… an ensemble of tremendous heart and soul with a questing spirit of adventure as well as admirable finesse.
The Times
few if any UK symphony orchestras currently come close for finesse and beauty of sound.
The Spectator
The Hallé has struck gold ... Wong is a hugely gifted, properly serious maestro
The Telegraph
Join us for additional events, before and after many of our concerts, ranging from discussions focusing on an aspect of the programme to performances by Manchester-based students. These events are free to concert ticket holders.
Our concerts include a number of pieces that form part of the ‘Model Music’ Curriculum for Key Stages 1 to 3. Pieces from the curriculum are marked with this graphic followed by the relevant school year.
We are delighted that a number of our concerts are broadcast by our partners at BBC Radio 3. Find out when you can hear these concerts by visiting bbc.co.uk/sounds
A very warm welcome to a packed 2025/26 Season, which is more wide-ranging than ever.
As Manchester musical ambassadors, we’re so proud to be part of this city’s incredible cultural offering and to be based at one of the world’s great concert venues, The Bridgewater Hall, as well as our Ancoats home, Hallé St Peter’s. This season, we’re also performing in other fantastic venues across the city region, including Aviva Studios, Manchester Cathedral and the RNCM. Recent initiatives such as ‘Hallé Presents … ’ and the hugely popular hour-long ‘Rush Hour’ series continue, as well as our family concerts and relaxed performances.
There are so many highlights to mention, and I must start by acknowledging the exceptional response to Kahchun Wong, our dynamic new Principal Conductor, and the impact he’s made here in Manchester after only one season. It reflects the magical partnership he has with our musicians, choirs and audiences, and he’s back with a range of concerts this season, from Mahler’s epic Third Symphony to new works by Max Richter and Unsuk Chin. Sir Mark Elder, our beloved Conductor Emeritus, returns with two beautiful concerts and Associate Conductor, Stephen Bell, leads another vibrant series of Pops concerts.
This season we are delighted to introduce organist extraordinaire Anna Lapwood as our Featured Artist, performing music from Saint-Saëns to Hans Zimmer, and we’re honoured that the exceptional Unsuk Chin will be our Featured Composer. Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood is our Hallé Presents Featured Artist and he returns in February to present some truly unique and unmissable events. Alongside these featured artists, the iconic American composer and conductor John Adams joins us in Manchester to conduct a weekend dedicated to his music. Across the season we are thrilled to welcome back some of the world’s great performers: Thomas Adès, Imogen Cooper, Viktoria Mullova, Tarmo Peltokoski, Maxime Pascal, as well as Hallé debuts for Jeannette Sorrell, Leila Josefowicz and Julius Asal.
This feast of musical adventures would not be possible without our generous Diamond Partner, Siemens, and our Major Sponsors – Brother, CMS, The Edwardian and PZ Cussons – who have recently been joined by OCU Group and Manchester Airports Group. We are able to deliver our work because of their help, alongside the extraordinary loyalty we receive from many other corporate supporters, trusts and our wonderful individual patrons and donors. The vital support of Arts Council England, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Manchester City Council and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority also enables us to deliver our vast Hallé Connect ensembles and education work – the largest of its kind in the UK – and is supporting our ambitions to create a public facing, world-class, archive facility.
Do join us! We’ve had such a great response to concerts from audiences over the last two seasons, with attendance up by 33%, with 36% hearing the Hallé for the first time; so whether you’re a loyal, long-term Hallé supporter or new to us and The Bridgewater Hall, please do come and experience the visceral power and artistry of your Hallé orchestra and explore the diverse range of music we have on offer. You’ll always receive a warm welcome!
David Butcher Chief Executive
Dear Friends,
What a truly wonderful year it has been, getting to know the Hallé community – musicians, audiences and everyone who makes this orchestra so special. Your warmth and generosity have made me feel right at home, and I am deeply grateful to be part of this extraordinary musical family.
As we embark on this new season, I am excited to continue building on our shared passion for music. This year, we are honoured to welcome the brilliant Anna Lapwood as our Featured Artist and Jonny Greenwood as our Hallé Presents Featured Artist, as well as the visionary Unsuk Chin as our Featured Composer. Their presence promises fresh perspectives and inspiring collaborations, adding new dimensions to our journey together.
Our repertoire will take us through both the timeless and the adventurous – from Mahler’s Sixth Symphony, Rachmaninov’s Second Symphony and Beethoven’s Eroica to Elgar’s Enigma Variations. Alongside these beloved masterpieces, we will explore works by Brahms, Shostakovich, Colin Matthews and many more, celebrating the full breadth of orchestral expression.
There is nothing more thrilling than the magic of live music and I cannot wait to experience it with you. Whether it’s your first concert or one of many, I hope each performance leaves you inspired, moved and eager for more.
See you in the concert hall!
With warmest wishes,
Kahchun Wong Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor
Book five or more concerts in The Bridgewater Hall’s classical season, including Hallé concerts, and you can save 15% off the full ticket price. Lock in a year of incredible music by booking 16 or more concerts and save 25%! PLUS no booking fees!
More music, more savings –what’s not to love? Visit halle.co.uk/concerts/ticket-booking-and-savings
Thu 25 Sep, 7.30pm, The Bridgewater Hall
OPENING NIGHT: ELGAR’S CELLO CONCERTO
Acclaimed cellist Truls Mørk joins Kahchun Wong in this emotive opening to the 2025/26 season.
Shostakovich Festive Overture 9'
Elgar Cello Concerto 30' Y9
Rachmaninov Symphony No.2 60'
Kahchun Wong conductor • Truls Mørk cello
Launching his second season as Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor, Kahchun Wong is joined by Truls Mørk to perform Elgar’s Cello Concerto, a cornerstone of the instrument’s repertoire and, famously, the composer’s last completed work. Written in the aftermath of World War One, it is deeply emotional –never more so than in the heart-rending Adagio third movement. Despite this, there are still moments of hope and that recognisable Elgarian nobility; altogether, it remains among the composer’s most celebrated and well-loved works. In striking contrast, we have Shostakovich’s Festive Overture and Rachmaninov’s exuberant Symphony No.2. The Festive Overture in particular, with its grandiose brass fanfare opening full of cymbal crashes, makes for a powerful start to the season.
Full price tickets (inc fees) from £18 to £51 Concessions and discounts available
6.30PM IN THE AUDITORIUM
Welcome to the 2025/26 season.
KAHCHUN WONG
TRULS MØRK
in association with The Bridgewater Hall
Thu 2 Oct, 6pm, The Bridgewater Hall
ENIGMA VARIATIONS
Our first Rush Hour of the season, conducted by Kahchun Wong and featuring Anna Lapwood, is packed full of musical treats – a perfect excuse to skip the traffic.
Max Richter Cosmology (hallé co-commission / manchester premiere) 20'
Olivia Belli Limina Luminis 6'
Elgar Enigma Variations 30'
Kahchun Wong conductor • Anna Lapwood organ Sopranos and altos of the Hallé Choir matthew hamilton, choral director
Max Richter’s breadth of work is celebrated for its seamless sonic blend of electronic and orchestral elements, making him one of the most streamed classical composers of all time. Launching Anna Lapwood as Hallé Featured Artist for the 2025/26 season, we hear the Manchester premiere of Cosmology, written for the superstar organist, sopranos and altos of the Hallé Choir, and the full forces of the orchestra followed by a luminescent solo performance of Olivia Belli’s Limina Luminis
The Enigma Variations are a series of affectionate musical sketches, each dedicated to Elgar’s close acquaintances, or what he called his ‘friends pictured within’. Kahchun Wong continues the Hallé’s historic association with Elgar bringing his deep appreciation of his music to this performance.
Full price tickets (inc fees) from £18.50 to £23.50 Concessions and discounts available
AFTER THE CONCERT IN THE STALLS FOYER
Join us for more music with musicians from the RNCM.
Don’t rush home ... spend an hour with the Hallé.
The Hallé’s Rush Hour series offers early evening, hour-long, weekday concerts. Why battle with the trains and trams when you could be listening to stunning music played by your amazing orchestra?
THE LIMITS OF SONIC AND PHYSICAL SPACE
I’m so happy to have written this new work for Anna, one of the brightest lights of the contemporary classical scene. Composing the piece has been a wonderful and fascinating challenge; a process of discovering the outer limits of sonic and physical space.
Richter
Max
MAX RICHTER
Sat 4 Oct, 7.30pm, The Bridgewater Hall
GUITAR SUPERSTARS
‘What I have to say, I say with my guitar’ Jimi Hendrix
Queen Tie Your Mother Down
David Bowie Let’s Dance
Bonnie Raitt Something to Talk About
John Mayer Queen of California
Eagles Hotel California
The Beatles Blackbird Y7
Jeff Beck Cause We’ve Ended as Lovers
Guns N’ Roses Sweet Child O’ Mine
Muse Hysteria
Irene Cara Fame
Jimi Hendrix Purple Haze
Santana Smooth
Christine McVie Songbird
Joe Bonamassa I’ll Take Care of You
The Brothers Johnson Stomp!
Europe The Final Countdown
Eric Clapton Further On Up the Road
Stephen Bell conductor
Emma Kershaw, Steve Trowell and Mick Wilson vocalists
Pete Callard and Alex Voysey guitars
Dive into the electrifying world of live guitar music, taken to the next level with the Hallé orchestra. Celebrating some of the greatest and most influential guitar legends of all time – from blues to rock, metal to jazz – we’ll have a star line up of guitarists and vocalists showcasing just how versatile the guitar can be.
