From intimate renditions of Mozart masterworks to large-scale orchestral takes on Ibiza club classics, 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.
As part of their ambitious Portico Reunited project, Manchester’s iconic library invites visitors into the constantly evolving realm of classical music with a curated programme of chamber works, ideal for seasoned concert-goers and total newcomers alike.
The vibrant programme is set to include Grażyna Bacewicz’s Quartet for Four Violins alongside selections from Black British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Fantasiestücke for String Quartet.
On Fri 2 May, Scottish Ensemble and renowned choreographer Örjan Andersson combine to present a delightfully dynamic reimagination of Shostakovich’s Chamber Symphony and Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings.
Billed as ‘the human condition painted in high-intensity colours’, the fresh, compelling production offers the Ensemble new dimensions in which to create breathtaking visual renderings of the passion, intricacy and deep complexity within both masterworks, uniting performers and audience across sound and spectacle to uncover the heart of the music.
On Mon 19 May, the world-renowned Philippine Philharmonic takes over the Bridgewater Hall for a night of sparkling, spectacular classical performance featuring some of the greatest arrangements of all time, including Mendelssohn’s Italian Symphony, Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake Suite and Bizet’s Carmen Suite No. 1, as well as a riveting world premiere.
Billed as one of the most exciting orchestras in Southeast Asia, the world-renowned Manila ensemble arrive in Manchester having dazzled audiences and critics around the world with a series of dynamic, exhilarating performances.
Book tickets below.
On Sat 24 May, the Hallé ushers in the nominally warm and sun-dappled summer with a symphony of seasonal melodies at the Bridgewater Hall.
Led by Agata Zajac and presented by Petroc Trelawny, the uplifting spectacular promises ‘a harmonious journey through the essence of summer’, with orchestral favourites including the entrancing overture to Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the lilting pastoral beauty of Beethoven’s Sixth, Debussy’s tranquil Prélude à l’aprés-midi d’un Faune, Gershwin’s sultry Summertime from his folk opera Porgy and Bess and many more.
Featuring Mahler’s jaw-dropping Symphony No. 3, described as a wondrous paean to love and the natural world, the BBC Philharmonic’s The Voice of Nature concert provides a fitting finale to their Bridgewater Hall concert season with performances from contralto Jess Dandy and the choral forces of the Hallé Choir, the CBSO Children’s Chorus and CBSO Youth Chorus.
Devised to celebrate the best in chamber music at the RNCM while honouring the eponymous quartet leader and architect of the school’s Chamber Music department, the Christopher Rowland Chamber Ensemble of the Year concert sees leading student ensembles take the stage to compete for the prestigious annual prize on Mon 16 Jun.
Keep up to date with the full line-up of finalists and book your tickets below.
Led by Choral Director Matthew Hamilton, the Hallé marks the height of summer with a triumphant full-force concert packed with soaring harmonies, electrifying orchestration and a rich, vibrant blend of timeless favourites.
This year’s Summer Concert programme includes Handel’s Zadok the Priest, Parry’s I Was Glad, Mozart’s Magic Flute Overture, Verdi’s Force of Destiny Overture and many, many more.
On Thu 27 Nov, the endlessly innovative Manchester Collective joins forces with the versatile Marian Consort vocal ensemble to offer an enchantingly serene reprieve from the festive frenzy with Wintering at Stoller Hall.
Inspired by Katherine May’s titular bestseller, the intimate and restorative concert features a new piece from Samantha Fernando which imagines a world where we abandon our huddled hostility and make peace with the cold, dark days of winter.
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.
- Words:
- Wolf McFarlane
- Published on:
- Fri 25 Apr 2025
Staged across two shows at the Stoller Hall, Manchester Camerata’s tremendously popular Mozart: Made in Manchester series returns as a pair of playful horn concertos that capture the unlikely yet jovial friendship between the legendary composer and Joseph Leutgeb, one of the greatest horn players of the classical era.
The first concert, which takes place on Wed 2 Apr, will feature an assortment of Mozart’s pre-eminent horn works, as well as Marianna Martines’ Overture in C Major and Haydn’s Symphony No.94, led by esteemed conductor Gábor Takács-Nag and leading horn maestro Martin Owen.
Part Two will continue the showcase of boisterous yet intricate pieces that sprang from the bond between Mozart and Leutgeb, with highlights including the gleefully mischievous cat-and-mouse third movement of Concerto No. 4.
Book your tickets to Mozart, Made in Manchester Part 1 HERE, and Part 2 below.