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Guides
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Where to go
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RNCM Autumn Season

Johnny James, Managing Editor

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RNCM Autumn Season

Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), Manchester
12 October-13 December 2025

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

From £8
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

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.

Find out more
Abel Selaocoe_Spring 2026_credit Phil Sharp_sq
Abel Selaocoe. Image courtesy of Phil Sharp.

What's on at Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM)

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

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.

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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. 

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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.

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What's on: Music
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One of London’s most hyped bands of the last few years, Bar Italia are playing Band on the Wall in support of their latest album, Some Like It Hot.

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Thundercat at Aviva Studios

From cult hero to global collaborator, Thundercat is back with his first album in six years, and a headline show at Aviva Studios.

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Quiet introspection and cathartic eruptions – the mysterious kids in the corner of the Brixton Windmill scene bring their new album Somersaults to YES.

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One of the country’s foremost festivals showcasing new and emerging talent, Sounds From The Other City is back over Early May Bank Holiday.

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