Music in Sheffield

We are proud to be a part of one of the UK's most musical cities.

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Calvin Merry

piano performance on stage with audience

Picture of My Fair Lady Concert — Lost Songs of My Fair Lady concert

Lost Songs of My Fair Lady concert

guitar player crowd surfing — Cory Holmes

Cory Holmes

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With dozens of major venues ranging across all music genres, from City Hall and The Crucible to The Leadmill and the Foundry, there is a great live music scene to explore. Sheffield is also full of music-making organisations, from brass bands to symphony orchestras, and it is home to a wealth of charities bringing music into community and educational settings.

Sheffield's Musical Heritage

Joe Cocker, Def Leppard, Human League, Cabaret Voltaire, Pulp, The Arctic Monkeys and Bring me the Horizon are just a few bands that grew out of the vibrant music scene in Sheffield. This remarkable heritage has helped to establish a buzzing collection of gig venues across the city that students can perform and watch headline acts.

Department of Music Collaborators

We enhance our music degrees with unique opportunities for students to gain inspiring industry experience with organisations across the city, region and the UK. Here is a list of the creative organisations who provide a range of dynamic projects that our ambitious students can get involved with.

Sheffield's Music Venues

The Sheffield music scene benefits from the size of the city. Sheffield has a wide array of smaller, independent venues that like to do things their own way, as well as the well known larger venues that host acclaimed musicians.

Sheffield's Cultural Organisations

Sheffield Music Highlights

Music in the Round

The classical music scene in Sheffield is supported by several vibrant local organisations who run multiple events and concerts throughout the year. Sheffield is home to Music in the Round which is the leading national promoter of chamber music. Students are welcome to attend many of their 'in the round' performances at the world renowned Crucible Studio. Their resident group 'Ensemble 360' comprises of 11 world-class artists who frequently run collaborative outreach activities. Find out how to get involved.

Sheffield is home to a wealth of talented orchestras, a variety of choirs, aspiring soloists, conductors and composers. Classical Sheffield work to celebrate these activities and to showcase the diverse range of music making available within the city. Classical Sheffield also host the hugely successful 'Classical Weekend'. This annual festival weekend provides a platform for Sheffield music makers to perform in a variety of different venues across the city, showcasing their work to the public. The 2019 festival saw four students from Department of Music have their composition works premiered by the Gildas Quartet in the stunning venue of Graves gallery. View the video.

Choral music forms a central part of and pivotal role in the worship at Sheffield Cathedral and is serviced by a cathedral choir of 40 boys, girls, men and choral scholars. The Cathedral offer up to six scholarships with the Department of Music for students to sing at regular services, as well as performing for a wide variety of special occasions in the Cathedral and beyond.

Tramlines

Sheffield Tramlines is the city's largest outdoor festival taking place across three days in July. Tramlines Fringe festival, which runs parallel to the event, provides a large range of free music and entertainment across the city's popular outdoor spaces and pubs. Throughout the year, students have the option to attend a wide variety of live music at Yellow Arch Studios, the O2 Academy and the Leadmill which is visited by international touring artists.

Sheffield Jazz

Sheffield is renowned for its lively folk scene with sessions, gigs and ceilidhs happening every other night. Sheffield 'Sessions festival' takes places in April and is the culmination of these groups, with a weekend of workshops and performances in pubs across the city. Sheffield University folk group, set up by well known folk singer Fay Hield, regularly perform on the folk train and has trained students who have gone on to be nominated for Radio 2's BBC young folk award.

Many of our talented students are active performers in Sheffield Jazz scene. There are a range of venues that showcase Jazz throughout the week including Jazz at the Lescar, Crookes Social Club, Trippets Lounge Bar and our very own Firth Hall. Students have recently received masterclasses from John Waugh (saxophone) and Simon Lepper (piano) in Jazz performance.

Department of Music