The Bridgewater Hall’s International Concert Series returns in our 30th anniversary year, continuing to bring the world’s finest musicians and orchestras to Manchester
Beethoven is a focus in 2027, 200 years since his death: Benjamin Grosvenor plays the ‘Emperor’ concerto; Angela Hewitt takes on the piano sonatas; and there are symphonies from the Ukrainian National Philharmonic Orchestra and the BBC Philharmonic (the glorious ‘Ninth’).
There’s Rachmaninoff from John Wilson’s Sinfonia of London, Wagner from Opera North and Brahms from two outstanding German orchestras, the Stuttgart Philharmonic and the NDR Radio Philharmonic Hannover. Plus Viktoria Mullova joins the Osaka Philharmonic, Matilda Lloyd takes us back to 19th-century Paris, and there’s eight centuries of music from Harry Christophers and The Sixteen.
We look forward to welcoming you to our exciting International Concert Series 26|27.
Tickets are available now – book today.
Andrew Bolt CEO of The Bridgewater Hall
Cover artist: Benjamin Grosvenor @ Marco Borggreve Philharmonia Orchestra with Alisa Weilerstein from ICS season 25|26 @ Charlotte Wellings
Harry Christophers’ world-class choir returns with one of their best-loved programmes – an evening of musical beauty, purity and tranquillity.
‘Angel of Peace’ threads together music from 800+ years – from the enraptured songs of medieval abbess Hildegard of Bingen to the magical realms of a new work by Anna Clyne. We’ll also hear three haunting pieces by Arvo Pärt, two soaring antiphons by John Taverner – and Will Todd’s sumptuous setting of words by Cardinal Newman, which gives the concert its title.
Together, these nine works speak of peace and acceptance – and of the ecstatic joy their reassurance can bring.
We welcome one of the most distinguished German radio orchestras for a concert of classics by Beethoven and Brahms.
Beethoven completed his Fourth Piano Concerto at a pivotal moment – with his hearing rapidly failing, its premiere was the last time he performed in public with an orchestra. Ingrid Fliter steps into his shoes, following the composer’s triumphant Egmont overture.
Beethoven’s influence can be heard in Brahms’ final symphony, as can that of Bach. However, this is Brahms’ own work through and through – a towering achievement that stands comparison with the greatest symphonies in the canon.
Mendelssohn Overture ‘The Hebrides’ (‘Fingal’s Cave’)
Mozart Piano Concerto No.20, KV466
Brahms Symphony No.3
Jeneba Kanneh-Mason joins one of Germany’s finest orchestras for a programme of three undisputed masterpieces.
From its taut opening to its dramatic conclusion, Mozart’s 20th piano concerto is among his most gripping. Its stormy seas find an echo in Felix Mendelssohn’s muchloved musical portrait of Staffa, its theme apparently sketched out by the composer on catching sight of the island’s dramatic coastline.
The Hebrides Overture was a favourite of Johannes Brahms, whose music opens tonight’s programme.
‘It is all love,’ said Dvořák of Brahms’ radiant Third Symphony, ‘and one’s heart opens wide.’
Tickets £25 to £48
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
Simone Young conductor Cédric Tiberghien piano
Friday 4 December 2026 7.30pm
Robert Schumann Konzertstück Op. 92
Robert Schumann Introduction and Concert Allegro Op. 134
Richard Strauss An Alpine Symphony
The BBC Philharmonic takes us to the mountaintop with one of the 20th century’s most dramatic works – a true musical epic.
Richard Strauss’s Alpine Symphony is a work like no other – a sweeping depiction of a dawn-to-dusk mountain ascent. Scored for a colossal orchestra, it takes us from the becalmed and beautiful (‘At the Waterfall’, ‘On Flowering Meadows’) to the dark and dangerous (‘On the Wrong Path’, ‘Thunderstorm and Tempest’). Holding the map tonight: outstanding conductor Simone Young.