Don’t miss the chance to hear the genius of Brian May, Slash, Louis ‘thunder-thumbs’ Johnson, Jeff Beck, Carlos Santana, Chris Wolstenholme, Paul McCartney, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and many more – played like you’ve never heard them before.
Full price tickets (inc fees) from £18.50 to £51
Concessions and discounts available
Thu 9 Oct, 7.30pm and Sun 12 Oct, 4pm, The Bridgewater Hall
THE SORCERER’S APPRENTICE
Star flautist and Hallé Principal, Amy Yule takes centre stage to perform Ibert’s intricate Flute Concerto in a programme filled with an air of musical enchantment.
Dukas The Sorcerer’s Apprentice 12' Y3
Ibert Flute Concerto 18'
Ravel Valses nobles et sentimentales 16'
Stravinsky Petrushka (1947) 34'
Maxime Pascal conductor • Amy Yule flute
When Sergei Diaghilev – founder of the Ballets Russes – visited Stravinsky to check on the progress of his The Rite of Spring ballet score, he was surprised to find the composer working on something entirely different. Stravinsky had had a vision of a puppet suddenly brought to life, ‘exasperating the patience of the orchestra with diabolical cascades of arpeggios.’ Diaghilev immediately thought of Petrushka (the Russian version of Punch & Judy) and thus, the ballet was born.
Alongside Ibert’s lyrical concerto, performed by the incredible Amy Yule, we’ll also explore Ravel’s fascination with the waltz in his Valses nobles et sentimentales. First though, we open with Dukas’ timeless The Sorcerer’s Apprentice – most notable to modern audiences for its use in Disney’s Fantasia – launching a concert of whimsy, mischief and a little bit of magic.
Full price tickets (inc fees) from £18 to £51 Concessions and discounts available
MAXIME PASCAL
AMY YULE
Join us for the fantastic Hallé Chamber Series at Hallé St Peter’s.
A selection of lunchtime concerts that offer a unique opportunity to see smaller groups of musicians perform incredible music in a more intimate setting.
Following each Chamber concert, join our Archive team to hear more about the amazing treasures hidden in the Hallé’s history, and how we are preserving them for the future.
Look out for the Chamber Series symbol throughout this brochure.
Roberto Ruisi and friends open the season with Schubert’s Quintet in C Major, Desert Island Discs’ most frequently requested piece of chamber music. The addition of a second cello to the usual quartet line-up gives an unparalleled richness, and the music travels from the symphonic scale of the first movement to the exuberant folk-tinged finale, via one of the most sublime slow movements.
Tickets (inc fees) £17 • Full-time students £9
CHAMBER SERIES
SPONSOR 2025/26
Sat 18 Oct, 7.30pm, The Bridgewater Hall
FLYING THROUGH FILM
Radio 1’s film critic, Ali Plumb, pilots this exhilarating musical journey, with the help of the full orchestra and Featured Artist, Anna Lapwood.
Young arr Black Around the World in 80 Days
Goodwin Where Eagles Dare
Steven Price Gravity
Horner Apollo 13
Hans Zimmer Interstellar: suite
Murray Gold Doctor Who
John Williams E.T. – Adventures on Earth Y9
John Williams Superman: March Y4
Walford Davis Royal Air Force March Past
Rimsky-Korsakov Shine: Flight of the Bumblebee Y1
John Williams Harry Potter: Quidditch; Witches, Wands and Wizards Y7
Sherman and Sherman Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Ned Washington arr Mike Townend Dumbo: When I See an Elephant Fly
Harold Faltermeyer arr Tom Voysey Top Gun: Anthem
John Powell How to Train Your Dragon: Test Drive
John Williams Star Wars: Asteroid Field Y9
Stephen Bell conductor
Anna Lapwood organ • Ali Plumb presenter
From the sound of wings, wheels and broomsticks slicing through the air, to engines roaring and planets in orbit, these musical scores bring to life the majesty and freedom of flying on film.
For this very special concert, conductor Stephen Bell and the orchestra will perform a selection of soaring movie music, joined by sensational organist and Hallé Featured Artist, Anna Lapwood, to perform iconic soundtracks including Interstellar and Top Gun. Grab your tickets and prepare for take-off!
Full price tickets (inc fees) from £18.50 to £51
Concessions and discounts available
Thu 23 Oct, 7.30pm, The Bridgewater Hall
SCHUBERT’S GREAT SYMPHONY
Hear the UK premiere of Hallé Featured Composer, Unsuk Chin’s shimmering Le Silence des Sirènes, ‘a dazzling reflection on Homer’s formidable femmes fatales’ (Financial Times).
Britten Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes 16' Y3
Unsuk Chin Le Silence des Sirènes (uk premiere) 16'
Schubert Symphony No.9, ‘The Great C Major’ 48'
Elena Schwarz conductor • Faustine de Monès soprano
From its atmospheric beginning, Le Silence des Sirènes evokes vivid imagery of ill-fated ships on top of great, swelling waves: the score is alive with crashing percussion and warning brass interjections, the enigmatic sirens’ song provided by Faustine de Monès. Unsuk Chin drew upon several classical sources for the work, including Homer, Joyce and – most notably – Kafka, whose short story gave the work its name.
Britten’s Four Sea Interludes opens the programme: orchestral ‘scene changes’ from his opera Peter Grimes conveying the changing mood of the storytelling, but always with an atmospheric undercurrent of foreboding. Schubert’s majestic Symphony No.9 will round off the evening, with conductor Elena Schwarz showing us exactly why it’s known as ‘The Great’.
Full price tickets (inc fees) from £18 to £51
Concessions and discounts available
6.30PM IN THE AUDITORIUM
Pre-concert talk with poet Ian McMillan and conductor Elena Schwarz.
ELENA SCHWARZ FAUSTINE DE MONÈS
UNSUK CHIN: FEATURED COMPOSER
I’m delighted to be appointed Featured Composer for the Hallé’s 2025/26 season. I hugely look forward to collaborating with this exceptional orchestra and their esteemed Principal Conductor, Kahchun Wong, across a series of exciting projects throughout the year.
Unsuk Chin
Award-winning South Korean composer, Unsuk Chin, has created a unique balance between East and West, with music that stands out from the crowd.
Influenced by an eclectic mix of musical worlds – traditional Korean folk, American pop, church, Balinese gamelan, electronic – and mixed with her sense of humour and vivid imagination, her music is modern in language and lyrical in expression. Filled with iridescent colours that shimmer, float and weave, the naturally reflective harmonies race through sheer sonic beauty and gleaming soundscapes.
UNSUK CHIN
Composer, conductor and creative thinker, John Adams is distinct amongst contemporary classical composers, having developed his music’s driving pulses and brilliance of sound into an expansive, expressive language that is unmistakably his own.
We are thrilled to welcome John Adams back to Manchester for this exciting festival, celebrating some of his most popular music, as well as a very special UK premiere of a brand new work.
I’m very proud of my history with the Hallé orchestra. I first conducted them in the days before The Bridgewater Hall opened. And several years later, for that celebratory opening of the Hall, Kent Nagano conducted the world premiere of Slonimsky’s Earbox, which I composed for the event. I’m pleased to bring ‘Slonimsky’ back as well as being able to introduce other pieces of mine, both old and new, to the Hallé audiences. I’m especially looking forward to having the Hallé Choir perform my choral symphony, Harmonium, to having my longtime collaborator Leila Josefowicz play Scheherazade.2 (written for her) and to ending these concerts with the UK premiere of my most recent orchestra piece, The Rock You Stand On.
John Adams
JOHN
ADAMS IN MANCHESTER
Thu 30 Oct, 7.30pm, The Bridgewater Hall
ADAMS CONDUCTS HARMONIUM
John Adams makes his much-anticipated return to the Hallé to conduct a selection of his best-loved works.
John Adams Slonimsky’s Earbox 14'
Debussy/John Adams Le Livre de Baudelaire 22'
John Adams ‘This is prophetic!’ (Pat’s Aria from Nixon in China) 8'
John Adams Harmonium 33'
John Adams conductor • Mary Bevan soprano
Hallé Choir matthew hamilton, choral director
In a full-circle event, Slonimsky’s Earbox – dedicated to the Russian-American musicologist and his legendary Thesaurus of Scales and Melodic Patterns – returns to The Bridgewater Hall, where the Hallé gave the world premiere in 1996. Mary Bevan, renowned for her ‘dramatic wit and vocal control’ (Opera), takes a starring role in Le Livre de Baudelaire, Adams’ reimagining of Debussy’s Cinq Poèmes de Charles Baudelaire. We will also enjoy her version of Pat’s contemplative, hopeful aria from Adams’ 1987 opera, Nixon in China. The voices of the Hallé Choir will feature in Harmonium, a surging poetic soundscape regarded as one of the composer’s key minimalist compositions.
Full price tickets (inc fees) from £23.50 to £43.50 Concessions and discounts available
Fri 31 Oct, 1pm, RNCM Concert Hall
CHAMBER SERIES: JOHN ADAMS CHAMBER SYMPHONY
Featuring: Euan Shields conductor • Eliza McCarthy and James McVinnie piano Musicians from the Hallé and RNCM
Alongside the symphonic pieces in the festival, this concert celebrates three classic Adams works for smaller ensembles. The Chamber Symphony, inspired by Schoenberg’s work of the same name, combines its rigour with the hyperactive energy and humour of classic 1950s cartoon music. Hallelujah Junction and John’s Book of Alleged Dances, both works from the 1990s, also share Adams’ ability to mix demanding performances with a sharp sense of wit.
Tickets (inc fees) £17 • Full-time students £9
Sat 1 Nov, 7.30pm, The Bridgewater Hall
ADAMS CONDUCTS THE CHAIRMAN DANCES
Superstar violinist and well-known champion of his compositions, Leila Josefowicz joins John Adams to perform Scheherazade.2.
