly marrying the timeless beauty of reggae across the ages.

With their reggae DNA from Jamaican origins, the Brooklyn born group of Massachusetts upbringing developed their synonymous style, infusing pop, rock, country, r&b and hip-hop music into their brand of reggae that they call “Rockaz.”

Morgan Heritage kicked off the “Avrakedabra World Tour” in April, in Aruba, with key dates in Oxford, Manchester, Birmingham and London this month, supported by reggae Billboard-topping female artist Etana, GRAMMY-nominated J Boog, MTV/Beats 1’s Becca D, and Jemere Morgan (third generation).

The siblings are true veterans of live touring with decades of successful headline slots under their belt ranging from Roskilde Festival to Montreux Jazz Festival and of course Rototom Sunsplash.

Their Rolling Stones-reminiscent endurance, longevity and outstanding showmanship make them a hypnotic band on and off the stage. With this release, Morgan Heritage reinforce their reggae prowess while further establishing their far-reaching crossover appeal. Critics, fans and music lovers will not be disappointed by this anxiously awaited, monumental release.

The band will be at the O2 Ritz in Manchester,  tonight and the Birmingham O2 Academy tomorrow - May 6 – before moving on to O2 Forum Kentish Town, in London on May 7, then mainland Europe – Paris, France and Amsterdam,  Holland, before flying out to perform at the Thomas Robinson Stadium Carnival Grounds, in Nassau, Bahamas.

Based on the iconic 1969 rock concept album, The Who's ‘Tommy’ is an exhilarating story of hope, healing, and the human spirit. With a cast of 22 performers and musicians, ‘Tommy’ is the story of the pinball-playing boy which has entertained and intrigued audiences for more than 40 years. Now, the electrifying rock musical will feature a new version of ‘Amazing Journey’ to open the show and a brand new song, ‘Acid Queen 2’ for Act Two alongside classic songs ‘Tommy Can You Hear Me?,’ ‘I’m Free,’ ‘See Me, Feel Me’ and ‘Pinball Wizard.’

Directed by Kerry Michael for Ramps on The Moon (a consortium of regional theatres committed to driving change), the award-winning musical follows the story of a young boy after he witnesses the murder of his father by his mother's lover. Traumatised, he chooses to stop communicating with the outside world as he grows up in post WWII England, where he suffers abuse from relatives and others in the wider community.

However, as an adolescent, Tommy's life begins to change when he finds salvation in playing pinball.  In this new staging every performance features a creative use of audio description, captioning and British Sign Language interpretation which will enhance the experience for everyone.

With music and lyrics by The Who’s Pete Townshend-who wrote two new songs exclusively for the occasion-he said: “When I heard there was a new planned production of ‘Tommy,’ I was pleased of course. But when I heard they planned to do a production featuring actors with disabilities of various kinds, that will actually throw new light on the original story, I became very excited. This is a totally new adventure, and really does refer back to my original story in which a young man, disabled by extreme trauma, finds his way to some kind of spiritual place because he can FEEL music. I can’t wait to see it.”

Director Kerry Michael is artistic director of Theatre Royal Stratford East. His recent credits include The Harder They Come, which transferred to the West End, North America and Canada. Kerry says of this new staging: “'For Tommy, we have gone back to the concept album for our inspiration. Mounting a new production of this iconic rock musical with such a big and diverse cast is exciting, vibrant and full of amazing songs.

The cast for this new revival of Tommy includes Peter Straker (Acid Queen) who performed in the original West End production. Peter Straker is known across TV, theatre and music, starting his career as Hud in the original London production of Hair and notably working with Freddie Mercury on two solo albums.

Tommy rocks into Birmingham Repertory Theatre from May 17-27

It is no underestimation to say that the return of Gorillaz has been feverishly anticipated.

Last week saw the launch of Humanz, their first new studio album in 7 years, to widespread critical acclaim. Not only that, but tickets to their US live dates sold out in the blink of an eye this month, as did their headline show at the inaugural Demon Dayz Festival at Dreamland Margate this summer (less than 10 minutes, to be exact).

Now, following on from a secret London show in March – described by Time Out London as ‘’Flat-out one of the greatest gigs we've seen in a whole heap of years.’’ – the World’s Most Successful Virtual Act will hit the road across Europe this autumn, culminating in a return home to play Brighton, Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham and London in November and December (dates below). And if recent history is anything to go by, these will go just as quickly.