Before it, pianist Cédric Tiberghien tackles two works by Robert Schumann – the first written for wife Clara, the second dedicated to Brahms.
Tickets £12 to £42
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Paavo Järvi conductor
Benjamin Grosvenor piano
Saturday 20 February 2027 3.00pm
Veljo Tormis Overture No.2
Beethoven Piano Concerto No.5, ‘Emperor’
Shostakovich Symphony No.10
Ludwig van Beethoven died 200 years ago this year – and we’re delighted to welcome star pianist Benjamin Grovesnor and the London Philharmonic Orchestra to launch the ICS’s celebrations of this towering figure.
The ‘Emperor’ concerto is Beethoven at his most heroic. For pianists, it’s both a stern test and a spectacular showcase – and it’s not the only epic on tonight’s programme.
The LPO and incoming Chief Conductor Paavo Järvi follow the ‘Emperor’ with Shostakovich’s gripping testament to oppression, a musical portrait of life under Stalin. To start, a classic Cold War overture by Järvi’s fellow Estonian Veljo Tormis.
John Wilson and his spectacular ensemble return to The Bridgewater Hall for a concert filled with orchestral colour and light.
The Sinfonia of London is Wilson’s hand-picked selection of the UK’s finest musicians – and there can be few better showcases for this all-star ensemble than Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances, a technicolour blend of lyrical melodies and vital rhythms.
Edgar Francis, the Sinfonia’s principal viola, steps into the spotlight for William Walton’s searing, searching Viola Concerto. To begin, Paul Dukas’ tone poem The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, a worldwide crowd-pleaser since its starring role in Walt Disney’s Fantasia.
Tickets £25 to £48
Ukrainian National Philharmonic Orchestra
Theodore Kuchar conductor
Mark Bebbington piano
Monday 1 March 2027 7.30pm
Brahms Hungarian Dance No.5
Mozart Piano Concerto No.21, ‘Elvira Madigan’ Manu Martin Lim Fantasy of Companionship for Piano & Orchestra
Ivan Nebesnyy Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors – Suite Beethoven Symphony No.7
Join Ukraine’s National Philharmonic as they invite us to face the music and dance.
Beethoven’s scintillating Seventh was described by Wagner as ‘the apotheosis of the dance’. It’s the focal point of a concert that begins in swaggering fashion with Brahms’ Hungarian Dance No.5. We’re off to Vienna for Mozart’s graceful piano concerto – and then we’re heading into the future with Manu Martin’s AI-inspired cinematic suite.
Centred on two star-crossed lovers, Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors is Ukraine’s own Romeo-and-Juliet story. Already a book and a film, it’s now a ballet – and tonight sees its first performance in Manchester.
Tickets £20 to £43
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
Anja Bihlmaier conductor
Hera Hyesang Park soprano
Jess Dandy contralto
Robin Tritschler tenor
Paul Grant baritone
Ligeti String Quartet
CBSO Chorus
Saturday 13 March 2027 7.30pm
Oliveros Tuning Meditation
Roderick Williams Ave verum corpus reimagined
John Adams Absolute Jest
Beethoven Symphony No.9, ‘Choral’
The majestic Ninth Symphony continues our season-long celebrations of Beethoven, who died exactly 200 years ago.
The Choral Symphony is a landmark in western music. It requires vast forces to do it justice – with the BBC Philharmonic joined by the CBSO Chorus, top-rank soloists, and conductor Anja Bihlmaier. Beethoven is also at the core of John Adams’s concerto for string quartet and orchestra, a dazzling tapestry that reworks fragments of the composer’s late quartets.
Before the storm, there’s calm – with Roderick Williams’ haunting choral homage to William Byrd and a moment of improvised stillness from ‘deep listening’ pioneer Pauline Oliveros.
