Grand Union Orchestra’s last major show at Shoreditch Town Hall, in 2018, “Uncharted Crossings” created an extraordinary and vibrant atmosphere in telling the backstory of the Empire Windrush.
“I had an incredible evening watching Grand Union’s ‘Uncharted Crossings’ at Shoreditch Town Hall. Diversity, varied musical traditions and ideas, collaboration and passion all on stage, celebrating & responding to the legacy of Windrush” - Mayor Philip Glanville, London Borough of Hackney
This 40th Anniversary celebration has an even greater global reach. The artists – many of them first-generation migrants themselves – have personal experience of the events portrayed in the classic shows. In songs and music by Tony Haynes, they also contribute a wealth of musical flavours: Chinese and Bengali folksong; Indian ragas; South African township music; West African drumming and chant; the infectious dance rhythms of samba and salsa, soca and ska with stunning jazz improvisation…
“With its unlikely combination of global influences and big-band jazz, Grand Union Orchestra has always occupied a category of its own.. the variety is endless” - The Guardian