The Humanz Tour will see Murdoc Niccals (bass), Noodle (guitar), Russel Hobbs (drums) and 2D (vocals) joined on stage by the Gorillaz live band – Damon Albarn, Gabriel Wallace, Mike Smith, Jesse Hackett, Jeff Wootton, Karl Vanden Bossche, Seye Adelekan – as well as selected performers from the stellar roll call of Gorillaz’ family of featured artists.

Humanz, the acclaimed new album from Gorillaz, was released on 28^th April 2017 on Parlophone Records. This last month alone has seen a breath-taking amount of activity from the band - releasing 5 new tracks; scoring the most successful debut in YouTube VR history with the Jamie Hewlett-directed 360° six-minute animated film ‘Saturnz Barz (Spirit House)’; launching a mixed reality app; and enjoying another ground-breaking first when 2D and Murdoc joined Mistajam for their first ever real time interview, streamed live from London to fans around the world.

In a new and ground-breaking initiative to develop choreographers, composers and designers who show originality, insight and world-class potential but have not had the rare opportunity to work on the largest scale, Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB), in association with Sadler’s Wells (SW), funded by Oak Foundation, are to launch Ballet Now this month.

Ballet Now is a five-year programme of professional development with two commissions made each year by BRB & SW, supporting a total of six artists per year - one choreographer, composer and designer per commission. Commissions will provide the support and freedom to champion artistic innovation, risk taking and new choreographic practice.

With mentoring from Birmingham Royal Ballet's Artistic Director David Bintley, Koen Kessels, Music Director for Birmingham Royal Ballet, and other experts in the dance industry, choreographers, composers and designers will have the opportunity to challenge their choreographic practice and develop creative collaborations for presentation on the large-scale, whilst gaining valuable skills in leading a creative process in a major ballet company.

The process will be developed and overseen by a Creative Consortium - a panel of experts drawn from across world ballet, supporting the selection of creative talent, as well as overseeing mentoring opportunities and the on-going success of the programme.

The framework established by the Creative Consortium will enable the evolution of new and innovative works and for talent to be developed within the most experienced of ballet environments, with day-to-day guidance from some of the most globally renowned experts in their field.

The Consortium consists of: David Bintley (Director, Birmingham Royal Ballet), Koen Kessels (Music Director, Birmingham Royal Ballet), Alistair Spalding (Sadler’s Wells Artistic Director and Chief Executive), Cassa Pancho (Artistic Director, Ballet Black), Ted Brandsen (Director, Dutch National Ballet), Emma Southworth (Studio Programme Senior Producer, The Royal Ballet), Sally Beamish (Composer), Sally Cavendish (Performance Music Director, Faber Music).  More to be added as confirmed

Ballet Now will also ensure the widest possible circulation of that work, developing the artistic collaborations needed to forge careers around the world by working in close partnership with some of the world’s leading Companies.

“A ballet company should not be a museum,” says David Bintley, “it should be active creatively, within its artistic boundaries and also within the communities it serves. Giving an opportunity to artists to work together and take risks on this scale will be a game changer; this is not happening anywhere else in the world and we will make it happen here.”

Grammy Award-winning jazz drummer Terri Lyne Carrington makes her only UK appearance at Town Hall Birmingham

A world-renowned drummer, composer and producer Terri Lyne Carrington's talent was clear from a young age when she jammed with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Rahsaan Roland Kirk and Oscar Peterson. Her prestigious career has seen her perform alongside the likes of Stan Getz, Pharoah Sanders, Cassandra Wilson, Carlos Santana and Joni Mitchell.

For more than two decades, Terri has crafted an eclectic brand of jazz that incorporates elements of bebop, soul, funk and much more. Since her debut in 1989, she has established a reputation for working with artists of varying styles and perspectives to create music that adheres to the traditions of jazz yet speaks to a much broader and more diverse audience.

Her reworking of legendary Money Jungle album, accompanied by Gerald Clayton and Christian McBride, won her the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album, making her the first female artist to win the award. This followed her first Grammy win in 2011 for her debut Mosaic Project album which featured an all-female cast including the likes of Esperanza Spalding, Dianne Reeves, and Geri Allen.

Terri visits Birmingham's Town Hall for her only UK show, and will be joined by a superb band, featuring China Moses on vocals, Helen Sung on piano, Tineke Postma on sax and Josh Hari on Bass. Toegther, they'll perform music from her acclaimed album Mosaic Project: Love and Soul.

