Throughout April, May and June, Barnsley Libraries will be celebrating all things music with an exciting programme of events planned across our borough.
Made possible by funding from Arts Council England, we have something for everyone with our Biblio Beats Festival, including workshops, concerts and talks across our libraries.
As our Artists in Residence, WE Great Ladies will work with young people, both at Library @ The Lightbox and Royston Library, to explore how they can express their creative side.
They will work together to produce original pieces of music, which will be showcased for you to enjoy at Barnsley Live in June.
As part of Biblio Beats, we’re excited to welcome Concerteenies to Barnsley Libraries.
An award-winning producer of musical events and activities for young children and their parents and carers, they will make music fun for children aged 0-7 across our libraries.
Earlier this year, we launched a call-out for artists to host takeovers as part of Biblio Beats, showcasing their work or creating something new inspired by Barnsley Libraries.
After working with a panel of young people across our borough, we’re excited to announce Sonic Whispers and Suggestion Box Songs as our Motifs Artist Commissions.
Sonic Whispers will explore different forms of creative expression, offering workshops where you will use live music to explore drawing, painting and doodling sound.
Suggestion Box Songs will be looking for your help throughout our Biblio Beats Festival to create new songs inspired by our library-goers.
Share your stories, lyrics and poems for turning into songs at one of their special suggestion boxes, which will be placed in libraries across our borough. Alternatively, you can be part of the songwriting process by joining one of their sessions at Library @ The Lightbox.
These are just some of the great events we have planned as part of our Biblio Beats Festival. Find out what’s planned by visiting our Biblio Beats webpage, our library events webpage or Barnsley Libraries’ social media pages.
Councillor Caroline Makinson, Cabinet Spokesperson for Public Health and Communities, said: “As community hubs, our libraries are a space for more than just borrowing books. They bring our communities together to try something new and be part of our borough’s rich and diverse culture.
“We’re really excited about what we have planned for our Biblio Beats Festival, a three-month-long celebration of music for people young and old. There are lots of fantastic ways you can be a part of the celebrations, whether you want to enjoy a concert in your local library, get your children involved with music or express your creative side.
“There’s something for everyone, and I hope to see our communities getting musical throughout April, May and June.”
We are currently producing a printed events programme, which should be arriving in a library near you over the next few weeks. Please keep an eye out for them.
Our Biblio Beats Festival programme is supported using public funding kindly provided by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.