Name: The Halle – The Best of John Williams
Start: 2026-04-17T19:30:00
Location: The Bridgewater Hall

Stephen Bell

The Bridgewater Hall

The Dubliners Encore is the official stage show celebrating the greatest folk band of all time.
Produced by The Dubliners’ John Sheahan; renowned fiddle player and legendary Irish icon, this new show packs 50 years of songs, stories, and craic, into one unforgettable night.

The Dubliners Encore

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.

Siemens Hallé International Conductors Competition 2026 Final

The electrifying celebration of a timeless legend is back! The hugely acclaimed singer-songwriter and pianist Elio Pace and his incredible band are set to thrill audiences once more with the smash-hit award-winning show The Billy Joel Songbook after a sell out tour in 2024.

The Billy Joel Songbook

Get ready to experience the ultimate celebration of Cher – heading to The Bridgewater Hall in 2026!

The Shoop Shoop Show

Fisherman’s Friends return to The Bridgewater Hall celebrating 30 years on the road.

Fisherman's Friends

Joaquín Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez is an icon in Spanish music, and surely the greatest guitar concerto ever written. It’s the centrepiece of a programme that also transports us to Andalucia with works by Joaquín Turina and Manuel de Falla. And then we’re in the company of Maurice Ravel, born to a Basque mother by the Spanish border, with two of his most enchanting pieces: the Mother Goose suite and the indelible Boléro.

Galicia Symphony Orchestra

Ewan is one of the most prominent oboe soloists in the UK. In 2020 Ewan won the woodwind final of BBC Young Musician, advancing to the Grand Final, and giving an “exemplary, richly shaded account” The Guardian, of Navarro’s “Legacy” concerto with the BBC Philharmonic. Since the competition he has been performing as a soloist in recitals around the UK.

Ewan Millar oboe & Tomos Boyles piano

Tarmo Peltokoski is joined by a duo of star-studded soloists and two generations of Hallé singers for Vaughan Williams’ immense Sea Symphony, a groundbreaking work in the symphonic and choral repertoire for its use of the chorus and vocal soloists as an integral part of its texture. 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.

The Hallé – A Sea Symphony

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 incredible evening of music from one of cinema’s greats that has left a permanent mark on the big screen – with scores that truly bring the stories to life.

The Halle – The Best of John Williams

Joshua Weilerstein makes his triumphant return to the Philharmonic in this musical postcard celebrating the 250th anniversary of American Independence. Three joyous works each cast a different light on the sights and sounds of the USA, culminating in a performance of Antonín Dvořák’s love letter to America – his ‘New World’ Symphony. One of the most beloved and enduring works in the orchestral repertoire, Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 explores themes of identity, belonging, and the emotional pull of home.

BBC Philharmonic - New World Symphony

Dénes Várjon and Nicolas Altstaedt compete in Kurtág’s commanding Double Concerto, as Thomas Adès conducts. ‘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.

The Hallé – The Unanswered Question

Get ready to step back in time and relive the iconic sounds of the greatest musical era as The 80s Show takes you on a nostalgic journey, celebrating the unforgettable hits that defined a generation!