John Adams Scheherazade.2 47'
John Adams The Chairman Dances 12' Y8
John Adams The Rock You Stand On (hallé co-commission / uk premiere) 9'
John Adams conductor • Leila Josefowicz violin
It was Leila Josefowicz who gave the world premiere of Scheherazade.2, a dramatic symphony for solo violin and orchestra, with the New York Philharmonic in 2015. John Adams wrote the piece especially for her, having been struck with inspiration following his visit to an Arabian Nights exhibition at the Arab World Institute, Paris. With the solo violin part representing Scheherazade, and her endless inventing of stories to spare her from her murderous husband, the work is an effective illustration of women’s persisting struggles in a patriarchal society. The Chairman Dances is a ‘foxtrot for orchestra’ – written as an ‘outtake’ to his popular opera Nixon in China it is a masterful display of minimalist music filled with texture, layers, chugging rhythms and romantic melodies. Rounding off John’s time with us in Manchester, the concert concludes with The Rock You Stand On – a brand new commission and the opportunity to hear John Adams bring this new music to life in its UK premiere. This is going to be a very special evening.
Full price tickets (inc fees) from £23.50 to £43.50 Concessions and discounts available
6.30PM IN THE AUDITORIUM
Pre-concert talk with John Adams.
JOHN ADAMS
MARY BEVAN LEILA JOSEFOWICZ
NOT JUST HEARING THE MUSIC
I’m really excited for the Hallé’s new season. Nothing compares to being in a space with a live orchestra, the way the instruments change the air in a room. I’m not just hearing the music, I’m feeling it too.
Deb Grant DJ, broadcaster and floor-filler
Thu 6 Nov, 7.30pm and Sun 9 Nov, 4pm, The Bridgewater Hall
ELDER CONDUCTS DVO ˇ RÁK
Conductor Emeritus, Sir Mark Elder is joined by friend and collaborator Dame Imogen Cooper to perform Mozart’s final piano concerto.
Sibelius Scènes historiques, Suite No.2 20'
Mozart Piano Concerto No.27 32'
Dvorˇák Symphony No.5 36'
Sir Mark Elder conductor • Dame Imogen Cooper piano
Full of richness and lyricism, Mozart’s 27th Piano Concerto was written, in striking contrast to his other concertos, for a relatively small orchestra. Despite this, it is packed with the charm and beauty so characteristic of the composer’s other works.
Dvorˇák composed his Fifth Symphony in only five weeks. It is quite a dramatic departure from the strident, Wagnerian sounding Fourth; it is lighter and largely pastoral in nature, heavily influenced by the Slavic folk songs and melodies of his native Bohemia. An often overlooked symphony in modern times, it is alive and bubbling with orchestral colour.
Full price tickets (inc fees) from £18 to £51 Concessions and discounts available
6.30PM IN THE AUDITORIUM
Pre-concert talk with Sir Mark Elder.
Wed 12 Nov, 1pm, Hallé St Peter’s
CHAMBER SERIES: MARIE SCHREER PERFORMS SOMEWHERE
Featuring: Marie Schreer violin and electronics
Somewhere is a programme curated, commissioned and performed by Marie Schreer, Leader of the Hallé Second Violins. Featuring new works by Aaron Holloway-Nahum, Ashkan Behzadi, Taher Adel and Marie herself, it asks questions of home, belonging and language through music, video and poetry. Each work looks at these themes from different perspectives, drawing inspiration from the artists’ own stories and from personal questions to global tragedies.
Tickets (inc fees) £17 • Full-time students £9
Sun 16 Nov, 4pm, The Bridgewater Hall
AN AFTERNOON WITH THE HALLÉ CHOIR
In an intimate concert celebrating the Hallé Choir, the dedicated singers take centre stage to perform Duruflé’s breathtaking Requiem, with organ accompaniment.
Programme includes music by: Sir James MacMillan
Galina Grigorjeva
Sven-David Sandström
Matthew Hamilton conductor
Katie Bray mezzo-soprano • Darius Battiwalla organ
Hallé Choir
This very special concert offers a thrilling and rare opportunity to hear the full ranks of the Hallé Choir singing a cappella or with organ accompaniment whilst the orchestra is away on tour.
Comprised of almost 200 singers from around the North West, the Hallé Choir’s performances garner them great acclaim from critics and great affection from audiences.
With this handpicked programme, compiled by their inspiring Director Matthew Hamilton, they will explore musical creations celebrating the well-known – and perhaps less well-known – heroes of the choral repertoire. The concert includes a performance of Duruflé’s Requiem: often dramatic, it is filled with resignation, hope and terror, ending with the flight of the soul to Paradise.
Full price tickets (inc fees) from £18 to £51
Concessions and discounts available
While the orchestra’s away ...
… the choir will sing! Matthew Hamilton brings the Hallé Choir out of the shadows and into the spotlight in this full-voiced concert whilst the Hallé orchestra are flying the flag for music and Manchester on tour in China. Touring has always been an integral part of Hallé life, and its importance is even greater in today’s culturally interconnected world.
Thu 27 Nov, 7.30pm and Sun 30 Nov, 4pm, The Bridgewater Hall
TCHAIKOVSKY’S VIOLIN CONCERTO
Violin virtuoso Akiko Suwanai joins Kahchun Wong for Tchaikovsky’s characterful Violin Concerto.
Verdi The Force of Destiny: Overture 8'
Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto 33'
Mendelssohn Symphony No.4, ‘Italian’ 30'
Kahchun Wong conductor • Akiko Suwanai violin
After winning the International Tchaikovsky Competition at the age of 18, Akiko Suwanai has become a violinist of global acclaim. Following a strident opening with the overture from Verdi’s opera The Force of Destiny, her performance of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto is sure to be a highlight. Spirited and technically demanding, the work is a real showcase for the instrument.
Mendelssohn wrote his Fourth Symphony after a trip to Italy in 1830. The work is a series of affectionate musical impressions of the country, each movement evoking Mediterranean sunshine, rolling countryside and monumental architecture.
Full price tickets (inc fees) from £18 to £51 Concessions and discounts available
AKIKO SUWANAI
KAHCHUN WONG
in association with The Bridgewater Hall
Thu 4 Dec, 6pm, The Bridgewater Hall
NUTCRACKER SELECTION
Hear the magic of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, conducted by Maria Seletskaja, Music Director of the English National Ballet.
Borodin Polovtsian Dances 14'
Tchaikovsky The Nutcracker: selection 40' Y1
Maria Seletskaja conductor
From the ‘Chinese Dance’ (Tea), through the ‘Trepak’, to the ‘Arabian Dance’, Tchaikovsky’s abridged score of the beloved ballet takes the audience on a magical journey with snowflakes, sweets and – of course – a Sugar Plum Fairy. Before we embark on that journey, we hear Borodin’s Polovtsian Dances from his unfinished opera Prince Igor. It is largely thanks to Anatoly Lyadov and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov that we can hear any of this wonderful music today; they helped Borodin orchestrate the Polovtsian Dances in just one fraught evening, using pencil (rather than waiting for ink to dry) and covering the score in liquid gelatine to protect their markings.
Full price tickets (inc fees) from £18.50 to £23.50 Concessions and discounts available
AFTER THE CONCERT IN THE FOYER
Join us for more music with musicians from the Hallé Youth Ensembles.
Sat 6 Dec, 1pm, Hallé St Peter’s
CHAMBER SERIES: DEBUSSY SONATA FOR FLUTE, VIOLA AND HARP
Featuring: Sarah Bennett flute • Chris Emerson viola • Marie Leenhardt harp
As part of his project to write ‘six sonatas for diverse instruments’, Debussy wrote the Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp in 1915, immediately creating a new classic instrumental combination. The programme also includes Ibert’s homage to the Debussy trio and Ravel’s Sonatine, skilfully arranged for the same forces.
Tickets (inc fees) £17 • Full-time students £9
Sat 6 Dec, 6pm, The Bridgewater Hall
MESSIAH
Grammy winner Jeannette Sorrell is joined by some of the country’s finest opera stars and the Hallé Choir for an innovative and theatrical production of Handel’s classic.
Handel Messiah 159' Y3, 7 & 9
Jeannette Sorrell conductor
Carine Tinney soprano • Alice Coote mezzo-soprano
Thomas Elwin tenor • Henry Waddington bass-baritone
Hallé Choir matthew hamilton, choral director
Jeannette Sorrell’s approach to Handel’s Messiah has been universally praised for its refreshingly unique interpretation. In this concert, we’ll explore its dramatic potential to full effect – after all, an oratorio is effectively an opera, just without the staging and costumes – and Sorrell takes the view that a more theatrical production is precisely what Handel intended.
Messiah is 284 years old this year and has been performed countless times in that period (the Hallé alone have performed it almost every year – sometimes more than once – since 1859). Tonight’s concert provides a strikingly original take on this much-loved work.
Full price tickets (inc fees) from £18 to £51 Concessions and discounts available
JEANNETTE SORRELL
HALLÉ CHOIR
Sun 7 Dec, 7.30pm, The Bridgewater Hall
HALLÉ YOUTH ORCHESTRA
Join us as the fantastic Hallé Youth Orchestra take centre stage for an amazing performance.
