“Albion, Now” is the title of the Manchester Collective’s current programme. What does England look like today? The ensemble, this time with an all-female line-up, answered this question in March with a showcase of contemporary British composers. On this tour of Northern Europe, the ensemble was able to celebrate four debuts in one go across three concerts:

1) On 19 March 2026, we had the pleasure of welcoming the musicians for the first time to the ProArte X subscription series, which we curate, in the Small Hall of the Elbphilharmonie. They were already familiar with the Elbphilharmonie from their first performance in the Grand Hall as part of the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, alongside Abel Selaocoe. This time, they showcased a different side of their multifaceted work.

2+3) On 20 March 2026, they travelled straight on to Malmö, where the ensemble celebrated not only its Swedish but also its Scandinavian debut. At the invitation of Musik i Syd, they performed at the Kuben in Malmö Live, where they won over the usually rather reserved Swedish audience.

4) Crossing the Öresund Bridge, they continued on to Copenhagen. The Danish String Quartet presented them as part of their own concert series, “Series of Four”, for the Manchester Collective’s Danish debut on 23 March 2026, providing a wonderful end to a successful tour.