Peter Mumford director, set, lighting & projection designer
Ashley Martin-Davis costume designer
Opera North
Sunday 9 May 2027 3.00pm
Wagner Tristan and Isolde
Opera North takes on one of the landmark works in operatic history – Wagner’s intense, ecstatic and transcendent love story.
Tristan and Isolde started a musical revolution with its very first harmony – so important it even has its own nickname, the ‘Tristan chord’. From this jarring yet strangely beautiful beginning emerges one of the greatest and most sensual stories ever told in music, an epic in every sense of the word.
The newest instalment in Opera North’s collection of award-winning concert stagings premieres in Manchester as part of the International Concert Series. Starring Wagner specialists John Matthew Myers and Wendy Bryn Harmer, conducted by Antony Hermus and directed by Peter Mumford, who was responsible for Opera North’s legendary Ring cycle, it promises to be one of the operatic events of 2027.
Tickets £25 to £55
Angela Hewitt
Angela Hewitt piano
Thursday 20 May 2027 7.30pm
Beethoven Piano Sonata No.19, Op.49 No.1
Beethoven Piano Sonata No.20, Op.49 No.2
Beethoven Piano Sonata No.17, Op.31 No.2, ‘The Tempest’
Beethoven Piano Sonata No.8, Op.13, ‘Pathétique’
Beethoven Piano Sonata No.31, Op.110
Celebrated pianist Angela Hewitt continues our Beethoven anniversary celebrations with a deep dive into the composer’s peerless music for solo piano.
Hewitt’s Beethoven sonata cycle has won huge acclaim, and she’s chosen a mouthwatering selection here. The pocket-sized pair of Opus 49 sonatas lead into two of Beethoven’s most famous creations – the stormy ‘Tempest’ and the canonical ‘Pathétique’.
We end near the end, with the penultimate of Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas. Described by Hewitt as ‘music of great tenderness’, it’s a suitably powerful conclusion to this don’t-miss recital.
Hisatada Otaka Eine Symphonische Phantasie ‘Steppe’
Prokofiev Violin Concerto No.2
Dvořák Symphony No.8
Following the recent signing of the Sister City Agreement between the City of Osaka (Japan) and Greater Manchester, we are delighted to present the renowned Philharmonic Orchestra of our newly twinned city as part of this shared year of cultural celebrations.
Viktoria Mullova is the soloist in Prokofiev’s second Violin Concerto – a riveting ride that seems to echo Prokofiev’s own journey into exile and back, from the stark solitude of its opening to the joyous virtuosity of its tumultuous ending. Antonin Dvořák’s Eighth Symphony, meanwhile, might be his finest hour, a euphoric homage to his Bohemian homeland.
To begin, Music Director Tadaaki Otaka conducts a charming rarity by his father: a symphonic fantasy inspired by the grasslands of Mongolia.
Schubert String Quartet No.14, ‘Death and the Maiden’ –II. Andante con moto
Gershwin, arr. Thomas Three Preludes
The season’s closing concert turns The Bridgewater Hall into an intimate salon where music meets conversation and every note tells a story.
Trumpeter Matilda Lloyd is our host, soloist and narrator for a delicious programme that echoes the spirit of 19th-century salon concerts. We’ll travel from sparkling Bach to dazzling Gershwin via Haydn, Fauré and Schubert’s ‘Death and the Maiden’. We’ll also hear from two composers who ran such salons themselves in Vienna and Paris respectively: Marianna Martines and Pauline Viardot.
Step inside! This is one exclusive salon to which everyone’s invited.
The Hall is in the centre of Manchester, easily accessible by public transport and by road.
Metrolink tram passengers should alight at St Peter’s Square or Deansgate-Castlefield.
The nearest bus stops for major routes into the city centre are St Peter’s Square/Portland Street and Deansgate.
The nearest rail stations are Deansgate and Oxford Road.
Coaches can drop off and pick up outside the main entrance on Lower Mosley Street.
