The Bridgewater Hall’s own classical music series

The International Concert Series is The Bridgewater Hall’s own flagship classical music series, now in its 30th year, bringing the best international orchestras, celebrated recitalists and some of the world’s most renowned choirs to Manchester.

The Series 26-27

As ever, the International Concert Series brings together world-class performers, landmark repertoire and distinctive projects, and the 2026-27 season is no exception. It opens with a profound and beautifully shaped choral programme from The Sixteen and conductor Harry Christophers (Tuesday 29 September 2026), tracing nine centuries of music inspired by poetry, faith and reflection. From Hildegard of Bingen and John Taverner to Arvo Pärt, Will Todd and a new commission by Anna Clyne, this Angel of Peace programme sets a contemplative and ambitious tone for the season.

Great orchestras from across Europe follow. The NDR Philhamornie Hannover under Stanislav Kochanovsky (Monday 12 October 2026) pair Beethoven and Brahms with pianist Ingrid Fliter, while the Stuttgart Philharmonic (Friday 20 November 2026) welcome the exceptional Jeneba Kanneh-Mason for Mozart and Brahms.

For the first time, Manchester’s own BBC Philharmonic Orchestra joins the International Concert Series, recognising that great classical music can be found on our own doorstep as well as across the globe. The orchestra appears twice during the season, beginning on Friday 4 December 2026 when conductor Simone Young leads Richard Strauss’s monumental An Alpine Symphony. Requiring well over 100 musicians on stage, additional off-stage players and an extraordinary array of orchestral forces, the work remains one of the most ambitious and spectacular achievements in the symphonic repertoire. Pianist Cédric Tiberghien joins the orchestra for two contrasting works by Robert Schumann.

Beethoven sits at the heart of the season. A February matinee with the London Philharmonic Orchestra (Saturday 20 February 2027) brings the Emperor Concerto with Benjamin Grosvenor, alongside Shostakovich’s gripping Tenth Symphony. This is followed by the Sinfonia of London and John Wilson (Sunday 28 February 2027), featuring Walton’s Viola Concerto with Edgar Francis and Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances. The Ukrainian National Philharmonic Orchestra (Monday 1 March 2027) bring a richly varied programme under Theodore Kuchar, culminating in Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony and including contemporary Ukrainian music.

The BBC Philharmonic returns on Saturday 13 March 2027 for Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, one of the most influential works ever written. Conductor Anja Bihlmaier is joined by an international quartet of soloists and the CBSO Chorus for Beethoven’s visionary celebration of joy, peace and human unity. The programme also features music by Pauline Oliveros, Roderick Williams and John Adams, creating a fascinating dialogue between Beethoven’s revolutionary masterpiece and contemporary reflections on community, listening and shared musical experience.

Opera and recital also play a central role. Opera North present Wagner’s Tristan & Isolde (Sunday 9 May 2027), while one of today’s great pianists, Angela Hewitt, offers an all-Beethoven recital (Thursday 20 May 2027) in tribute to the composer’s 200-year anniversary celebrations. The international scope continues with the Osaka Philharmonic (Sunday 6 June 2027), conducted by Tadaaki Otaka and featuring violinist Viktoria Mullova in Prokofiev.

The season concludes with something more intimate but no less imaginative. Trumpeter Matilda Lloyd joins the Goldmund Quartet (Saturday 24 July 2027) for Salon Reimagined, a vivid evocation of the 19th-century salon, weaving together Bach, Haydn, Schubert and Gershwin with music by Marianna Martines and Pauline Viardot.

Together, these concerts form a series that is expansive in scale, international in outlook and rich in ideas, offering audiences both trusted masterpieces and fresh perspectives across the 2026-27 season.