Classical Music in Manchester and 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

Inspirational Artists at RNCM

Inspirational Artists at Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), Manchester, 27 September–3 December 2024, from £12.50 - Book now

The RNCM has launched its brand new Inspirational Artists series, spotlighting a huge range of touring musicians and ensembles, each bringing something unique to the stage.

three musicians wearing white and performing with string instruments
Paul Blakemore.

International Concert Series at The Bridgewater Hall

International Concert Series at The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, 30 September 2024–19 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 © Julia Wesely.

Life on Our Planet in Concert at The Bridgewater Hall

Life on Our Planet: Live in Concert, 8 October 2024, from £23 - Book now

Natural history and live orchestral music combine as Manchester Camerata help bring Netflix’s Life on Our Planet to life at The Bridgewater Hall.

Image supplied by Bmusic

English Touring Opera at Buxton Opera House

English Touring Opera: Blond Eckbert and The Snowmaiden at Buxton Opera House, Sheffield, 25–26 October 2024, from £28.50 - Book now

English Touring Opera storm back into Buxton Opera House with a double-bill of Dame Judith Weir’s Blond Eckbert and a brand-new production of Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Snowmaiden – two sensational operas exploring the supernatural, myths and folklore.

Blond Eckbert production image. Man on stage with screen behind him showing shadow figures.
Blond Eckbert production image by Richard Hubert Smith.

Elijah Fox at The Stoller Hall

Elijah Fox at The Stoller Hall, Manchester, 27 October 2024, from £22.50 - Book now

This autumn, join The Stoller Hall for a solo piano performance from world-renowned multi-instrumentalist and producer, Elijah Fox.

Musician Elijah Fox at the piano
felix zimmermann

Manchester Camerata: Māyā – An Orchestral Carnatic Song at The Stoller Hall

Manchester Camerata: Māyā - An Orchestral Carnatic Song at The Stoller Hall, Manchester, 30 October 2024, from £25.00 - Book now

Fusing the sound of a Western Classical Orchestra with Carnatic song, Rushil Ranjan presents his new composition Māyā, commissioned by Manchester Camerata, at The Stoller Hall.

Manchester Camerata performing on stage in the Stoller Hall with audiences
Manchester Camerata/ Robin Clewley

Hallé Family Concert: Marvellous Musical Myths and Legends

Hallé Family Concert: Marvellous Musical Myths and Legends at The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, 29 September 2024, from £13.00 - Book now

The perfect way to introduce your little ones to classical music, this family concert explores a world of myths and legends through music from films we all know and love.

Marvellous Musical Myths and Legends
The Hallé

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

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.

RNCM

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.

Image courtesy of the Stoller Hall

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.

Manchester Cathedral. Illustration by Simone Ridyard.

More music events

Crowd listening to music at Islington Mill as part of Fat Out Fest
MusicChapel Street
Fat Out Fest 2024

Fat Out Fest, a Salford festival championing the experimental and the underground in music and visual art, returns with three-days of music, exhibitions and workshops.

from £ 0
MusicManchester
Porches at Band on the Wall

Porches, the synth-pop project of New York–based musician Aaron Maine, plays at Band on the Wall following the release of his sixth album, Shirt.

Manchester Science Festival 2024
FestivalsManchester
Manchester Science Festival 2024

Expect a packed programme of fun, family-friendly daytime activities and adults-only evening events spanning never-seen-before installations, live performance and interactive adventures.

Fireworks above Sessions House at night.
FestivalsLancashire
Encounter Festival in Preston

Expect a joyous weekend loaded with outdoor performances, live music, hands-on family events, and of course, Preston’s signature Torchlight Procession and firework display.

free entry
Female with white suit sitting on piano stool singing
MusicManchester
RNCM Autumn Season

From soul legends to fantastical opera, live art to dance’s cutting edge, we select our highlights from the RNCM’s Autumn Season.

from £8
Spotlight on

Courses and Workshops in the North

Spanning an array of visual and textile arts, explore courses and workshops based in some of the North’s most distinctive locations.

Take me there

Classical Music in Manchester and 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.

Manchester music venue, Band on the Wall
Manchester
Music venue
Band on the Wall

Band on the Wall is one of Manchester’s most legendary live music venues, the place where Joy Division, The Buzzcocks and Oasis got their first breaks.

The Bread Shed
Manchester
Music venue
The Bread Shed

The Bread Shed is 480 capacity event space off Oxford Road in Manchester. The venue plays host to regular live music, club nights, comedy and much more.

City Centre
Music venue
South

Bite-size basement dive alternating techno-house and indie nights, this stalwart of the Manchester music scene can be found just off Deansgate, next door to St Ann’s Square.

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