Featuring live orchestral accompaniments to cinema masterworks, blockbuster renditions of Ibiza club classics, intimate festive recitals and more, Manchester’s 2025 classical concert schedule boasts a thrillingly diverse array of live performances from the nation’s most celebrated musicians.
Here are some of the best classical shows around the city this year.
Staged in partnership with long-time collaborators Kantos Chamber Choir, Manchester Camerata join forces with world-renowned Handel interpreter Laurence Cummings for a spellbinding candlelit performance of the composer’s greatest triumph, Messiah, in the soaring splendour of The Monastery’s Great Nave.
Two centuries ago, it was the sell-out sensation “too fashionable for church”; today, it remains the beating heart of Christmas tradition. This unmissable seasonal concert offers a blissful reprieve from modernity’s countless obligations and the imminent festive frenzy, with a timeless recital of Handel’s Hallelujah chorus, followed by the radiant ‘For unto us a child is born’.
This December, DJ, broadcaster and global dance titan Pete Tong returns to Manchester with another instalment of his blockbuster Ibiza Classics show, backed by long-time collaborator Jules Buckley and The Essential Orchestra.
Having debuted in 2015 as part of BBC Radio 1’s Prom at the Royal Albert Hall, Ibiza Classics has entertained retired ravers and music-lovers of all tastes around the nation. The unmissable live concert promises a night of unbridled joy and halcyon White Isle nostalgia with a 10-year celebration of the world’s most famous orchestral electronic music event.
Bolton Cancer Voices, a choir group offering friendship and support through music for anyone who has ever received a cancer diagnosis, spread the joy of the season in the wonderful surroundings of Bolton’s Parish Church this December. They’ll be joined by the 30-strong CC Concert Band for a night of festive favourites, merry melodies and sentimental sing-a-longs.
Prokofiev’s much-loved comic opera, L’Amour des Trois Oranges, comes to the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) this December, with a new generation of musicians set to bring the iconic tale to life.
Offering the perfect festive day out for opera newcomers and seasoned veterans alike, the production blends classical tradition with modernist bite, bursting with wit, wonder and joyous absurdity.
Trafford Music Service provides music-making, teaching and learning opportunities throughout the borough of Trafford. This December, Stoller Hall’s hosts the organisation’s talented youth groups who will be performing mutiple concerts throughout the day at the venue, with standard tickets just £8.
From the sparkling fantasy of The Nutcracker to the swinging cheer of Duke Ellington, the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra’s Christmas Special invites audiences into a winter wonderland of festive music, hosted by a special guest presenter with surprise visitors along the way.
Billed as the perfect way to celebrate the yuletide season with family and friends, this unmissable spectacular brings the spirit of Christmas to life with joyful songs and captivating entertainment.
The Bridgewater Hall Concert Orchestra, a full live band, and soloists Miranda Wilford and Damien Edwards will ring in the new year by performing hits including Love Is in the Air (John Paul Young), Crazy in Love (Beyoncé), All You Need is Love (The Beatles), Copacabana (Barry Manilow), and Cheek to Cheek (Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong).
Trafford Music Service provides music-making, teaching and learning opportunities throughout the borough of Trafford. This December, Stoller Hall’s hosts the organisation’s talented youth groups who will be performing mutiple concerts throughout the day at the venue, with standard tickets just £8.
The sensational Down for the Count Swing Orchestra head back to the Stoller Hall for their much-loved annual show, Swing Into Christmas, with an afternoon and an evening show to choose from.
Experience the best of Hans Zimmer and John Williams as the Manchester Concert Orchestra brings to life the legendary scores that have defined cinematic soundtracks for decades. This thrilling concert features music from the most iconic films, including Star Wars, Harry Potter, E.T., War Horse, Interstellar, Pirates of the Caribbean, and many more.
Featuring a full orchestra, sensational singers Vanessa Haynes, Joe Stilgoe and Strictly Come Dancing’s Tommy Blaize, along with the silky sounds of Giacomo Smith’s jazz clarinet and sax, the Hallé is closing out 2025 with a glamorous, Gatsby-esque party.
The Bridgewater Hall’s magnificent organ plays a starring role in this special performance. Katharina Wincor, in her Hallé conducting debut, will be joined by Anna Lapwood to perform Joseph Jongen’s Symphonie concertante. Composed in 1926, this electrifying piece has been cemented as one of the greatest twentieth-century works for organ and orchestra.
In February 2026, the English National Opera takes its debut bow at The Bridgewater Hall with two semi-staged performances of Mozart’s lustrous comic opera, Cosi fan tutte.
- Words:
- Wolf McFarlane
- Published on:
- Thu 4 Dec 2025
Forming part of The Hallé’s popular Rush Hour series, which invites guests into a world of classical music as they wait for the post-work rush to die down, this performance offers the chance to hear the magic of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, conducted by Maria Seletskaja, Music Director of the English National Ballet.