Classical Music in the North

Creative Tourist

Read our latest highlights from the live classical music offer in Manchester and the North, taking in a number of the region’s most cherished ensembles and venues.

Want more music? Head to our general Music guide for our latest scoop on the North’s best gigs and festivals.

Our top picks

Sound Sculptures at The International Anthony Burgess Foundation

Sound Sculptures at The International Anthony Burgess Foundation at International Anthony Burgess Foundation (IABF), Manchester, 11 June 2025, from £5.00 - Book now

Composer Simon Knighton curates an eclectic evening of sonic invention and boundary breaking new music in Sound Sculptures.

Sound Sculptures
Fiona Brehony

manchester jazz festival 2025

Manchester Jazz Festival 2024, 16–25 May 2025, 0-£30 - Book now

Jazz lovers rejoice – manchester jazz festival is back with a bumper edition in 2025, as the festival celebrates its 30th anniversary.

Rina Srabonian.
Rina Srabonian.

International Concert Series at The Bridgewater Hall

International Concert Series at The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, Until 19 May 2025, from £8 - Book now

The 27th instalment of The Bridgewater Hall’s flagship classical music series is here. True to form, there are some incredible concerts to look forward to, featuring some of the leading ensembles and musicians of our time.

Pierre-Laurent Aimard
Pierre-Laurent Aimard

Sound Out Leeds 2024/25

Sound Out Leeds 2024/25 at Leeds Conservatoire, Leeds (and other venues), Until 15 June 2025, from £10.00 - Book now

Leeds International Concert Season is on a mission to push boundaries, expand horizons, and ask the question: ‘What haven’t we heard?’ as it presents its city-spanning Sound Out Leeds series.

A black woman sat down looking to the left.
Em Obeng

The Bridgewater Hall

The Bridgewater Hall, Lower Mosley Street, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M2 3WS - Visit now

Home to the Hallé and the BBC Philharmonic orchestras, the Bridgewater Hall attracts some of the biggest names in classical music. Purpose-built to the tune of £42m, the hall was designed around its acoustic needs; it floats on 280 earthquake-proof isolations springs that mute all external noise, perfect for shielding around 250 performances a year from the trams outside.

The seats and stage in The Bridgewater Hall
Image courtesy of The Bridgewater Hall

Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM)

Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), 124 Oxford Road, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M13 9RD - Visit now

The Royal Northern College of Music is both a music venue and an academic institution training up some of the country’s finest music students.

The Stoller Hall

The Stoller Hall, Hunts Bank, Manchester, M3 1DA - Visit now

Still Manchester’s newest kid on the concert hall block, The Stoller Hall opened its doors in April 2017 to further enhance the city’s already enviable live music provision.

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Hope Street , Liverpool, Merseyside, L1 9BP - Visit now

The 1930s Art Deco Philharmonic Hall, home to the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, gives no hint of the sensuous curves of the auditorium inside from its hard exterior.

Hallé St Peter’s

Hallé St Peter’s, 40 Blossom Street, Ancoats, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M4 6BF - Visit now

Hallé St Peter’s is a deconsecrated Grade-II listed church, once a theatre prop store, then a knitting factory, before being restored and becoming home to the Hallé orchestra.

Image of Halle St Peters from across Cutting Room Square in Ancoats, Manchester.
Ben Williams

Albert Hall

Albert Hall, 27 Peter Street, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M2 5QR - Visit now

Manchester’s Albert Hall is an astounding Wesleyan Chapel turned live music venue, regularly hosting classical concerts.

Albert Hall on Peter street Manchester
Image courtesy the Albert Hall.

Manchester Cathedral

Manchester Cathedral, Victoria Street, Manchester, M3 1SX - Visit now

Manchester Cathedral dates back to at least the 1400s and has been rebuilt many times. In current, striking form, it’s still a place of worship, but also host to regular gigs and events.

More music events

Sextile
MusicManchester
Sextile at The White Hotel

From sunny Los Angeles to deepest darkest Salford, electronic punk duo Sextile head to their spiritual home of The White Hotel.

from £16.00
Two dancers and orchestra on stage
Until
DanceManchester
Dance:Music at the RNCM

Through a treasure trove of concerts, the RNCM’s initiative Dance:Music explores the symbiotic relationship between music and dance.

from £0.00
Rina Srabonian.
MusicCity Centre
manchester jazz festival 2025

manchester jazz festival is back this May with 10 days of live music from some of the best northern, national and international musicians operating in the world of contemporary jazz.

0-£30
MusicManchester
Manchester Psych Fest 2025

Manchester Psych Fest, the UK’s trailblazing psychedelic music and arts festival has announced a massive bill for its 2025 edition.

from £44.80
A black woman sat down looking to the left.
Until
MusicLeeds
Sound Out Leeds 2024/25

Leeds International Concert Season is on a mission to push boundaries, expand horizons, and ask the question: ‘What haven’t we heard?’ as it presents its city-spanning Sound Out Leeds series.

from £10.00
Image by Jonathan Schofield.
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Classical Music in the North

Yard Bar at District
Baltic Triangle
Event venue
District Liverpool

District Liverpool is a multi-purpose venue in the Baltic Quarter, hosting gigs, club nights, films, cabaret, festivals and much more.

City Centre
Music venue
Arts Club Liverpool

Based in Liverpool’s old Royal Institute of Arts and Science building, Liverpool Arts Club is a great spot to catch small touring acts.

Gorilla, Whitworth street Manchester
Manchester
Bar or Pub
Gorilla

Gorilla is a good choice for breakfast, lunch or dinner. From a hearty full English to meaty burgers via good vegan and veggie options. It also hosts some of the best gigs and events in Manchester.

The Lowry Theatre and Gallery in Salford Quays Manchester.
Salford
Theatre
Lowry

With two theatres, galleries and a studio space, award-winning Quayside arts centre The Lowry combines the performing and visual arts to impressive effect.

Music venue
Bates Mill Blending Shed

Bates Mill started life as a spinning mill founded around the turn of the century making woolen yarn. The Blending Shed is a 5,000 sq ft multi-purpose space.

Sheffield
Music venue
The Greystones

The flagship outlet of Thornbridge Brewery, The Greystones is a spacious, traditional, half-timbered community pub and music venue.

The Domino Leeds
Leeds
Music venue
The Domino Leeds

Live music isn’t the only attraction at The Domino. It also serves a range of inventive cocktails which are perfect to sip whilst watching the acts.

Culture Guides

Three men sit next to each other. One's head is bandaged, one holds a torch and one wears a sleepmask.
Cinema in the North

Live scores, midnight movies and the latest from Wes Anderson are just some of our upcoming film highlights.

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

Eclectic as ever. You'll find inventive reworkings, world-class contemporary dance and Greater Manchester's inaugural Improv Festival in our guide.

Okechukwu Nzelu
Literature Events in the North

If it's inspiring, inclusive events and avant-garde, experimental afternoons you're after, look no further than live literature this spring – we've got you covered.

Sextile
Music in the North

Open air clubs, new festivals and long-awaited gigs. The North West's live music scene is heating up this spring. 

Laura Ellen Bacon, Into Being, 2025. Photo © India Hobson, courtesy Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Exhibitions in the North

Willow weaving, textile collages, digital arts and ecology - all this and more in our exhibition top picks this month