Programme includes:
Katie Jenkins Awakening 12'
Shostakovich Symphony No.5 45'
Euan Shields conductor • Hallé Youth Orchestra
‘Wow!! What a professional and mature performance was given last night (again). The Hallé Youth Orchestra have grown, concert after concert, under Euan’s thoughtful direction.’ Youth Orchestra Parent
Under the baton of Euan Shields, Director of the Hallé Youth Orchestra and winner of the 2023 Siemens Hallé International Conductors Competition, the younger generation of our Hallé family open this concert with Awakening. A musical tapestry, it weaves together the rich and historical sound world of Wales and the vibrant energy of New York City; the two places Katie Jenkins has called home. Commissioned by the Juilliard School for the Juilliard Orchestra’s opening concert of 2024/25, this piece serves as a celebration of the excitement and anticipation of new beginnings.
Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony is one of his most famous, and one of the greatest and most powerful of twentieth-century orchestral works. It was, supposedly, ‘A Soviet artist’s response to just criticism’. It is now known that this popular symphony was composed as a work of defiance so subtle that no-one realised at the time.
Tickets (inc fees): Full price £13.50 • Concessions £11 • Students & under 18s £6.50
EUAN SHIELDS
HALLÉ YOUTH ORCHESTRA
MERRY AND BRIGHT CHRISTMAS WITH THE HALLÉ
CHRISTMAS SEASON SPONSOR 2025
Sun 7 Dec, 3pm, The Bridgewater Hall
HALLÉ CHRISTMAS FAMILY CONCERT:
SLEIGH RIDE ADVENTURE
Hop aboard for a musical sleigh ride adventure with the Hallé!
Euan Shields conductor
Hallé Youth Training Choir matthew roughley, director
Tickets (inc fees)
Children (17 & under) £18.50 • Adults £28.50 • Family (4 tickets, at least one child) £71.25
Concessions and discounts available
Fri 12 Dec, 7.30pm, The Bridgewater Hall
CHRISTMAS CRACKER
From Merry Christmas Everyone to Polar Express, Santa Baby to Last Christmas – a selection box full of your favourite Christmas songs!
Stephen Bell conductor
Katie Birtill and Oliver Tompsett vocalists
Winners of the Hallé Workplace Choir Competition
Hallé Workplace Choirs
Hallé Ancoats Community Choir stuart overington, director
Full price tickets (inc fees) from £28 to £51.50
Concessions and discounts available
Sat 13 Dec, 3pm, Sun 14 Dec, 3pm and 7.30pm, The Bridgewater Hall
HALLÉ CAROL CONCERTS
Our sell-out carol concerts are back for another year with heart-warming music and traditional festive spirit.
Stephen Bell conductor
Hallé Choir matthew hamilton, choral director
Hallé Youth Choir stuart overington, director
Hallé Children’s Choir shirley court, director
Full price tickets (inc fees) from £28 to £51.50
Concessions and discounts available
Sat 20 Dec, 4pm, Sun 21 Dec, 11am and 1.30pm, The Bridgewater Hall
THE SNOWMAN & SHAUN THE SHEEP
The Snowman will be walking in the air, followed by a ‘ewe’-nique performance from Shaun the Sheep!
Julian Nott Wallace & Gromit: Theme and Chase
Howard Blake The Snowman
Tom Howe/Aardman Animations
Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas
Euan Shields conductor
Soloists from the Hallé Children’s Choir shirley court, director
Tickets (inc fees)
Children (17 & under) £18.50 • Adults £28.50 • Family (4 tickets, at least one child) £71.25
Concessions and discounts available
Tue 30 Dec, 7.30pm, The Bridgewater Hall
GATSBY & THE JAZZ AGE
We’ll be ‘Puttin’ on the Ritz’ with the finest jazz party in town. Join us to round off 2025 in style!
Guy Barker conductor
Tommy Blaize, Vanessa Haynes and Joe Stilgoe vocalists
Giacomo Smith jazz clarinet
Full price tickets (inc fees) from £28 to £51.50
Concessions and discounts available
Sat 3 Jan, 3pm, The Bridgewater Hall
VIENNESE NEW YEAR
Celebrate the New Year with an uplifting afternoon of beautiful music, full of Viennese charm.
Stephen Bell conductor • Soraya Mafi soprano
Full price tickets (inc fees) from £18 to £51
Concessions and discounts available
Find out more at halle.co.uk/christmas
Thu 15 Jan, 7.30pm, The Bridgewater Hall
ANNA LAPWOOD PLAYS...
The magnificent Bridgewater Hall organ takes a starring role in this celebration of the ‘king of instruments’.
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. From resounding opening to blazing end, we have the rare opportunity to hear the organ take a virtuosic starring role.
Richard Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier is a firm audience favourite, and the composer’s influence is woven throughout Korngold’s Schauspiel-Ouvertüre, which opens the programme. Premiering when Korngold was just 14 – having already had huge success with earlier works including his Der Schneemann (The Snowman) ballet at age 11 – the overture has many flavours of his later cinematic works.
Full price tickets (inc fees) from £18 to £51 Concessions and discounts available
6.30PM IN THE AUDITORIUM
Anna Lapwood in conversation with Afrodeutsche (composer, producer, DJ and BBC Radio 6 Music and BBC Radio 3 Unwind presenter).
Feel the force ...
As the Los Angeles Philharmonic put it, Jongen’s Symphonie concertante requires ‘a veritable Jedi Master of the organ’ to really take it on. Luckily, with Anna Lapwood at the keys, we’ll most certainly be in safe hands.
ANNA LAPWOOD FEATURED ARTIST
I’m so excited to get the chance to play alongside the Hallé so many times this season! I made my BBC Proms solo debut with the Hallé back in 2021 – a Proms debut is always a pivotal moment, and so the orchestra has held a special place in my heart ever since. We’re going to be exploring some really fun repertoire together, too, from the ‘war horses’ by Saint-Saëns, Poulenc and Jongen, to brand new concertos by Max Richter and Kristina Arakelyan. It will also be great to be reunited with the wonderful Marcussen organ of The Bridgewater Hall, which works so well for all of this repertoire. I hope to see you there!
Anna
Lapwood
Gifted organist, choral conductor, inspiring collaborator, captivating broadcaster, social media sensation, innovative gamechanger, ardent protagonist and passionate educator, Anna Lapwood is a true ambassador for classical music in the 21st century.
Her genuine love for her instrument, the organ, capable of producing thunderous sounds and subtle effects, is shared with millions of people, via countless platforms, recordings and live performances. #playlikeagirl
ANNA LAPWOOD
Thu 22 Jan, 7.30pm and Sun 25 Jan, 4pm, The Bridgewater Hall
GRIEG’S PIANO CONCERTO
2025’s astounding winner of the Terence Judd-Hallé Award, Julius Asal, joins forces with returning Hallé conductor Lionel Bringuier to perform Grieg’s exceptional Piano Concerto.
Esa-Pekka Salonen Helix 9'
Grieg Piano Concerto 30' Y4
Sibelius Symphony No.2 43'
Lionel Bringuier conductor • Julius Asal piano
This Scandinavian programme opens with Esa-Pekka Salonen’s enigmatic Helix, described by the composer as a spiralling ‘nine-minute accelerando’. While the pulse of the piece increases gradually throughout, the note values get proportionately longer, creating a fascinating experience, where the work seems to simultaneously speed up and slow down.
Sibelius composed his Second Symphony shortly after the successful premiere of Finlandia. The symphony premiered in 1902 to great public admiration, its rousing finale linked by many to Finland’s struggle for independence. Whether intentionally patriotic or not, the symphony’s swelling melodic richness makes for a truly moving performance.
Full price tickets (inc fees) from £18 to £51
Concessions and discounts available
Sat 24 Jan, 1pm, Hallé St Peter’s
CHAMBER SERIES: JULIUS ASAL
Featuring: Julius Asal piano
BBC New Generation Artist and 2025 Terence Judd-Hallé Award winner, Julius Asal joins players from the orchestra for a programme built around Schumann’s Piano Quintet. The first ever piece for this combination of instruments, the outer movements are full of exuberance and extroversion, and frame a hauntingly beautiful funeral march.
Tickets (inc fees) £17 • Full-time students £9
A UNIQUE JOURNEY
Sharing the stage with the Hallé orchestra and the Hallé Children’s Choir is a memory I will always treasure. It filled me with joy and moved me to tears. Just wonderful. The power to conjure up emotions and take you on a unique journey is what makes orchestral music so very special.
Josie Lawrence actor and comedian
JOSIE LAWRENCE
Sat 31 Jan, 7.30pm, The Bridgewater Hall
THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS: LIVE IN CONCERT [Cert: 15]
In association with Big Screen Live
Chilling and thrilling: experience this cult classic, multi-Oscar-winning film with iconic soundtrack performed live by the Hallé orchestra.
Caleb Young conductor
FBI agent Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) races against time to stop a serial killer nicknamed ‘Buffalo Bill’. Hoping it may unlock the answers to this case, she interviews prisoner Dr Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), a cannibalistic psychiatrist whose fascination with the young agent is as great as his hunger for murder.
As their relationship develops, Starling is forced to confront not only her own demons, but also an evil so powerful she may not have the courage to stop.
Jonathan Demme’s landmark film remains a gripping, unsettling ride 35 years after its original release with its seminal performances and Howard Shore’s brilliant, atmospheric score.
Full price tickets (inc fees) from £34.50 to £68.50
Concessions and discounts available
Sun 1 Feb, 4pm, The Bridgewater Hall
SIDE BY SIDE
THE HALLÉ & HALLÉ YOUTH ORCHESTRA
Two generations of Hallé musicians team up to perform alongside each other in this artistic duo of works.
Unsuk Chin Frontispiece 8'
Mussorgsky (orch. Ravel) Pictures at an Exhibition 35'
Euan Shields conductor • Hallé Youth Orchestra
Unsuk Chin composed Frontispiece as a timelapse through musical history, taking and reinterpreting the styles and flourishes of several significant composers, from Tchaikovsky and Strauss to Webern and Stravinsky. It is kaleidoscopic in its construction; contrasting fragments from vastly different musical periods work together to create something entirely unique.
