The Bridgewater Hall unveils a spectacular 2026/27 International Concert Series

The Bridgewater Hall has announced the return of its acclaimed International Concert Series for 2026/27, bringing another exceptional season of orchestras, choirs, opera companies and internationally celebrated soloists to Manchester’s world-renowned music venue.

Spanning everything from Beethoven anniversary celebrations and towering Romantic symphonies to contemporary choral works, concert opera and intimate chamber recitals, the latest programme welcomes acclaimed ensembles from across Europe and beyond for a season that promises some of the finest live classical performances in the city.

Opening the series on Tue 29 Sep, world-renowned choir The Sixteen return under conductor Harry Christophers with Angel of Peace, an evening that weaves together more than eight centuries of sacred music into a seamless meditation on hope, beauty and tranquillity. Music by Hildegard of Bingen, Arvo Pärt, John Taverner and Will Todd sits alongside a contemporary work by Anna Clyne, creating a richly atmospheric programme that explores peace through voices charting the musical journey from the medieval world to the present day.

The autumn programme continues with a succession of internationally acclaimed orchestras and soloists. In October, Germany’s distinguished NDR Radiophilharmonie Hannover perform Beethoven and Brahms classics with Argentine pianist Ingrid Fliter, before the Stuttgart Philharmonic arrives in November alongside rising star Jeneba Kanneh-Mason for a programme featuring Mendelssohn’s evocative Hebrides Overture, Mozart’s dramatic Piano Concerto No.20 and Brahms’ radiant Third Symphony. December sees the BBC Philharmonic present Strauss’ colossal An Alpine Symphony, with Simone Young conducting one of the composer’s most spectacular orchestral achievements, requiring more than 100 musicians to bring its breathtaking mountain ascent to life.

Spring 2027 centres on Beethoven’s 200th anniversary while welcoming some of the world’s leading orchestras back to Manchester. February begins with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by incoming Chief Conductor Paavo Järvi, as Benjamin Grosvenor performs Beethoven’s majestic Emperor Concerto before Shostakovich’s monumental Tenth Symphony closes the evening. Later that month, John Wilson returns with his acclaimed Sinfonia of London for a colourful programme featuring Walton’s Viola Concerto and Rachmaninoff’s sumptuous Symphonic Dances, while the Ukrainian National Philharmonic Orchestra makes its International Concert Series debut with music by Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms and Ukrainian composer Ivan Nebesnyy, whose Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors receives its Manchester premiere.

March continues the Beethoven celebrations as the BBC Philharmonic returns to perform the composer’s revolutionary Ninth Symphony, pairing the iconic Choral masterpiece with music by Pauline Oliveros, Roderick Williams and John Adams. In May, Opera North presents a landmark concert staging of Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde, one of the most influential operas ever written, before celebrated pianist Angela Hewitt returns with a recital devoted entirely to Beethoven’s piano sonatas, continuing her widely acclaimed exploration of the composer’s complete cycle.

The series concludes with two contrasting concerts during summer 2027. In June, the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra takes the stage as part of celebrations marking the new Sister City partnership between the Japanese metropolis and Greater Manchester, joined by violinist Viktoria Mullova for music by Prokofiev, Dvořák and Japanese composer Hisatada Otaka. Then, in July, acclaimed trumpeter Matilda Lloyd and the Goldmund Quartet bring the season to an elegant close with an intimate salon-inspired programme that journeys from Bach and Haydn to Fauré, Schubert and Gershwin, recreating the spirit of 19th-century musical gatherings with conversation, storytelling and an eclectic selection of chamber music.

For more information and to book tickets for the 2026/27 International Concert Series, visit The Bridgewater Hall website.