Classical Music in Manchester and the North

RNCM Summer Season 2018 at Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), Manchester, 24 April–27 July 2018, from £12 - Book now

Featuring classical, sacred and jazz music, as well as poetry, theatre and dance, the RNCM’s Summer Season looks set to both inspire and surprise. Read our picks for the months ahead – with a live organ soundtrack to F W Murnau’s silent film Sunrise and a performance of Ravel’s timeless Daphnis et Chloé by the RNCM Symphony Orchestra among the stand-out events.

BBC Philharmonic: Tchaikovsky | Shostakovich | Ginastera at The Bridgewater Hall, City Centre, 19 May 2018, from £12.00 - Book now

Tasmin Little performs Karol Szymanowski’s First Violin Concerto. Piercing, passionate, fiery and free, it’s arguably the first modern violin concerto, and makes tremendous demands on any soloist who chooses to take it on.

Vivaldi Rocks at The Stoller Hall, 31 May 2018, from £22 - Book now

Hugo Ticciati combines Vivaldi Concertos with arrangements of music by Muse, Metallica and Dream Theatre – demonstrating that the Baroque composer’s work was just as raucous during his lifetime as anything today’s rock stars can offer.

BBC Philharmonic 2017/18 Concert Season at The Bridgewater Hall, City Centre, 24 September 2017–9 June 2018 - Visit now

Millions of listeners enjoy BBC Philharmonic concerts on Radio 3, recorded or broadcast live from the outstanding acoustic of The Bridgewater Hall, making this orchestra one of the most widely heard in the country.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Manchester’s new 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.