This theme continues with Ravel’s orchestral arrangement of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. Originally composed just for solo piano, the work leads the listener through several eclectic movements, each representing a painting by the artist Viktor Hartmann. Like Unsuk Chin’s piece, it is a kind of musical patchwork and, with Ravel’s orchestration, it utilises all the instrumental families to their full effect.
Tickets (inc fees)
Full price £13.50 • Concessions £11 • Students & under 18s £6.50
Thu 5 Feb, 1pm, Hallé St Peter’s
CHAMBER SERIES: UNSUK CHIN
Exploring the musical influences that inspire our Featured Composer, Unsuk Chin, this programme will feature the UK premiere of Puzzles and Games from her opera Alice in Wonderland. Written for soprano and ensemble, and featuring text by David Henry Hwang and Unsuk Chin, it is based on Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and ‘Through the Looking-Glass’.
Tickets (inc fees) £17 • Full-time students £9
Thu 12 Feb, 7.30pm and Sun 15 Feb, 4pm, The Bridgewater Hall
BEETHOVEN’S EROICA
‘Wong’s expansive gestures are audience-pleasing; sometimes it looked as if he was channelling the music from the performers to the audience in a very visual way.’
Bachtrack, Dec 24, Kahchun Wong conducting Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony
Unsuk Chin subito con forza
Shostakovich Cello Concerto No.1
Beethoven Symphony No.3, ‘Eroica’
Kahchun Wong conductor • Jan Vogler cello
A cellist of international renown, Jan Vogler is no stranger to either of Shostakovich’s cello concertos. His 2020 recording of the Second garnered critical praise for its thoughtful introspection and ‘flawless intonation’ (The Classic Review). Shostakovich’s formidable First, generally agreed to be one of the most difficult concerto works for the instrument, performed by Jan, is certainly not to be missed.
Unsuk Chin’s subito con forza, written in 2020 in tribute to Beethoven’s 250th anniversary, provides a characterful opening to the programme. In a reflection of this innovative work, Beethoven’s much-loved ‘Eroica’ – which broke expanses of new symphonic ground at the time of its composition – closes the concert.
Full price tickets (inc fees) from £18 to £51
Concessions and discounts available
JAN VOGLER
THE HALLÉ
Sat 14 Feb, 7.30pm, The Bridgewater Hall
FROM BROADWAY, WITH LOVE
Gather your Valentines, your Galentines and your Palentines for a night of musical magic.
Programme includes:
West Side Story: Overture
Babes in Arms: My Funny Valentine
Les Misérables: I Dreamed a Dream Y8
Anything Goes: Let’s Misbehave
Meet Me in St. Louis: The Trolley Song
Funny Face: ‘S Wonderful
Jersey Boys: Can’t Take My Eyes Off You
Follies: Too Many Mornings
Oklahoma!: People Will Say We’re in Love
Mamma Mia!: Overture
Hairspray: You Can’t Stop the Beat
South Pacific: A Wonderful Guy
We Will Rock You: No-one But You (Only the Good Die Young)
Guys and Dolls: Luck Be a Lady
Wicked: Defying Gravity
The Phantom of the Opera: All I Ask of You
Stephen Bell conductor
Louise Dearman and Matt Ford vocalists
Join us for a stroll down Broadway – a world where stories sing and feelings dance – for a spellbinding evening of unforgettable tunes, timeless favourites and absolute show-stoppers.
Featuring songs from some of Broadway’s finest, including West Side Story, Anything Goes, Guys and Dolls and Wicked – come along and let the magic of musical theatre sweep you off your feet.
Full price tickets (inc fees) from £18.50 to £51
Concessions and discounts available
Thu 19 Feb, 7.30pm, The Bridgewater Hall
THE PLANETS
In a magnificent chorus of Hallé singers, the Choir and Children’s Choir join Kahchun Wong for a celestial trio.
Unsuk Chin Le Chant des Enfants des Étoiles
(hallé commission / world premiere of revision) 35'
Holst The Planets 51'
Colin Matthews Pluto, the Renewer 6'
Kahchun Wong conductor
Hallé Choir matthew hamilton, choral director
Hallé Children’s Choir shirley court, director
Unsuk Chin’s Le Chant des Enfants des Étoiles is an intensely atmospheric work which will take you on an exploration through the stars and the infinite reaches of space. Recently revised by the composer, this concert presents the exciting world premiere of this updated version.
While the most recognised of Holst’s The Planets in modern times are perhaps Mars, the Bringer of War and Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity (featured in ‘I Vow to Thee, My Country’), hearing the complete suite in order provides an incredible musical journey through the solar system. Commissioned by the Hallé, Colin Matthews rose to the irresistible challenge of writing a complementary movement to Holst’s
The Planets. A flurry of solar winds in the strings, and the lightning-fast scherzo Pluto, the Renewer was formed.
Full price tickets (inc fees) from £18 to £51
Concessions and discounts available
A hidden chorus...
Singers are featured in Neptune, the Mystic, the final movement of Holst’s
The Planets. Entirely off-stage, their wordless vocals echo through to the auditorium in a shimmering ethereality, as the door between them and the audience is gradually closed.
JONNY GREENWOOD: HALLÉ PRESENTS FEATURED ARTIST
It’s exciting – and daunting – to be working again with the mighty Hallé: they have such a storied history, and yet refuse to be hidebound. I’m looking forward to their upcoming presentation of three of my compositions – Horror Vacui, Water and X Years of Reverb. In addition, we continue exploring the Steve Reich catalogue – a process which started with Electric Counterpoint last year, and continues with Reich’s Pulse.
Jonny Greenwood
Multi-instrumentalist and award-winning composer, Jonny Greenwood is probably best known for being the lead guitarist in groundbreaking band Radiohead. With an extensive and eclectic body of iconic work including classical music, film soundtracks and traditional Middle Eastern folk music, he is widely celebrated for his innovative style and constant drive to push musical boundaries.
JONNY GREENWOOD
Thu 26 Feb, 7.30pm, The Bridgewater Hall
JONNY GREENWOOD
Daniel Pioro, ‘the violinist making classical music cool’ (The Telegraph) performs Jonny Greenwood’s fascinatingly frightening Horror Vacui.
Lutosławski Musique funèbre 14'
Jonny Greenwood Water 18'
Steve Reich Pulse 16'
Jonny Greenwood Horror Vacui (uk premiere of revision) 25'
André de Ridder conductor • Daniel Pioro violin
Jonny Greenwood electric bass and tanpura
This concert celebrates Jonny Greenwood’s love of orchestral string writing. In Water, the warmth of the Hallé strings envelopes two flutes and an Indian tanpura on a journey of rippling colour. Lutosławski dedicated his moving Musique funèbre to the pioneering composer Bela Bartók whilst Steve Reich’s lyrical Pulse is a tenderly contemplative, yet constantly pulsating, work. Jonny Greenwood’s groundbreaking Horror Vacui plays upon the artistic concept of ‘the fear of empty spaces’ to astonishing effect. Using the full sonic potential of the solo violin and extensive string orchestra, he creates an eerily liminal soundscape, building in atmosphere and intensity throughout each movement. These are string instruments as you’ve never heard them before.
Full price tickets (inc fees) from £23.50 to £43.50
Concessions and discounts available
JONNY GREENWOOD
Sat 28 Feb, 1.45pm, Manchester Cathedral
605 YEARS OF REVERB
Experience Jonny Greenwood’s immersive work ‘605 Years of Reverb’ in this unique event, set in the stunning surroundings of Manchester Cathedral.
Jonny Greenwood 605 Years of Reverb 8 hours
Anna Lapwood and James McVinnie organ
Organists Anna Lapwood and James McVinnie team up to take on this immense piece, written by Jonny Greenwood to commemorate and celebrate the unique legacy of organs in historic buildings.
Drawing upon influences from Indian music, the work gradually builds in texture and complexity, slowly introducing new musical ideas and striking new sound worlds. ‘Melodies in Indian music are often thought of as circular, rather than linear,’ says Greenwood, ‘You’re climbing on to a moving wheel, not starting and ending in silence.’
A truly unique experience – music will fill the space and light will move around Manchester Cathedral as the sun sets throughout the event, ending as darkness falls.
Join us for the full eight hour experience or for a timed slot, available every two hours.
Tickets (inc fees)
Full performance (8 hrs) £53.25
Timed slots (1 hr 50mins) £23.25 (Timed slots start at 1.45pm, 3.45pm, 5.45pm or 7.45pm) Concessions and discounts available
I’m so grateful to have the incredible Hallé right here in the place I call home, Manchester. Filling our city with stunning music with so many diverse performances. This season’s collaboration with Jonny Greenwood holds a particular place in my heart and I can’t wait to be there and soak it all in!
I’ve always admired both the Hallé and Jonny Greenwood’s work, and this feels like such a beautiful pairing of creators. It’s going to be something truly special.
Afrodeutsche composer, producer, presenter and DJ
Thu 5 Mar, 6pm, The Bridgewater Hall
SHOSTAKOVICH’S SYMPHONY NO.1
Euan Shields takes to the podium to lead the Hallé orchestra through this dark and supernatural programme.
Janácˇek Taras Bulba 23'
Shostakovich Symphony No.1 35'
Euan Shields conductor
Taras Bulba, based on the Nikolai Gogol novel of the same name, was written in the midst of World War One. It leads the listener through three key moments in the life of the Russian Cossack, including the death of each of his two sons (one at his own hand), and finally, his own capture and demise.
