A historic moment arrives as John Adams, one of the world’s greatest living composers, returns to the Hallé to conduct his own music.

“It’s fucking Fat Dog, baby.” Bringing a knowingly absurd blend of electro-punk, rock’n’roll snarl, industrial pop and rave euphoria, the South London’s seven-piece headline Now Wave’s Halloween special.

Scratching an early-BCNR itch while pushing in an increasingly dark direction, The Orchestra (For Now) bring their forthcoming second EP to Manchester.

Blending post-punk aggression with queer pop and industrial techno, New York’s Model/Actriz play at Band on the Wall in support of their second album, Pirouette.

The Hallé has a bumper Christmas season in store, decking the (Bridgewater) hall with festive pop, cinematic magic and roaring-twenties glamour.

Across seven albums, Perfume Genius has moved between hushed alt-indie, maximalist pop and strange, orchestral abstraction. His new one sees him loosen the reins, serving up a mosaic of styles and characters who recur throughout his discography.

With a ballooning fanbase, a debut EP out in the wild, and an album surely around the corner, this next tour feels like a big one for Manchester’s own Westside Cowboy.

Manchester Collective and The Marian Consort make peace with the short, crisp days and long, dark nights of winter, with a concert that ushers in the solstice.

TTSSFU – Wigan-born, Manchester-based Tasmin Nicole Stephens – makes lofi, grungy shoegaze that takes the genre in an intriguingly dark direction.

As part of The John Adams Festival, which sees the living legend come to Manchester to conduct his own music, the RNCM Symphony Orchestra charts a musical journey through 20th century American life.

The UK’s biggest annual sax gathering returns, and in its 25th anniversary year the festival is headlined by one of the most influential figures in jazz and classical saxophone today: Branford Marsalis.

Blurring the line between performance art and punk show, New York’s Les Savy Fav return to the Brudenell on All Hallows’ Eve.

Operating in the same orbit as Jon Hopkins, Max Cooper and Rival Consoles, Halina Rice pairs emotive electronic music with cutting-edge visuals to create live events she describes as “part rave, part art-happening”.

This autumn, the RNCM launches its second Inspirational Artists series, spotlighting a huge range of touring musicians and ensembles, each bringing something unique to the stage.

A magical curse, a burst of laughter, and three tantalising oranges… Prokofiev’s L’Amour des Trois Oranges is a cocktail of satire, slapstick and fairy tale – an irreverent antidote to operatic solemnity.

The Hallé’s new season blends classical heavyweights, boundary-pushing premieres, and genre-straddling names like Jonny Greenwood and Anna Meredith – plus a whole festival dedicated to John Adams.