The Forsyths Blog

A reminder that we will be closed on Sunday 20th and Monday 21st April for the Easter bank holiday!

Spring is in the air here in Manchester, and we have a packed couple of months of free music events for you to enjoy! Launched in March but continuing until 31st May is the piano trail with manchester jazz festival. This is our 4th year of partnering with mjf to bring street pianos to the streets in an around Manchester. This year it's bigger and better than ever with 16 pianos in place! This years locations are: The Arndale Centre, The Corn Exchange, Forsyth Music Shop, Aviva Studios: Factory International, Grand Arcade (Wigan), Great Northern, Harvey Nichols, Manchester Central Library, Manchester Piccadilly Station, Quayside MediaCityUK (Lowry outlet), Royal Exchange Arcade, Spindles Town Square Shopping Centre (Oldham), Spinningfields, HOME, Trafford Palazzo, and Manchester Victoria Station! --- This month we're welcoming back Forsyth regular performer Duncan Honeybourne for a Thomas Pitfield: Piano Music Album Launch on the 11th April. Duncan Honeybourne, acclaimed internationally for his insightful interpretations of 20th and...

This year's piano trail around Manchester officially started today (20th March 2025) and is in place until 31st May 2025. There are 16 pianos around Manchester in an array of venues free for everyone to enjoy. This is the 4th year that Forsyths has teamed up with Manchester Jazz Festival (MJF) and Yamaha to create the piano trail and this year it is bigger and longer than ever before. As in other years there is an opportunity to win a Yamaha digital piano as well as an array of other prizes by posting a video to social media of your performance on one of the street pianos tagging in  @manchesterjazzfestival  @manjazzfest and the tag #mjfpianotrail2025 You can find all 16 pianos in the following locations:- The Arndale Centre,  The Corn Exchange, Forsyth Music Shop,  Aviva Studios: Factory International, Grand Arcade (Wigan),  Great Northern,  Harvey Nichols,  Manchester Central Library,  Manchester Piccadilly Station,  Quayside MediaCityUK (Lowry outlet),  Royal Exchange Arcade,  Spindles Town Square Shopping Centre (Oldham),...

Our free recital continued in February with two wonderful performances! For up to date information on our upcoming performances, see our main event page here We started with a performance by Cristo Harijan of music by Liszt and Mompou. All our free recitals are livestreamed to Facebook, you can see Harijan's performance here --- Our second recital in February was with Robert Wheatley and our very own Winnie Su, for an evening of Impressionist Music. The livestream can be found here --- We had some exciting bits of filming happen in store in February, one of which became a feature video across Secret Manchester's social media --- Our social media channels have been busy, with all our departments sharing their favourite items. Our Piano Department shared this adorable pre-owned Ibach 'Baby' Grand Piano, which has been stealing the hearts of everyone who walks by. At not quite 4.8 feet long it's our smallest little 'Baby' Grand. --- Our Instrument Department has been feeling the spring spirit and sharing some lovely guitars...

Thurs 22 May - James Pearson Trio plays Oscar Peterson part of mjf day seven After two sold out shows in 2022 and 2023, James Pearson returns to our historic Piano Showroom as part of day 7 of the Manchester Jazz Festival. The highly anticipated return of the James Pearson Trio will feature a spellbinding tribute to the legendary Oscar Peterson. Tickets are £25 which includes a glass of prosecco or soft drink equivalent. It's set to be a fantastic event, so book now to avoid disappointment!  Oscar Peterson's journey from modest beginnings to international acclaim is a testament to his extraordinary talent. His masterful command of the piano, characterized by lightning-fast octave runs and intricate chord progressions, created a sound so rich and full it rivaled that of an entire big band. This special performance celebrates Peterson's legacy through carefully selected compositions and jazz standards, interwoven with fascinating historical insights and personal stories, including James's entertaining first encounter with the maestro....

We started this year by continuing our free recital series with two events, including a world premiere! See all our future events here We kicked off the year with a sold-out visit from the Ardentia Trio, who played music by Cameron Biles-Liddell (who was also at the concert!), Jennifer Higdon and Felix Mendelssohn. Missed the performance? View a livestream of it here --- Our second concert this year was a World Premiere of Colin Riley's new piano works Memory Leaves, with 14 performers! Adam Swayne and 13 of his RNCM students presented the new music to a packed house See the livestream on Facebook here --- Our ground floor Sheet Music Department shared some of their #SheetMusicPicks  across our social media in January, featuring their favourite beginner books for piano, cello, and ukulele The Instrument Department showed off one of the items in our January Sale with this demo from James --- If you want to keep up to date with the goings on here at Forsyths then follow us on Facebook and Instagram

Join us this January for some free live music! Our free recital series continues this month with two concerts in our historic piano showroom. We will also be running a January Sale, details to follow soon! Saturday 11 January 2025, 6:30 - 7:30 PM - Ardentia Piano Trio Join the Ardentia Trio and guest violist Emma Farnsworth at Forsyth's for an eclectic program spanning two centuries. The evening features Mendelssohn's dramatic F minor Piano Quartet alongside contemporary works by Cameron Biles-Liddell and Jennifer Higdon's color-inspired Piano Trio. The Ardentia Trio comprises Max Jones-Lachman (violin), Rebekah Clarke (cello) and Nadia Dotsiak (piano). This hour-long performance brings together four RNCM postgraduates in the intimate setting of Manchester's historic music shop.  Programme: Cameron Biles-Liddell (1994-)- Clockwork Dances Jennifer Higdon (1962-)- Piano Trio- Pale Yellow- Fiery Red Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1849)- Piano Quartet No. 2 in F minor- Allegro molto- Adagio- Intermezzo. Allegro moderato- Allegro molto vivace...