RNCM Autumn Season

Johnny James, Managing Editor

Last Updated 24 September 2022

This year sees the RNCM celebrate its 50^th anniversary. 50 years if incredible concerts, 50 years of world-leading research, 50 years of inspiring classical music’s leading lights. To kickstart the celebrations, the College has a huge Autumn Season in the works, packed with awe-inspiring talent and typically thrilling programming.

Our highlights kick off with Elizabeth Llewellyn, one of the leading sopranos of her generation. Along with pianist Simon Lepper, she’s performing a programme of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor songs alongside hidden gems and old favourites by Puccini, Brahms, Mahler and Charles Villiers-Stanford.

Next it’s one of the most sought-after pianists in Britain, Steven Osborne, who received an OBE in the 2022 Queen’s New Year’s Honours for services to music and contribution to UK cultural life. Expect a concert of glittering solo piano music by Beethoven, Schubert, Rachmaninov and Osborne himself.

Deeper into November, the internationally celebrated Elias String Quartet will return to the RNCM to perform works by Haydyn, Beethoven and Sally Beamish, following the ensemble’s announcement as Artists in Residence at the College.

All before the RNCM Symphony Orchestra’s big moment, as they perform Mahler’s 10^th Symphony – the composer’s final gift to the world, which emerged from the height of his prowess and depth of his personal life.

Finally, in December the College hosts opera’s biggest party: Strauss’ rip-roaring comedy Die Fledermaus (The Bat), filled with deceit, betrayal, and champagne. Lots of champagne.

Read more about each of these events below, in our top five picks from the season.

Here are our picks

1. Elizabeth Llewellyn (soprano) & Simon Lepper (piano) at RNCM

Frances Marshall

Elizabeth Llewellyn (soprano) & Simon Lepper (piano) at Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), Manchester, 11 October 2022, from £9.00 - Book now

Elizabeth Llewellyn’s distinct artistry and smoky timbre set her apart as one of the leading sopranos of her generation. Following her lauded album of songs by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, she joins pianist Simon Lepper for a programme that takes in many of those songs, plus hidden gems and old favourites by Puccini, Brahms, Mahler and Charles Villiers-Stanford.

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2. Steven Osborne (piano) at RNCM

Ben Ealovega Field

Steven Osborne (piano) at Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), Manchester, 26 October 2022, from £9.00 - Book now

Described by The Observer as “always a player in absolute service to the composer”, Steven Osborne gives a rare performance of Rachmaninov’s Piano Sonata No 1 in D minor alongside before Schubert’s lyrical, occasionally tempestuous Piano Sonata No 20 in A major – plus two more glittering works by Beethoven and Osborne himself.

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3. Elias String Quartet at RNCM

RNCM

Elias String Quartet at Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), Manchester, 21 November 2022, from £9.00 - Book now

Formed at the RNCM in 1998, Elias String Quartet are one of the leading quartets of their generation, praised for their intense and vibrant performances. They return to the RNCM to perform works by Haydyn, Beamish and Beethoven, following their announcement as Artists in Residence at the College.

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4. RNCM Symphony Orchestra: Mahler Symphony No 10 at RNCM

Robin Clewley

RNCM Symphony Orchestra: Mahler Symphony No 10 at Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), Manchester, 4 November 2022, from £7.50 - Book now

Out of the height of his compositional prowess and depth of his personal life comes Mahler’s 10th Symphony, which the RNCM Symphony Orchestra will bring to vivid life alongside Steven Stucky’s adaptation of Purcell’s Funeral Music for Queen Mary.

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5. RNCM Opera: Die Fledermaus at RNCM

RNCM

RNCM Opera: Die Fledermaus at Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), Manchester, 10–17 December 2022, from £12.50 - Book now

Oozing wit and bursting with the composer’s signature waltzes and polkas, Fie Fledermaus is Viennese operetta at its best, and a great choice from the RNCM Opera, whose performance promises to be a highlight of the College’s Autumn Season.

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