Shostakovich’s First Symphony was a huge success right from its premiere, launching him into instant international stardom at the age of just 19. Written as a graduation exercise from Maximilian Steinberg’s composition class, the symphony possesses a profound maturity, as well as the simultaneous sense of wit and tragedy that would go on to become characteristic of Shostakovich’s later works.
Join us for more music with musicians from the Hallé Youth Ensembles.
Thu 12 Mar, 7.30pm, The Bridgewater Hall
WALTON’S FIRST SYMPHONY
Trumpet star Tine Thing Helseth joins Alpesh Chauhan for the UK premiere of Nico Muhly’s Doom Painting.
Britten Courtly Dances from Gloriana 9' Y2
Nico Muhly Doom Painting (hallé co-commission / uk premiere) 25'
Following the lively ‘Courtly Dances’ from Britten’s opera Gloriana, Norwegian trumpeter, Tine Thing Helseth takes to the platform to perform this new, exciting work, written especially for her. Musically illustrating the biblical role of the trumpet, Doom Painting leads us on a dramatic journey through the instrument’s various iterations: ceremonial object for rituals and celebrations alike; harbinger of Doomsday; and jubilant instrument of the psalms. Composer Nico Muhly celebrates the vast expressive possibilities of this historic instrument.
Walton’s Symphony No.1 is widely considered among the greatest twentieth-century symphonies. Sometimes triumphant, sometimes hostile – the second movement, for example, is subtitled ‘Presto con malizia’ (‘quickly with malice’) – expect emotional intensity from start to finish.
Full price tickets (inc fees) from £18 to £51
Concessions and discounts available
6.30PM IN THE AUDITORIUM
Hallé Chief Executive David Butcher, Alpesh Chauhan, Tine Thing Helseth and composer Nico Muhly in conversation.
ALPESH CHAUHAN
TINE THING HELSETH
Thu 19 Mar, 7.30pm and Sun 22 Mar, 4pm, The Bridgewater Hall
MULLOVA PLAYS BRAHMS
The exceptionally versatile violinist Viktoria Mullova teams up with Kahchun Wong for a performance of Brahms’ Violin Concerto.
Wagner Tannhäuser: Overture 15'
Brahms Violin Concerto 38'
Bartók Concerto for Orchestra 36'
Kahchun Wong conductor • Viktoria Mullova violin
Intended to be a test of both the soloist’s technical ability and their musicianship, Brahms’ Violin Concerto overflows with cadenzas – short, often improvised passages of notes – which give the soloist ample opportunity for real virtuosic display. Viktoria Mullova, whose playing has been praised by critics and audiences alike for its immense agility and richness of tone, is sure to bring us an unforgettable performance.
Where concertos are usually a work comprised of a solo instrument accompanied by an orchestra, Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra treats each instrumental family as if they were soloists in their own right. Let’s get ready to shine a spotlight on all sections of the orchestra.
Full price tickets (inc fees) from £18 to £51 Concessions and discounts available
KAHCHUN WONG
VIKTORIA MULLOVA
Sun 22 Mar, 7.30pm, The Bridgewater Hall
HALLÉ YOUTH ENSEMBLES CELEBRATION
Join us as we celebrate the talents of the youngest musicians in the Hallé family, singers and players alike.
Hallé Youth Orchestra euan shields, director
Hallé Youth Choir stuart overington, director
Hallé Youth Training Choir matthew roughley, director
Hallé Children’s Choir shirley court, director
Always a Hallé favourite, this celebratory performance offers each of the Hallé’s Youth Ensembles a chance in the spotlight. The youngest artists, in the Children’s Choir, illustrate their experiences through movement and music, members of the Youth Training Choir show how developing voices can work together and the oldest members, in the Youth Choir and Youth Orchestra, offer us a glimpse of the musicians of the future. Together, in this joyful showcase, they give performances that will linger in the memories of those on stage and in the audience.
‘Thank you for sharing such a wonderful opportunity with us all. We all had the most amazing time, [my daughter] and all the children looked so so happy on stage. The concert was out of this world, absolutely beautiful. You all do the most amazing job making it all happen. Family watching loved every second of the concert.’ Parent
Tickets (inc fees)
Full price £13.50 • Concessions £11 • Students & under 18s £6.50
Hallé Choirs and Orchestras
The family of Hallé choirs welcome over 700 people, aged 8 upwards, on a weekly basis to sing with inspirational choral leaders. Our youth choirs, open to all by audition, are free to join and our adult choirs range from the world-renowned Hallé Choir (auditioned symphony chorus) to workplace choirs, the Choral Academy and Ancoats Community Choir.
The Hallé Youth Orchestra, also free to join, is open by audition to young instrumentalists aged 13 to 19 years.
Details of Hallé ensembles performances can be found throughout this brochure.
Tue 31 Mar, 7pm, The Bridgewater Hall
SIEMENS HALLÉ INTERNATIONAL CONDUCTORS COMPETITION 2026 FINAL
Following the success of the 2023 Final, the three most promising young conductors of the 2026 competition will each take to The Bridgewater Hall stage to direct the Hallé orchestra live, competing to become the newest member of the Hallé family.
Put through their paces the previous week, these shortlisted, emerging artists have been selected from hundreds of applicants around the world. To showcase their astonishing abilities, each finalist will conduct Bernstein’s Candide Overture before tackling one of these popular symphonic works:
Rachmaninov Symphonic Dances 35'
Sibelius Symphony No.5
Brahms Symphony No.3
Who will convince the judging panel that the life-changing opportunity to become the Hallé’s next Assistant Conductor should be theirs?
Get your tickets now to see the winner crowned live on the night and make history with the Hallé!
Full price tickets (inc fees) £18
Concessions and discounts available
Thu 16 Apr, 7.30pm and Sun 19 Apr, 4pm, The Bridgewater Hall
A SEA SYMPHONY
Tarmo Peltokoski is joined by a duo of star-studded soloists and two generations of Hallé singers for Vaughan Williams’ immense Sea Symphony.
Mahler Rückert-Lieder 18'
Vaughan Williams Symphony No.1, ‘A Sea Symphony’ 63'
Through its use of the chorus and vocal soloists as an integral part of its texture, Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony was a groundbreaking work in the symphonic and choral repertoire. Crafted around the poetic words of Walt Whitman, the work vividly and poignantly illustrates the journey of the human soul, through the metaphor of intrepid sailors weighing the anchor and exploring the ocean wide.
In the first half of the concert, we hear Chen Reiss’ performance of Mahler’s gloriously romantic Rückert-Lieder. Mahler was driven by melody – often incorporating many of his favourites within the symphonies for which he is known – and this quintet of songs contains some of his best.
My dad was a sailor for many years and maybe that’s why I love The Sea Symphony so much; it’s a piece that has as many moods as the ocean and the way it seems to stretch to the horizon feels almost transcendent. And the stage of The Bridgewater Hall could be the deck of a wooden ship; or maybe the engine room, where the work gets done!
Ian McMillan poet, journalist, playwright, and presenter
IAN McMILLAN
BE PART OF THE HALLÉ
The 2025/26 season continues an exciting new era for the Hallé with our Principal Conductor, Kahchun Wong. You can be a part of it!
Our family of supporters have opportunities to join and experience a range of exclusive events throughout the season. Watch rehearsals, see first-hand our inspiring education and community work, involve yourself in our archive, take your seat in the audience at our award-winning Workplace Choir Competition and attend social receptions with Hallé staff and players.
To join our Patron or Chair Endower programmes, visit halle.co.uk/support-us
Fri 17 Apr, 7.30pm, The Bridgewater Hall
THE BEST OF JOHN WILLIAMS
An evening of incredible music from one of cinema’s greats.
Star Wars Imperial March Y6, 7 & 9
Star Wars: A New Hope Leia’s Theme
Close Encounters of the Third Kind Main Title
War Horse Dartmoor 1912
Jaws Main Title Y6, 7 & 9
Catch Me If You Can Escapades
Saving Private Ryan Hymn to the Fallen
Memoirs of a Geisha Sayuri’s Theme
Hook Flight to Neverland
Raiders of the Lost Ark March
Schindler’s List Theme
JFK Main Title
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial Adventures On Earth
Superman March Y6, 7 & 9
Harry Potter Witches, Wands and Wizards Y6, 7 & 9
Jurassic Park Main Theme
Solo: A Star Wars Story Adventures of Han
Star Wars: The Force Awakens Finale
Stephen Bell conductor
Legendary film composer, John Williams’ music has inspired and captivated audiences worldwide for decades: from the iconic, spine-tingling themes of Star Wars and Jurassic Park to the enchanting melodies of Harry Potter and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and many more.
Join us for an evening of music that has left a permanent mark on the big screen – with scores that truly bring the stories to life.
Full price tickets (inc fees) from £18.50 to £51
Concessions and discounts available
THIS WILL REALLY EXCITE YOU
I’ll come clean and admit that Thomas Adès is a friend, but I think his evening (on St George’s Day, 23rd April) will really excite you. If ‘modernism’ and the very idea of much twentieth-century classical music makes you wince and reach for your Schubert, these four pieces might come as a revelation. Emotional directness, sonority, colour and real musical intelligence in very different modes of expression.
Stephen Fry
actor, broadcaster, comedian, director, narrator and writer
STEPHEN FRY
Thu 23 Apr, 7.30pm, The Bridgewater Hall
THE UNANSWERED QUESTION
Dénes Várjon and Nicolas Altstaedt compete in Kurtág’s commanding Double Concerto, as Thomas Adès conducts.
