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.
Composer Simon Knighton curates an eclectic evening of sonic invention and boundary breaking new music in Sound Sculptures.
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.
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 Royal Northern College of Music is both a music venue and an academic institution training up some of the country’s finest music students.
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.
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 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.
Manchester’s Albert Hall is an astounding Wesleyan Chapel turned live music venue, regularly hosting classical concerts.
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.
BC Camplight has spun deportation, addiction and breakdown into a catalogue of tragicomic brilliance – and his solo show lays it all bare.
From £14.00
A quietly radical force in contemporary club culture, John Talabot returns to The White Hotel for one of his signature all-night sessions.
From £13.00
Open-air club Progress scales up to 5000 capacity and launches a spring/summer season of forward-thinking electronic music and grassroots culture.
From £0.00
The Hallé invites audiences to a year of classical masterpieces, world premieres and appearances by some electrifying artists and composers.
From £17
Manchester Psych Fest, the UK’s trailblazing psychedelic music and arts festival has announced a massive bill for its 2025 edition.
From £44.80
Playable art installations, Shakespearean adaptations, contemporary cabaret, hip hop and live photography, Factory International bring another electrifying Spring Season.
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
Get priority booking on the best seats, special discounts, invitations to exclusive events and much more. Are you in?
From £45.00
Happening as part of MIF25, Blackhaine’s world premiere performance promises to be one of the most compelling and emotionally charged experiences of the festival.
From £10.00
One of the most arresting offerings at MIF25 – a haunting, meditative journey through abstraction, perception and performance.
From £10.00
Get hands on with the decks in this funk and soul superstar DJ workshop from BBC Radio 6’s Ailsa.
Free entry
All instruments, all abilities are welcome to join a band every week at Altogether Otherwise as part of their Singing and Dancing programme.
Free entry
Presenting the best walking tours in Manchester for history buffs, culture enthusiasts, and those looking to scratch beneath the surface of the city.
Take me there
From the team behind the Kazimier, the Invisible Wind Factory is Liverpool’s most eclectic live music venue and nightclub.
District Liverpool is a multi-purpose venue in the Baltic Quarter, hosting gigs, club nights, films, cabaret, festivals and much more.
A theatre-cum cinema in Cockermouth offering a wide programme of touring theatre, music, independent film and events to townsfolk and visitors.
The Deaf Institute is a vibrant gig venue and nightclub for which it is well worth taking a jaunt out of the Northern Quarter.
The baby in the family of Manchester’s concert halls, The Stoller Hall greatly enhances the city’s already enviable live music provision.
The Gardeners Rest is a community run pub in Neepsend, Sheffield.
Part of the University of Huddersfield’s Music Department, Phipps Hall is an intimate concert venue hosting a wide variety of musical events.
Outdoor cinema announcements, a major retrospective at HOME, and the best of indie cinema.
Experimental performance, thought-provoking new writing and our picks of Manchester International Festival - here’s what’s taking centre stage this summer.
There's a lot of experimentation going on in our Literature guide, from poets playing with form to short story writers looking long.
Gigs are coming in hot this spring – from long-awaited returns to one-off happenings you’ll blink and miss if you're not careful.
The sun is shining in the North, so use our guide to get out there and eat, drink and be merry in it.
From city-wide art festivals to open-air sculptural installations, we have exhibitions from all around the North, both indoors and out.
With these lighter, brighter days and warmer temperatures, it's really starting to feel like summer here in the North West!
