Week 3: Sunday Events

The three-week festival concludes at 4pm with 'Daughter of the Elements'. Tête à Tête presents Stephen McNeff's mini opera about the scientist Madame Curie and her struggle against sexism, setting words from documentary sources. Directed by Bill Bankes-Jones; featuring Katherine Bond, Mary Plazas and CHROMA Ensemble. Followed at 4.45pm by 'The Third Policeman', maverick composer Ergo Phizmiz's opera based on Flann O'Brien's surreal and perplexing masterpiece – part thriller, part comedy, part science-fiction, this radical adaptation promises stagecraft, animation and unforgettable music. Then, at 6pm, Opera North presents 'Life Cycle', a set of songs about love, loss and sleep deprivation. Novelist Toby Litt's wry, unflinching words combine with Emily Hall's extraordinarily beautiful music across 20 songs that trace the surreal, funny and sometimes traumatic story of new motherhood. Singer Mara Carlyle's haunting voice is accompanied by cellist Oliver Coates, pianist John Reid and Lightmap (video design). The festival ends at 6.45pm as Filament Theatre presents Osnat Schmool's 'One Small Step', a promenade piece that charts the emotional journey of a couple as they witness their child's first faltering steps. A cappella duet, intercut with a percussive score, charts the highs and lows of watching a child learn to walk; a free event for all the family.