Ives The Unanswered Question 6' Y9
György Kurtág Double Concerto 19'
Thomas Adès Lieux retrouvés 17'
Debussy Images pour orchestra 30'
Thomas Adès conductor
Dénes Várjon piano • Nicolas Altstaedt cello
‘One of the most unusual pieces written for cello’ (Bachtrack), Kurtág’s brilliant Double Concerto engages both soloists and an orchestra divided into two sparring sections, physically separated within the performance space, in an intense dialogue. What results is an extraordinary listening experience: surrounded by music from several directions at once. Ives’ The Unanswered Question also immerses the listener in sound, with druid-like strings beneath the questioning trumpet and increasingly chaotic woodwind. In contrast, Thomas Adès’ peaceful Lieux retrouvés (Rediscovered Places) explores natural and man-made landscapes whilst Debussy’s revolutionary Images, three orchestral montages combining harmony, texture and colour, creates musical paintings that changed orchestral writing forever.
Full price tickets (inc fees) from £18 to £51
Concessions and discounts available
Listen and look out for ...
... some exciting and unusual staging in the Ives and Kurtág. Musicians will be popping up all around the auditorium, creating a truly immersive experience.
Wed 29 Apr, 1pm, Hallé St Peter’s
CHAMBER SERIES: HALLÉ BRASS QUINTET
The Hallé Brass Quintet makes a welcome return with one of their characteristic mixed programmes. With music ranging from the Renaissance to the modern day, from the serious to the light-hearted, always a hugely popular event in the Chamber Series.
Tickets (inc fees) £17 • Full-time students £9
in collaboration with Factory International
Sat 2 May, 2pm, 5pm and 8pm, Aviva Studios
ANNA MEREDITH’S ANNO
In their first appearance at Aviva Studios, home of Factory International, the Hallé performs Anna Meredith’s atmospheric Anno.
Anna Meredith Anno 50'
Anna Meredith electronics • Roberto Ruisi violin
Created as a recontextualisation of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, this groundbreaking work takes the audience through a whole calendar year in just one hour of continuous music. Elegantly fusing fragments of Vivaldi with her own characteristic electronic music, Anna Meredith creates a striking reimagining of the classic work.
Anno is an intensely immersive production, and deliberately so: the only light will be that emitted by the tablets from which the players read their score, and from the projected images of vivid animated watercolour visuals provided by the composer’s sister, Eleanor Meredith. What results is a transformational experience for the eyes and ears, merging old with new in a stunning portrayal of the passage of time.
Full price tickets (inc fees) £10 to £34 Concessions and discounts available
PLEASE NOTE: Tickets for this event should be purchased through Factory International. Please visit factoryinternational.org or call 0333 322 8679
Following his acclaimed performance at the Hallé’s 2023 BBC Proms concert, Ukrainian baritone Andrii Kymach and the Hallé Choir once again join forces for a work by Rachmaninov.
Stravinsky Song of the Nightingale 21'
Rachmaninov Spring 17'
Prokofiev Dreams, Op.6 11'
Tchaikovsky Symphony No.2 32'
Sir Mark Elder conductor • Andrii Kymach baritone
Hallé Choir matthew hamilton, choral director
Based on the poem by Nikolay Nekrasov, and quite opposed to its joyful title, Spring follows a husband who, previously inflicted with murderous thoughts towards his unfaithful wife during the winter, is released from his frustration with the return of spring.
Stravinsky’s Song of the Nightingale – an effective musical illustration of both real and mechanical birdsong – begins proceedings. Following it is Prokofiev’s enigmatic Dreams, the composer’s earliest surviving orchestral work. Finally, Tchaikovsky’s Second Symphony, often dubbed ‘Little Russian’ thanks to its effective use of Ukrainian folksongs, provides a joyful end to the evening.
Full price tickets (inc fees) from £18 to £51 Concessions and discounts available
SIR MARK ELDER
ANDRII KYMACH
Thu 14 May, 7.30pm and Sun 17 May, 4pm, The Bridgewater Hall
DVO ˇ RÁK’S SYMPHONY NO.8
Alexander Gadjiev, winner of the 2022 Terence Judd-Hallé Award, joins forces with Grammy-nominated Ariane Matiakh for a performance of Chopin’s Piano Concerto No.2.
Unsuk Chin Operascope (uk premiere) 9'
Chopin
Ariane Matiakh conductor • Alexander Gadjiev piano
Chopin’s Piano Concerto No.2 is one of the finest virtuosic showpieces for piano, requiring both technical ability and deep musicality from its soloist. As one of the prize winners in the 2021 Chopin Competition, Alexander Gadjiev has both in spades.
Before we dive into Dvorˇák’s lively and lyrical Eighth Symphony, audiences will also be the first in the UK to hear Hallé Featured Composer, Unsuk Chin’s Operascope, a musical walk through the history of opera with several nods to operatic giants like Verdi and Puccini.
Full price tickets (inc fees) from £18 to £51
Concessions and discounts available
Fri 15 May, 1pm, Hallé St Peter’s
CHAMBER SERIES: ALEXANDER GADJIEV
Featuring: Alexander Gadjiev piano
Alexander Gadjiev makes his much-anticipated appearance in the Chamber Series with two piano quartets. Mozart essentially sets the piano as soloist against the ‘orchestra’ of the string trio, whilst Brahms integrates all four instruments into a seamless whole, especially in the gloriously lyrical third movement.
Tickets (inc fees) £17 • Full-time students £9
Sun 17 May, 11.30am, The Bridgewater Hall
FAMILY CONCERT: FILM FAVOURITES
Lights, camera, ACTION!
Fantastic family film music for everyone to enjoy.
The programme includes
John Williams Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone: Hedwig’s Theme
Alan Menken Beauty and the Beast: Be Our Guest
Michael Giacchino The Incredibles
John Powell How to Train Your Dragon
John Williams Star Wars: Main Title
Alan Silvestri The Avengers: Main Theme
Elton John The Lion King
Euan Shields conductor • Tom Redmond presenter
Join the Hallé and entertaining presenter Tom Redmond for the magic of the movies, with a hand-picked selection of music from all your favourite family films. Performed live by your orchestra, this will be fun for all the family. Fancy dress is very welcome – why not come as your favourite film character?
Family concerts are accessible for all – most suitable for ages 5-13
Tickets (inc fees)
Children (17 & under) £13.50 • Adults £23.50
Family (4 tickets, at least one child) £50.25 Concessions and discounts available
in association with The Bridgewater Hall
Thu 21 May, 6pm, The Bridgewater Hall
WEST SIDE STORY: SYMPHONIC DANCES
Anna Lapwood gives her closing performance as Hallé Featured Artist, as we welcome Emilia Hoving in her Hallé debut.
Poulenc Organ Concerto 24'
Kristina Arakelyan Toccata for Organ and Orchestra 8'
Bernstein West Side Story: Symphonic Dances 24' Y1
Emilia Hoving conductor • Anna Lapwood organ
Kristina Arakelyan, dubbed internationally as ‘one to watch’ (Scala Radio), is one of today’s most exciting composers, celebrated by audiences and critics alike for her music’s serene and compelling honesty. What a treat we have in store this evening to hear Anna Lapwood perform her Toccata for Organ and Orchestra
Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story takes us through some of the musical’s best-loved tunes and interludes: from the poignant hopefulness of ‘Somewhere’, through the percussive fire of ‘Mambo’, to the tragic finale, rounding off what is sure to be an electrifying Rush Hour concert.
Full price tickets (inc fees) from £18.50 to £23.50
Concessions and discounts available
AFTER THE CONCERT IN THE FOYER
Join us for more music with musicians from Chetham’s School of Music.
Listen out for ...
Entirely orchestral, the Symphonic Dances musically portray the clashes between the Sharks and Jets gangs in fictional 1950s Manhattan. During ‘Mambo’, characterised by its fiery, syncopated brass and percussion-filled refrain, listen out for the orchestra who shout ‘Mambo!’.
Sat 23 May, 7.30pm, The Bridgewater Hall
IT’S A LIVIN’ THING THE MUSIC OF JEFF LYNNE’S ELO
Produced in association with Avanti Arts and GRB Productions
Experience the legendary Electric Light Orchestra’s unique fusion of rock, pop and classical music as you’ve never heard it before, in this live orchestral celebration of Jeff Lynne’s visionary music.
The programme includes Standing in the Rain, Evil Woman, All Over the World, Diary of Horace Wimp, Last Train to London, Sweet Talkin’ Woman, Showdown, Telephone Line, Rockaria, Living Thing, Shine a Little Love, Turn to Stone, When I Was a Boy, Wild West Hero, Xanadu, Mr Blue Sky and more Richard Balcombe conductor Graham Bickley and Patrick Smythe vocalists
Think sweeping strings, powerful brass, electrifying guitar riffs and a glorious wall of vocal sound – all celebrating some of ELO’s timeless hits.
Full price tickets (inc fees) from £18.50 to £51
Concessions and discounts available
Thu 28 May, 7.30pm, The Bridgewater Hall
KAHCHUN WONG CONDUCTS MAHLER’S SIXTH
Humanity’s frailty and fortitude combine in Mahler’s existential Sixth Symphony, as Kahchun Wong conducts.
Mahler Symphony No.6
Kahchun Wong conductor
79'
Mahler composed his Sixth Symphony during some of the happiest times of his life. His wife, Alma, the subject of the intensely emotive Adagietto of his Fifth Symphony, had just given birth to their second child. It seems an odd juxtaposition, then, that his Sixth Symphony is often subtitled ‘The Tragic’.
While certainly filled with brooding, nihilistic undertones, the symphony also possesses moving tributes to the composer’s greatest loves. The soaring melodies of the first movement represent Alma, and the playful, scurrying Scherzo of the third movement represents his two toddler daughters. Kahchun Wong’s affinity with Mahler’s work is world-renowned and this promises to be a very special season finale.
