As You Are, a soundwalk for Leeds written for Opera North by South African-born composer and cellist Abel Selaocoe, will open on March 30 as part of Leeds 2023 Year of Culture.
It invites audiences to experience Leeds in new and transformative ways, with an emphasis on the meditative and healing power of walking.
Audiences collect their audio sets from the Victoria Gate shopping centre, then a series of transmitters on the route of the 30-minute walk trigger each chapter.
The Orchestra and Chorus of Opera North are joined at various points by Zimbabwean mbira player Anna Mudeka, Moroccan guimbri player Simo Lagnawi, djembe virtuoso Sidiki Dembélé from the Ivory Coast, and Abel himself on cello and vocals.
Tickets are ‘pay as you feel’.