Leeds Beckett professor brings students into landmark performance at Leeds City Varieties

Professor Sue Miller, Course Leader for the MA in Popular Music and Culture at Leeds Beckett University’s School of Arts, is bringing her research and professional practice directly into the classroom and onto the stage. On Thursday 18 June, her band Charanga del Norte perform at Leeds City Varieties Music Hall in what promises to be one of the most ambitious nights of live music in the city this year, with students and colleagues from Leeds School of Arts playing a central role throughout the evening.

The show marks the exclusive launch of Charanga del Norte’s new album Havanaise, a Serge Gainsbourg-inspired collection of original compositions, alongside new EP singles Caballo Charanguero and Pa’ La Escuelita and a programme of Cuban charanga classics from Havana and New York. The first set of the evening draws on Gainsbourg’s Latin recordings from the 1950s and early 1960s, bringing a distinctive French flavour to the band’s signature sound.

Charanga del Norte are the only full charanga orchestra in the UK, performing with an authentic line-up of flute, violins, cello, piano, bass, timbales drums, congas, güiro and singers. Founded by Professor Miller, who studied Cuban flute with the legendary Richard Egües of Orquesta Aragón in Havana, the group have toured the UK for more than 25 years and supported major international Cuban acts including Eliades Ochoa of Buena Vista Social Club at The Bridgewater Hall and Orquesta Aragón and Changüi de Guantánamo at the Barbican Victoria Park event in London.

Songlines magazine has described the band as a ‘superb UK-based salsa and charanga band’, while DJ John Armstrong of Bass Clef, BBC Radio 2 and BBE Records calls them “the perfect happy-shot for the heart, brain and soul”. Audiences can expect an exciting night of mambo, son, chachacha, pachanga, danzón and bolero.

Students and staff at the heart of the performance

The City Varieties show is a genuine collaboration across Leeds School of Arts, reflecting Professor Miller’s commitment to connecting her professional practice with her teaching. Music Performance and Production students Izzy Tucker and Becca Hooley will join Performing Arts Lecturer Dr Adele Senior for a guest vocal spot with the band, rehearsing with Charanga del Norte the night before the performance.

Behind the scenes, Marketing and Public Relations students Holly McHugh and Rudi Doughty are gaining real industry experience by supporting publicity for the event as part of their portfolio work. Students from the BA in Music Performance and Production, the MA in Popular Music and Culture and the Music Management programme, including MA student Kyra Findlator, will help run the merchandise operation on the night.

The visual dimension of the evening has been developed by colleagues from Leeds School of Arts’ research community. Lecturer Tim Blackwell (Creative Technology/Film) is creating a Nouvelle Vague-styled short film of the performance, drawing on his PhD research and working with his Broadcast Media students. Lecturer Ashley Dean is preparing projected animations for the show, also informed by his own doctoral research and professional practice. LBU alumnus Guillermo Davis, a Cuban dancer-turned-animator who graduated from the BA in Animation, will have his animation Chachacha del Lobo screened on the night, set to a new Charanga del Norte track from the forthcoming album.

Sue said: “My research and professional performance practice inform everything I do in the classroom. Having students perform alongside the band, work on the merchandise, support publicity and contribute to the film and animation is exactly the kind of integrated, real-world experience we want Leeds School of Arts students to have. This is what it means to learn from practitioners.”

The performance forms part of Professor Miller’s ongoing research into Cuban music and charanga performance practice, supported by Leeds Beckett’s Leeds Arts Research Cluster. Her work bridges professional performance, academic enquiry and student education, a model that will continue to develop with the launch of a new MA in Popular Music Performance in September 2026.

Event details

Date: Thursday 18 June 2026
Venue: Leeds City Varieties Music Hall, Swan Street, Leeds LS1 6LW
Time: Doors open 7.30pm
Tickets: Available via Leeds Heritage Theatres: leedsheritagetheatres.com/whats-on/charanga-del-norte-2026/