Manchester Baroque kicks off its 25/26 season this October, revealing an eclectic programme dedicated to celebrating historical sounds in some of the city’s most spectacular settings.
Performances are played on period instruments, capturing how compositions would have sounded when they were originally written centuries ago and bringing them to life for new generations of audiences.
Below are some of the upcoming highlights from the new Manchester Baroque season. You can also download the full 25/26 brochure here.
In what is a perfect musical beginning to the festive season, Manchester Baroque, alongside the Manchester Cathedral Choir, turns to Handel’s enduring masterpiece, Messiah, this December. Always a firm favourite of the Manchester Baroque season, audiences can expect powerful choruses and exquisite solo arias set within the dramatic surroundings of one of the city’s most famous landmarks.
On Good Friday, Manchester Baroque will again be joined by the Manchester Cathedral Choir for a special performance of one of sacred music’s greatest masterpieces. First performed on Good Friday 1727, this is the more reflective of Bach’s Passions, offering an emotive journey of Jesus’ final days. Originally written for two orchestras and two choirs, the power of the music is so immediate that, regardless of one’s belief, the music has a lasting universal impact.
- Words:
- Bradley Lengden
- Published on:
- Mon 29 Sep 2025
Back in the grandeur of Hallé St Peter’s, Manchester Baroque hosts an equally grand celebration of Bach and the composer’s pioneering Concerto No.2, a piece renowned for pushing the Baroque concerto form to its limit. Also on the evening’s programme is Bach’s Suite in B minor, featuring Manchester Baroque’s flautist Martyn Shaw, alongside concertos by Vivaldi, Telemann and Handel with the group’s leader and artistic director, violinist Pauline Nobes, oboist Michael Niesemann, trumpeter Robert Vanryne, and special guest on recorder, Yasaman Mashhouri.