Featuring boundary-pushing innovation, intimate recitals and more, Manchester’s upcoming classical concert schedule boasts a diverse array of live performances from the nation’s most celebrated musicians and orchestras.
Here are some of the best classical shows coming to Manchester over the next few months.
Singer, songwriter, producer and pianist Agnes Obel heads to Aviva Studios in July. With a blend of alternative, neo-classical, pop, jazz and electronic, Agnes’ music has featured on TV, cinema, gaming and fashion, including The Last of Us, True Detective, Big Little Lies and Dark Souls III.
A little further afield, but well worth the short train journey out of town, The Hallé return to Buxton International Festival this July.
The programme is shaped by romantic masterpieces, and includes the dazzling overture to Weber’s opera Oberon, Richard Strauss’s First Horn Concerto, written when he was just 18, and Brahms’s monumental Fourth Symphony, often hailed as his greatest work.
Mystery Ensemble bring one of their most popular programmes to the Stoller Hall next month, with a programme that includes Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, reimagined by one of the greatest composers of the current generation, Max Richter.
Kicking off the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra’s 26/27 season in suitably stupendous style, the beauty, terror and joy of nature are all represented, with the evening’s show culminating in Sibelius’ final movement, containing one of the greatest moments in all symphonic music.
The Chamber Series at Hallé St Peter’s is a fantastic chance to get up close and personal to the music with sublime performances in an intimate setting. In October, Saint-Saëns’ Septet for trumpet, piano and strings, is paired with the world premiere of John Casken’s Enchant for trumpet and piano.
A perfect introduction to classical music, this concert is packed with showstopping hits, featuring some of the world’s favourite-ever classical pieces. Stephen Bell leads the Hallé orchestra through a programme that spans everything from Mozart’s Magic Flute Overture and Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto to Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet: Montagues and Capulets.
The RNCM Session Orchestra transforms timeless disco anthems into powerful orchestral creations. Expect to hear reimagined versions of hits by the likes of Chic, Gloria Gaynor, and Diana Ross, expertly arranged for the full sound of an orchestra and soloists from the school’s Pop Department.
Promising a night of drama and expansive sounds, the Hallé’s Principal Conductor Kahchun Wong conducts the RNCM Symphony Orchestra. The concert also features soprano soloist Esther Shea and the world premiere of a new work by RNCM composer Amit Manna, conducted by Juan Jose Munoz Borja.
A landmark collaboration with the V&A East Museum and Friday Night is Music Night comes to the BBC Philharmonic Studio at MediaCity, celebrating the impact of Black British music on British culture. The programme is still TBC, but this is certainly one to keep on your radar.
Step into the world of the Brontë sisters with Kantos Chamber Choir in a unique evening of choral music and spoken word inspired by the lives and imaginations of one of literature’s most famous families.
Elizabeth Gaskell specialist Dr Sherry Ashworth joins Kantos as co-curator and presenter for this performance, and the event will feature a pre-concert talk at 7.30pm.
Steve Reich’s minimalist masterpiece, which has inspired a myriad of artists throughout the years, ranging from Bowie to Aphex Twin, is performed by the virtuoso players of Paraorchestra at the RNCM Concert Hall in November. Paraorchestra is a pioneering collective of disabled and non-disabled musicians, renowned for creating unforgettable musical experiences.
Watch Raymond Briggs’ classic animated film, accompanied by the Hallé performing Howard Blake’s magical score. Plus, there’ll be some festive extras thrown in by way of the Polar Express and Frozen.
Experience Jonny Greenwood’s immersive work 605 Years of Reverb, a piece written by the Radiohead star to celebrate the unique legacy of organs in historic buildings. Organists James McVinnie and Eliza McCarthy team up to take on this immense piece, which draws upon influences from Indian music.
- Words:
- Wire Editor
- Published on:
- Thu 2 Jul 2026
Join Manchester Baroque as they reconstruct another original 18th-century concert programme, one that took place in Manchester back in 1745.
Whilst in Manchester’s Central Library, Manchester Baroque’s Artistic Director, Prof. Dr Pauline Nobes, came across a transcript of concert programmes and a centenary review of Manchester’s first subscription concert series. Her groundbreaking musical and historical research includes the reconstruction of these 16 concert programmes, originally performed between November 1744 and August 1745.