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‘Nimrod’, one of music’s most endearing tributes, lies at the heart of the ‘Enigma’ Variations, and there are many more touching portraits to unveil here. Each movement dedicated to in his own words ‘his friends pictured within’. Edward Elgar loved cryptic codes and he hid one in his most famous work – it is still to be cracked even to this day. In Swansong, Arvo Pärt creates a mesmerising anthem to the 19th century priest and scholar, Cardinal Newman. The music of Frank Martin, operatic in scope is brought to the concert platform by world renowned baritone Roderick Williams.

Not many people know that Santa has a special team of highly trained bats that guide him and his reindeers through the night sky on Christmas Eve. Can you help Pippa the new, nervous bat, pass the test in front of Santa and make it onto the Special Bat Service? Join Lucy Tuck (Pippa the Bat), the Hallé and the Hallé Youth Training Choir for a show packed with festive classics, singing, bat-flying, waltzing and even some cartwheels in this family adventure, guaranteed to get you in the Christmas spirit!

Feel immersed in the festivities amongst the warm, candlelit atmosphere of The Great Nave of the Monastery for this joyful celebratory performance of Handel’s Messiah, notably one of the most famous pieces of baroque choral music. This is a very popular event, so don’t miss your opportunity to see Handel’s infamous piece, which he composed within a whirlwind of 24 days.

Composed towards the end of the Napoleonic Wars, Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony possesses a triumphant, bordering on boisterous, sense of ‘a return to life’. Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony is filled with stirring dance rhythms and magnificent dynamic colour; the score calls for the first recorded use of fff (fortississimo: louder than fortissimo, as loud as possible). It has also been featured extensively in popular culture: for example, its second movement provides the background music to King George VI’s stirring World War II speech in The King’s Speech (2010).

The annual Carol Concert in aid of Young Lives vs Cancer returns to The Bridgewater Hall for 2024, a mix of choirs from around the Greater Manchester area – consisting mainly of medical and nursing staff who have given up their time to rehearse and perform – celebrating the start of the festive season with a host of Christmas classics, audience participation very much encouraged! Under the direction of Stuart Overington and accompanied, on the organ by George Herbert, and the Greater Manchester Police Band Fanfare Team, they will be joined for this performance by Aspull Church Primary School, Wigan and St Andrew’s Primary School, Boothstwon, the principal purpose of the evening being to raise essential funds for Young Lives vs Cancer. We hope we can count on your continued support!

‘They present the music of their chosen era with verve, showmanship and great technical skill’ – The Jazz Mann Taking you back to the golden age of jazz, The Easy Rollers are a roaring seven-piece jazz outfit performing hits from the The Jazz Age (1920-1933) and The Swing Era (1933–1947). Originally established in Manchester, and all award-winning musicians, they have been offering audiences an authentic underground speakeasy experience since 2016.

The annual Carol Concert in aid of Young Lives vs Cancer returns to The Bridgewater Hall for 2024, a mix of choirs from around the Manchester area – consisting mainly of medical and nursing staff who have given up their time to rehearse and perform – celebrating the start of the festive season with a host of Christmas classics, audience participation very much encouraged! Under the direction of Stuart Overington and accompanied, on the organ by George Herbert, and the Greater Manchester Police Band Fanfare Team, they will be joined for this performance by Pownall Green Primary School, Bramhall, and Moorlands Junior School, Sale the principal purpose of the evening being to raise essential funds for Young Lives vs Cancer. We hope we can count on your continued support!

A special evening lies ahead when the internationally renowned composer, musician and producer, Nitin Sawhney CBE, makes his Hallé debut. Having previously worked with orchestras across the world including Metropole Orkest, Britten Sinfonia and London Symphony Orchestra, Mercury Prize nominee and recipient of the Ivor Novello Lifetime Achievement award, Sawhney is inspired by music from around the Globe as he responds to themes of multiculturalism, politics and spirituality. The wealth of artists he has worked with includes Sir Paul McCartney, Anoushka Shankar, Akram Khan, Pink Floyd and Jools Holland. He has released over 20 albums and written around 70 film and TV scores including Netflix’s Mowgli and the BBC’s award-winning Human Planet series. Together with the Hallé and guest artists, with whom Sawhney regularly collaborates, this multi-talented artist will perform tracks from his forthcoming album Identity, as well as exploring the concept behind it.

Beloved Christmas romcom The Holiday is to be presented live in concert this festive season, the film’s score played live-to-film by a complete concert orchestra. The score for The Holiday was written by world renowned, highly celebrated and multiple Academy Award® and Golden Globe® winning composer Hans Zimmer and written, directed and produced by Nancy Meyers, know for films such as It’s Complicated, The Intern, Something’s Gotta Give and The Parent Trap.

Under the masterful baton of John Butt, a cast of stellar soloists and the Hallé Choir combine in this timeless musical representation of the life and death of Christ. The legend goes that during the London premiere of Handel’s Messiah in 1743, King George II stood up at the opening of the ‘Hallelujah’ chorus, thus obligating the rest of the audience to do the same. Whether he was emotionally moved, needed to stretch his legs (or, in fact, was even in attendance at all), is debated to this day, but the tradition of standing remains. Tonight’s annual performance of the work features a quartet of celebrated international soloists, flanked by the forces of the Hallé Choir.