Released in 2015, the 'Love and Soul' album featured a rotating cast of superb artists including Chaka Khan, Nancy Wilson, Natalie Cole and Lelah Hathaway, Valerie Simpson.

Terri Lyne Carrington will perform at Town Hall Birmingham on Sunday 21 May 2017.

The Nooran Sisters are far from ordinary and are destined for worldwide domination thanks to their rich family heritage in Sufi classical music. Already having headlined the prestigious Nakodar Mela in Panjab, in the presence of the legendary Gurdas Mann - the sisters, Jyoti and Sultana are without a doubt the most amazing and exciting act to come out of Panjab in recent years. 

Having caught the attention of A.R. Rahman, the music supremo enlisted the sisters for their vocals on the 2015 smash hit record, Patakha Guddi, for the film Highway starring Alia Bhatt. This resulted in the sisters being nominated for and picking up a number of industry awards. Among them were awards such as ‘Best Bollywood Song’ at the IIFA Awards and ‘Best Upcoming Female Vocalist’ at the MMA Awards. 800 million people also watched the sisters when they took the stage at the International Indian Film Awards in 2015.

Salman Khan and Amir Khan are also huge fans and have had the Nooran Sisters vocal songs for their huge films in 2016, Dangal and Sultan. With so much attention and success, the Nooran Sisters have already started touring the world to packed audiences in the USA, Canada and Australia to mention a few.

September 2017 finally is the month which is set for the Nooran Sisters to showcase their unbelievable musical talent to the UK masses. Every fan of Qawali and Sufi music is promised one thing and that is that the Nooran Sisters will blow you away with their mind-blowing live performances.

The date is set, the stage is set, and the Nooran Sisters are finally coming with their full live band to bring you a night of exquisite Sufi / Qawali / Fusion music in this fantastic venue.

This spring, arts fans visiting Macao can enjoy unprecedented choices throughout the city. Whether they want to rock out on the sand at the HUSH!! Full Music festival, take in one of over 100 performances during the Macao Arts Festival – a number of which take place at Macao's World Heritage sites – or discover global and local cinema at the new Cinematheque・ Passion in beautiful Travessa da Paixão, there's something for everyone. And many performances don't cost a single penny (or pataca!).

Here are details of the choices on offer:

New Cinematheque・Passion

Opened at the end of March, Cinematheque・Passion is a brand-new cinema, film centre and library designed to promote film culture to film lovers from Macao and around the world. Taking its name from its location in famed Travessa da Paixão – known as 'Love Lane', next to the iconic Ruins of St. Paul's – the centre will hold different thematic film festivals or programmes every month – as well as two or three films shown in Macao for the very first time!

In addition, visitors can discover the local film industry for free thanks to the Cinematheque・Passion's “Discover Macao: Local Indies Revisited” programme, which will be showing two short or feature films 'Made in Macao' for two weekends a month – free of charge!

28th Macao Arts Festival - 28th April – 31st May 2017

The Macao Arts Festival brings together theatre, dance, music, circus, multimedia and visual arts from performers from around the globe – including the US, Germany, Spain, Japan and Iceland – as well as local artists. This year's festival, now in its 28th year, is themed around 'heterotopia', exploring the diverse possibilities of space, with a number of items in the programme free-of-charge and several taking place at some of Macao's atmospheric UNESCO-listed World Heritage sites.

The month-long festival sees over 100 activities and performances, including modern dance, Cantonese Opera and theatre. This year's event will kick off with the show “Play and Play: An Evening of Movement and Music” by acclaimed US artistic director Bill T. Jones.

Other notable choices include the “Performing Arts Gala” – featuring rickshaws, percussion, fire dance, clowns and puppets; “Remote Macao” – an unconventional walking-tour theatre performance through the streets of Macao; and closing event “The Seagull” – a modern and humorous twist on Anton Chekhov's masterpiece by the Reykjavik City Theatre.

HUSH!! Full Music – Macao's Beach Party

30th April – 1st May 2017

Macao's Hác-Sá Beach, in beautiful Coloane, is ready to welcome this year's popular HUSH!! Full Music festival, which is totally free of charge! The two-day musical extravaganza sees 25 singers and groups performing on a beach stage for 15 hours as they play a variety of music genres from pop and rock to electronic and metal. International artists including Hanjin Tan, Ellen Loo and Supper Moment; and local groups such as Jun Kung, Forget the G and WhyOceans are part of the line-up.

