RNCM Autumn Season

Johnny James, Managing Editor

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RNCM Autumn Season

Until 13 December 2025

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Promotional image of Branford Marsalis playing saxophone
Branford Marsalis by Roger Thomas.
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This autumn, the RNCM unleashes a season of daring stories, fearless players and performances ranging from jazz and opera to improvised film scores and full-blown orchestral spectacle.

Highlights include a rare Manchester appearance by saxophone legend Branford Marsalis, who joins pianist Julian Joseph for a free-flowing jazz set at the College’s annual Saxophone Day. It’s another big moment as The RNCM Symphony Orchestra features in the Hallé’s John Adams Festival, charting America’s grit and imagination through music by Adams and his peers.

Opera and film bring a more surreal edge as part of the RNCM’s Legends and Lore strand of concerts celebrating storytelling through music: Murnau’s classic silent film Faust: A German Folk Legend with live organ, and Prokofiev’s brilliantly bizarre opera L’Amour des Trois Oranges.

From jazz icons to operatic satire, landmark cinema to compositional masters – this is a snapshot of the RNCM’s Autumn Season at its most varied and characterful.

Our top picks

Faust: A German Folk Legend at RNCM

Faust: A German Folk Legend at Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), Manchester, 21 November 2025, From £12.00 - Book now

Enjoy a rare chance to experience F. W. Murnau’s landmark silent film on the big screen, as the haunting imagery of Faust: A German Folk Legend meets the spontaneity of an improvised live organ score by Darius Battiwalla.

Film still
RNCM

Prokofiev: L’Amour des Trois Oranges at RNCM

Prokofiev: L’Amour des Trois Oranges at Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), Manchester, 7–13 December 2025, From £15.00 - Book now

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

opera poster
RNCM

Inspirational Artists at RNCM

Inspirational Artists at Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), Manchester, Until 16 June 2026, From £12.50 - Book now

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

Abel Selaocoe_Spring 2026_credit Phil Sharp_sq
Abel Selaocoe. Image courtesy of Phil Sharp.
Abel Selaocoe_Spring 2026_credit Phil Sharp_sq
Until
MusicManchester
Inspirational Artists at RNCM

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

From £12.50
Film still
CinemaManchester
Faust: A German Folk Legend at RNCM

F. W. Murnau’s silent-era masterpiece Faust: A German Folk Legend gets the big screen treatment at the RNCM, with a live improvised organ score.

From £12.00

Where to go near RNCM Autumn Season

Manchester
Restaurant
San Carlo Fumo

San Carlo Fumo is a sun trap on St Peter’s Square, serving up traditional Italian food at its best

Utility Gift Shop
Manchester
Shop
Utility Gift Shop

Utility Gift Shop on Oxford Road is all about products that are new, unique, quirky and cool. High street shopping at its best.

exterior of Contact Theatre building
Manchester
Theatre
Contact Theatre

Following a major redevelopment, the iconic venue on Oxford Road will be reopening its doors to welcome the public back into the building this autumn. 

The Salutation pub in Manchester
Manchester
Bar or Pub
The Salutation

This traditional boozer, surrounded by imposing flats and university buildings, was taken over by Trof (of the Deaf Institute fame). The Sally, as the regulars call it, hosts an energetic, arty crowd – and its recently expanded outside area is another good reason to visit.

What's on: Music

MusicManchester
Perfume Genius at New Century

Perfume Genius brings Glory to New Century – another transformation from a shapeshifter who’s made unpredictability a signature.

From £30
MusicLeeds
TTSSFU at The Attic

Twisting shoegaze into something darker and more volatile, TTSSFU returns with new EP Blown and a headline Leeds show.

From £13.00
Opera North: Susanna at Lowry
MusicSalford
Opera North: Susanna at Lowry

Opera North joins forces with Phoenix Dance Theatre for Susanna – a bold reimagining of Handel’s oratorio that still feels fiercely relevant today.

From £24.00
The Orchestra (For Now)
MusicManchester
The Orchestra (For Now) at YES

London’s The Orchestra (For Now) channel the chaos and thrill of early BCNR – darker, weirder, and completely gripping live.

From £15.07
Film still
CinemaManchester
Faust: A German Folk Legend at RNCM

F. W. Murnau’s silent-era masterpiece Faust: A German Folk Legend gets the big screen treatment at the RNCM, with a live improvised organ score.

From £12.00

Culture Guides

Music in the North

From New York’s experimental underground to the most exciting sounds coming from local scenes, we're lining up a noisy autumn of gigs.

Hofesh Shechter - Theatre of Dreams at Lowry
Theatre in the North

Picks this month include bold visual art, wondrous opera and cinematic dance - plus a touch of ghostly storytelling for the Halloween season.

Poet Helen Mort.
Literature Events in the North

One to add to your TBR pile, our latest round-up is a bumper edition and features some amazing events in Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds and beyond...

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night
Cinema in the North

It's busy month across the cinemas of the north as Halloween programming leads into two of the region's biggest film festivals.

A white mattress is burning in a black rocky landscape.
Exhibitions in the North

In galleries around the North this autumn, you'll find tactile sculptures, Treasures with a capital 'T' and plant magic.