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.
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).
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.
Scottish-Egyptian instrumentalists and composers The Ayoub Sisters celebrate their 10-year anniversary with an evening of transformative music which blends Western classical, Arabic and Celtic traditions.
Manchester Baroque’s wondrously talented harpsichordist David Francis takes centre stage in this intimate solo recital that combines the contrasting styles of French and Italian music seen through the eyes of Bach and his contemporaries.
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
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.