He’s back! It’s been a busy few years for Jason since his last smash-hit stand up show, but fans of his Absolute Radio show will know this nationally acclaimed comedian hasn’t changed a bit. 'Muddle Class' promises to feature a wealth of new material about Jason growing up ‘working class’ then finding, over the years, that part of him has become ‘middle class’ - causing much confusion!   Delivered with Jason’s amiable charm and captivating wit, this is a show not to be missed.

Jason said: “Somebody said to me on my Facebook fan page, 'it's been ages since you've toured'.  I thought 'no way, it was last year wasn't it?  Anyway, long story short, they were right, it was years ago!  I just got fooled cos I've been on tour doing musicals and the last tour is repeated on Dave ja Vu 13 times a day!  So I’ve been putting some stuff together, looking at my life and how it's changed over the years, how the world has changed and how my parents haven't changed a bit!  It's going to be a great tour and I can't wait to see you there.”

Get your groove on this summer at the Montreux Jazz Festival Morocco in Marrakech, and stay in the former home of Jazz Age icon, Josephine Baker.

The name Josephine Baker is synonymous with the age of Jazz in Europe and its connections to the Belle Epoque in Marrakech. A spin-off of one of the most famous jazz festivals in the world (the Montreux Jazz Festival in Geneva), the Moroccan take on the legendary Swiss event brings the two continents together once again through music. Running from 30 June to 15 July 2017 at the Bahia Palace in Marrakech, the Festival will feature workshops, acoustic concerts and the famous Montreux Jazz Club, all in the surrounds of the evocative Red City.

Jazz fans wishing to fully immerse themselves in the genre should check into Riad Star. Previously part of a Royal Palace owned by the Pashah of Marrakech, the luxury riad welcomed Josephine Baker as a long staying guest in the early 1940s; now guests can marvel at Josephine memorabilia collected by the current owners, as well as dress up in some of her original outfits. Each of the riad's thirteen rooms contains individual touches and references to Josephine and the Jazz Age, from books to dresses and instruments. The boutique property has recently been extended to incorporate a cookery school and spacious courtyard. Perfect for a roaring '20s themed dinner party.

Castell Son Claret in Mallorca launches its fifth annual programme of exclusive opera evenings this summer. The tranquil luxury retreat welcomes three acclaimed opera acts for a series of intimate alfresco performances within the beautiful gardens of the former castle.

The series begins on 8th July with the Soloists of the Accademia Teatro alla Scala in Milan – the third year this world-famous performing arts school has visited the Castell. Seated under the stars in the hotel's fragrant Arabian gardens, guests will be treated to a magical evening of spellbinding operatics featuring highlights from the Accademia's 2017 programme.

On 29 July, celebrated soprano Sonya Yoncheva performs her summer favourites against the backdrop of the hotel's romantic surroundings. The Bulgarian opera sensation has appeared at prestigious venues worldwide including London's Royal Opera House, where her lead vocals in Bellini's Norma received critical acclaim last autumn.

The series concludes on 18 August with the Young Singers of the prestigious Salzburg Festival. The internationally renowned soloists, who have sung at the Castell every summer since the launch of its exclusive events programme, will perform an eclectic range of pieces including classics and a few surprise numbers.

Tickets to Castell Son Claret's exclusive opera evenings are priced from €195 and include a welcome cocktail reception, wine, soft drinks and a special three-course gala. The chefs of the hotel's Olivera restaurant have devised the menu to incorporate the finest local ingredients and each course will be served in between musical performances from the operatic guests.

A historic nineteenth century former castle just outside the village of Calvía, Castell Son Claret has 38 elegant suites and rooms located in seven buildings.  Surrounded by Arabian gardens and the fragrance of bergamot, grapefruit, orange, rose and jasmine, the rooms have an elegant and contemporary design, many notable for their terrace or gardens and others for their private pools.

Castell Son Claret is located at the foot of the UNESCO protected La Tramuntana mountains, surrounded by a lavish park and gardens in 326 acres of unspoilt nature, giving an unparalleled sense of freedom, access to pure mountain air and spectacular views.  The hotel is home to Zaranda restaurant, which is the only two Michelin starred restaurant in the Balearic Islands. The hotel's abundant gardens provide ingredients for home blended gins in the hotel's bar, as well as personalized spa treatments using almond blossom, lavender and rosemary.