Full price tickets (inc fees) from £18 to £51
Concessions and discounts available
6.30PM IN THE AUDITORIUM
Pre-concert talk with Kahchun Wong and Sir Nicholas Kenyon.
It’s Hammer Time!
The symphony calls for the fatalistic ‘Mahler Hammer’, whose sound the composer described as ‘brief and mighty … like the fall of an axe.’ Performances of the work have achieved this in a variety of ways, from mallets hitting wooden boxes to sledgehammers striking bass drums.
WORLD-CLASS RECORDINGS
≥
BRITTEN: THE PRINCE OF PAGODAS KAHCHUN WONG
AVAILABLE NOW
≥
BRUCKNER SYMPHONY NO.9 (FOUR MOVEMENT VERSION REVISED BY DR JOHN A. PHILLIPS) KAHCHUN WONG
AVAILABLE NOW
≥ WORKS BY
THOMAS ADÈS • OLIVER LEITH • WILLIAM MARSEY
THOMAS ADÈS
RELEASE DATE 4 JULY 2025
Throughout the orchestra plays with a combination of intensity, full-throated lyricism and refinement which makes these recordings a joy.
The Daily Telegraph on the Hallé’s recording of Vaughan Williams’ Symphonies 7 and 9
See the Hallé label’s complete catalogue at halle.co.uk
Sat 6 Jun, The Bridgewater Hall
Singers start 10.30am • Public Performance 6.30pm
SING WITH THE HALLÉ: MENDELSSOHN’S ELIJAH
Join us for a fun and inspiring day of singing alongside one of the world’s most renowned musical organisations.
The Hallé’s fabulous Choral Director, Matthew Hamilton leads an inclusive and enjoyable day exploring Mendelssohn’s much-loved oratorio, Elijah.
Everyone is welcome and you don’t need any previous experience to participate. If you love singing and would like the opportunity to develop your skills and musicianship in a relaxed environment, then we’d love you to join us. Or simply come along at the end of the day to enjoy the performance.
‘A fabulous experience to sing with you – a memory forever!’ Previous participant
‘Complete novice. Thoroughly enjoyed the day. Matthew is an amazing conductor and choirmaster. The soloists were superb and the orchestra brilliant.’ Previous participant
Participant tickets (inc fees): Full price £36 • Concessions £21.50
Audience tickets (inc fees): Full price £17.50 • Concessions £9
MATTHEW HAMILTON
HALLÉ CONNECT SEP 25 to JUL 26
Hallé Connect brings together our education and community work and our family of ensembles. Each year, Hallé Connect directly reaches over 75,000 people including over 40,000 children and young people.
Hallé musicians work in various settings across the whole community throughout Greater Manchester and beyond, releasing creativity, and raising aspirations through accessible and practical projects.
Hallé For Youth – Celebrating International Women’s Day
Tue 3 and Wed 4 Mar (Key Stage 2)
Thu 5 Mar (Key Stage 3)
Bring your class to hear the wonderful Hallé live in concert! Hallé for Youth concerts are specifically designed for school children, and in 2026 we will be celebrating in the lead up to International Women’s Day. We aim to shine a light on women’s achievements, their evolving roles in society and champion equality. All schools will receive free resources in advance of the concert to have fun in your music classes, make Model Music Curriculum links and prepare the children for the concert visit.
Come And Play –World Cup Mania
Thu 18 Jun and other dates to be announced
Key Stage 2
Passion for world class football is sweeping the globe, and what better opportunity to explore some great music? Working with schools through our many Music Education Hub partners, Come and Play with the Hallé is a specially-designed concert for Key Stage 2 schoolchildren learning a musical instrument via the Whole Class Ensemble Teaching Programme. Schools that are interested in taking part should contact their local Music Service or Music Hub in the first instance.
Discovering Minibeasts!
Thu 11 Jun
Key Stage 1
Led by a friendly presenter, younger audience members will experience a range of live orchestral music that they can interact with in different ways such as listening, clapping, singing and dancing. In addition to the concert itself, all schools will receive free resources in advance of the concert to explore cross-curricular links with the music and help prepare the children for their visit to the Hallé.
Set Works Concert
Fri 17 Oct
GCSE & A-level
The Hallé’s dedicated Set Works concert, ‘The Orchestra through the Ages’, is created in collaboration with teachers and music educators to provide a unique resource for GCSE and A-level music students. Featuring a number of orchestral pieces from the AQA, OCR, Eduqas and Edexcel syllabi, the concert is a guided tour of music from the Renaissance through to the 21st Century, demonstrating the development of the symphony orchestra with a brief history and musical analysis of some key pieces.
Relaxed Concerts at Hallé St Peter’s
Wed 17 Sep, Tue 3 Feb and Wed 15 Jul, 11.30am and 2pm
Relaxed concerts present high-quality music making in a safe, inclusive and enjoyable environment, designed to welcome audiences with a range of needs, including physical, sensory and communication impairment. The concerts last around 50 minutes, and feature short and varied pieces introduced by our musicians. There are opportunities to join in and even to dance!
Education And Community Outreach Projects
Hallé musicians work in a variety of educational and community settings, including schools, universities, hospitals and care homes, engaging people through music in their own locations in a relaxed and enjoyable way.
The work of Hallé Connect is supported by Siemens, Brother, OCU Group, PZ Cussons, Cargill, Esprit, the Oglesby Charitable Trust and all our generous Trusts, Foundations, sponsors and individual supporters.
THE BRIDGEWATER HALL
Lower Mosley Street, Manchester, M2 3WS
Home to the Hallé’s main concert season, The Bridgewater Hall and its world-class acoustic is one of the best spaces to enjoy music.
Centrally-located in Manchester City Centre, the Hall is easy to get to by public transport or road.
Public Transport: Nearest metrolink tram stations: Deansgate-Castlefield or St Peter’s Square
Nearest railway stations: Deansgate or Oxford Road
Nearest bus stops (major routes): St Peter’s Square, Portland Street or Deansgate
By Car (sat nav postcode is M2 3WS): Nearest car parks: Q-Park First Street, NCP Manchester Central, NCP Great Northern, NCP Oxford Street
There is a wheelchair drop off point on Lower Mosley Street outside the Hall.
For the latest information on visiting The Bridgewater Hall, including travel, food and drink, security and access information, please visit bridgewater-hall.co.uk/your-visit
HALLÉ ST PETER’S
Blossom Street, Manchester, M4 6BF
In the heart of Ancoats, you will find Hallé St Peter’s and the Oglesby Centre – the Hallé’s home for rehearsals, recordings, choirs and Youth Orchestra, as well as community and education activities. It is also a stunning space for performances and events, including our Chamber concerts and archive talks.
Visit halle.co.uk/venues/halle-st-peters for more information on travel, facilities and access.
Event hires
The versatile spaces at Hallé St Peter’s and Hallé at St Michael’s can be hired for a range of events, providing a unique space and a stunning backdrop for weddings, conferences, meetings, receptions and much more. For more information, contact the Hallé Venues team at venues@halle.co.uk.
Visit Cotton at Hallé St Peter’s for great coffee, delicious homemade food and cakes, to eat in or take away. Open seven days a week, you can book at cafecotton.net or just pop by – walk-ins are welcome!
BOOK YOUR TICKETS
halle.co.uk
0161 907 9000
Box Office,
The Bridgewater Hall, Lower Mosley Street, Manchester M2 3WS supervisors@bridgewater-hall.co.uk
The Bridgewater Hall applies a booking fee of £3.25 per ticket for online and telephone transactions. There are no fees for tickets bought in person or as part of a subscription.
Subscribe and Save
If you book multiple concerts as part of a subscription, not only will you have plenty to look forward to, but you can also save on ticket prices and not pay any booking fees!
Flexible Subscriptions: Save 15% when you book 5+ concerts, or 25% when you book 16+ concerts from The Bridgewater Hall’s classical season, including Hallé concerts.
Fixed Subscriptions: Save up to 30% on Hallé fixed subscription packages.
Contact the Box Office for more details and for help choosing the best package for you.
Concessions and Discounts
We want to make our concerts available to as many people as possible and offer a range of concessions and discounts: for students, under 30s, ‘Our Pass’ holders, claimants, disabled patrons and senior citizens.
We also offer a limited number of tickets for each concert on the day, priced at £13.25 (inc fees) subject to availability.
If you’re coming as a group of 10 or more, you could save up to 25% with our group discounts.
For more information, please visit halle.co.uk
Access
The Bridgewater Hall is committed to making all of its spaces and services inclusive.
Please let us know your access requirements so we can support your visit, including booking the most appropriate seats. For more information, please visit bridgewater-hall.co.uk or email access@bridgewater-hall.co.uk
Tickets are non-refundable, but may be exchanged for Hallé concerts within the same season, subject to The Bridgewater Hall’s terms and conditions (visit bridgewater-hall.co.uk).
All prices and tickets, including discounts and concessions, are subject to availability. Prices and fees may change and only one discount may be applied per ticket. You may be asked to show appropriate identification. For licensing reasons, everyone, including babes in arms, must have a ticket for concerts. Other than for family concerts, we recommend that younger audience members be at least of primary school age.
All information in this brochure is correct at the time of going to print, however may be subject to change. Stay up to date at halle.co.uk and via our social media channels.
VAN AND TOURING SPONSOR
MAJOR SPONSORS
It is due to the generosity of our sponsors, patrons and every loyal supporter that we are able to perform the concerts in this brochure. We send our sincerest thanks to Arts Council England, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and the City of Manchester.