The nearest car parks are Q-Park First Street, NCP Manchester Central, NCP Great Northern or NCP Oxford Street. If travelling by car, please allow plenty of time for your journey.
The Bridgewater Hall
Lower Mosley Street
Manchester M2 3WS Box Office: 0161 907 9000 www.bridgewater-hall.co.uk
Booking Information
Booking for all tickets is open from Thursday 21 May 2026 online, by phone, by post or in person.
Booking Online
Visit www.bridgewater-hall.co.uk where you have the option to select your own seat.
Booking by Phone
0161 907 9000
Booking by Post
Request a booking form from the Box Office (or download one from the website) and return via FREEPOST to: Box Office, The Bridgewater Hall, FREEPOST RTLJ-GRKG-GGYS, Manchester M2 3WS.
Booking Fees
Prices shown in this brochure include booking fees, which apply to most transactions. A booking fee of £3.25 per ticket applies to telephone and online transactions. No fee applies to tickets bought in person or purchased as part of a fixed or flexible subscription.
Box Office Opening Hours
Monday to Friday 10.00am—5.00pm Saturday & Sunday (concert nights only) 2.00—5.00pm Counter service until 8.00pm on concert nights
Please call the Box Office or visit www.bridgewater-hall.co.uk to check for changes in opening times.
Mobile Tickets
You can also view your tickets in your online account and add them to your Apple or Google Wallet from two months before the concert date.
Flexible Series Booking – Save up to 25%
Receive discounts on the full ticket price when you book for 5 or more concerts from the Hall’s 2026|27 classical seasons** — all events are flexible booking unless otherwise stated.
Save 15% — Choose any 5 or more concerts
Save 25% — Choose any 16 or more concerts
If you spend £350 or more, you can pay in 5 interest-free monthly instalments from September 2026 (bookings via the Box Office only). Forms must be received by 12 July 2026. Please note that Fixed and Flexible Booking Ticket Packages will be paper tickets only.
** Included are the International Concert Series, plus the Hallé and BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. Check online for full seasonlistings at www.bridgewater-hall.co.uk, or phone the Box Office for brochures.
Auditorium Seating Plan
Concessions
Unless otherwise stated in the performance listing, senior citizens, under-26s and claimants are entitled to a 10% discount off ticket prices in this brochure. This offer is only valid for bookings made more than one month before the date of the concert.
£8 Student Tickets
A limited number of student tickets are available for International Concert Series performances on production of valid student ID, bookable online £8 including fee, or £4.75 if bought in person from the Box Office.
Stalls
Choir
Group Discounts
Contact our Group Sales Office on 0161 907 9010 to make a group booking.
10% discount for groups of 10-29
15% discount for groups of 30-49
25% discount for groups of 50+
Access
The Bridgewater Hall welcomes disabled patrons. Please see our website for disabled parking and access information, or contact the Box Office on 0161 907 9000 or email supervisors@bridgewater-hall.co.uk. For individual access requirements, including seating advice, please book via the Box Office.
Information is available in large print.
There is a drop-off point for wheelchair users on Lower Mosley Street, directly outside The Bridgewater Hall. Please note that parking is not permitted here at any time.
Booking Protect
Tickets are non-refundable unless the event is cancelled or rescheduled. Customers who have purchased Booking Protect alongside their ticket purchase may be eligible for a refund under the terms of their protection. If you have added Booking Protect and would like to apply for a refund, please contact Booking Protect directly. The Bridgewater Hall cannot process or discuss refunds for tickets covered by Booking Protect.
Account credit is available instead of a refund for ICS concerts if tickets are physically returned to the Box Office at least 3 working days before the concert date. This credit amount (minus a return fee of £2.20 per ticket) will be added to your Bridgewater Hall account and can then be used to purchase tickets for another concert of your choice.
Concert Timings
Timings will be updated on our website closer to the concert date. Please check on the day of the performance for the most up-to-date information.
All timings are approximate and are subject to change.
