Lighthouse Poole's Centre for the Arts is the epicenter of cultural excitement this winter, offering a diverse array of events that promise to captivate audiences of all ages. From the beloved tale of 'Paddington in Peru' to the enthralling music of 'BSO: Nutcracker Magic' and the riveting detective fiction of 'Rebus: A Game Called Malice,' there's something for everyone. The rich tapestry of events extends to musical tributes by Martin McAloon and The Overtones, along with captivating performances such as 'FitkinWall: Harpland' and dramatic narratives like 'Gladiator II' and 'Silver Screen: Lee.' Join us for these unforgettable experiences.

A Cultural Odyssey at Lighthouse Poole: From Paddington to Tchaikovsky

Hailing from South Wales this energetic 5 piece are made up of Shane Callaghan (lead vocals/guitar), Callum Bromage (guitar/ vocals), Jay Evans on (bass/vocals), Will Scott (drums) and Sam Curtis (keyboards). As a live band they ensure that you will see one of the best shows around. Their hooky, instantly relatable music has been featured as a Planet Rock Track of The Week, on ITV, BBC Radio 2 Johnnie Walker Show and Sky Sports to name a few. The stunning debut album was recorded at the highly renowned Real World Studios and produced by Grammy Award winning Oli Jacobs, (Peter Gabriel, The 1975).

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Live and Unheard: Legends 2025

Lighthouse, Poole's Centre for the Arts

Music includes all of Strauss’ greats such as the Fledermaus Overture, Thunder and Lightning Polka, The Emperor Waltz, Radetzky March and, of course, The Blue Danube!

BSO: New Year’s Day Viennese Gala

Experience the warmth and joy of Christmas with a concert devoted to the best traditional carols ever written. Join in the singing with the Bournemouth Symphony Chorus and Youth Chorus. Favourites include O Come All Ye Faithful, Good King Wenceslas, O Little Town of Bethlehem, The First Nowell, God Rest You Merry Gentlemen and Hark the Herald Angels Sing. With a selection of Christmas music the evening is the perfect way to start the Christmas holiday in the company of family and friends, with a good-old sing-along.

BSO: Celebration of Christmas Carols

Carols by Candlelight has become a firm tradition of Armonico Consort’s festive programme over the past 22 years and is the most highly anticipated concert of the year. The Armonico Consort singers sublime choral arrangements of traditional favourites and newly discovered works will really get us in the Christmas spirit.

Carols By Candlelight

Christmas just isn’t Christmas without the BSO’s Last Night of the Christmas Proms concert! This year we are thrilled to welcome the talents of pianist and singer extraordinaire, Joe Stilgoe, who will be showcasing his musical talents with a hamper full of Christmas musical goodies alongside all your favourite orchestral treats.

BSO: Last Night of the Christmas Proms

Julia Trevelyan Oman’s period designs bring festive charm to Peter Wright’s beloved Royal Ballet production, as fairy tale magic comes together with spectacular dancing in this unforgettable classic ballet.

The Royal Ballet: The Nutcracker – Cert TBC

After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana journeys to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she has ever faced.

Moana 2 – Cert PG

The Ballroom King and Strictly Come Dancing judge joins forces with his dynamic live band, the incomparable vocalist Lance Ellington, and a troupe of extraordinary dancers, to bring you a magical evening of music, dance and laughter.

Christmas with Anton Du Beke

Dementia Friendly Screening: It’s a Wonderful Life – Cert U

M R James’s wrote many of his best tales to read aloud to friends by candlelight in Kings College, Cambridge in the early 20th century; since early in the 21st, Robert Lloyd Parry of Nunkie Theatre Company has been keeping the flame lit.

Gravest Fears: Two Ghost Stories by MR James

Imagine having a few drinks and staggering arm in arm into the darkness of an eastern European cobbled street, and stumbling into a bar where Django Reinhardt and Tom Waits are having an after-hours jam with the local Tziganes.

Moscow Drug Club

Baden Powell Christmas Concert

BPSP welcomes you join us in celebrating the magic of Christmas. From choirs and instrumental ensembles to spectacular dances, there will be something for everybody!

In Winter is an abstract new work that captures the warmth and nostalgia of the festive season, the chill and darkness of the winter months, and the reflective ritualism’s of the turn of the year; the end and beginning of the circle of life. You will hear what a Tyneside band playing a German Christmas song in the style of The Beach Boys sounds like! A Spanish carol performed by English folkies through the filter of Tom Waits. A newly written tribute to the NHS. An abstract take on A Ceremony of Carols by Benjamin Britten. Traditional wassails and old stories coloured with folk noir and traces of Vincent Guaraldi’s Merry Christmas Charlie Brown. In typical magpie style, The Unthanks collect and reimagine, at once unique and familiar, inspired but natural and effortless. In Winter features a new sound palette for The Unthanks, incorporating vibraphone, clarinet and saxophone into the core band that features vocal harmony, piano, violin, double bass, guitars and percussion.

The Unthanks In Winter

In a change from his usual solo Christmas concerts, Rick will be joined by two very special guests: his son and fellow keyboard player Adam Wakeman and Mollie Marriott, daughter of the late Steve Marriott, both of whom performed so brilliantly with Rick on his Return Of The Caped Crusader… tour in February.

The Rick Wakeman Yuletide Christmas Show

Cherished by children and adults alike, The Snowman is the soundtrack to everyone’s Christmas. We’re walking in the air…join the Snowman and James on their magical journey through the winter sky in this special showing of the festive classic on the large screen, accompanied by the BSO. Guaranteed to send tingles down your spine as you relive this enchanted animated film together with a live orchestral performance of Howard Blake’s iconic score. The extended second half of the evening celebrates the coming of the holiday season, the Orchestra is joined by BSO Voices for a selection of Christmas classics, including Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer, The 12 Days of Christmas and Jingle Bells, as well as an exciting selection of Disney songs from Beauty and the Beast and Frozen.

BSO: The Snowman with BSO Voices

Cherished by children and adults alike, The Snowman is the soundtrack to everyone’s Christmas. We’re walking in the air…join the Snowman and James on their magical journey through the winter sky in this special showing of the festive classic on the large screen, accompanied by the BSO. Guaranteed to send tingles down your spine as you relive this enchanted animated film together with a live orchestral performance of Howard Blake’s iconic score. And as a special bonus to herald the coming of the holiday season, the Orchestra is joined by BSO Voices for a selection of Christmas classics, including Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer, The 12 Days of Christmas and Jingle Bells, as well as an exciting selection of Disney songs from Beauty and the Beast and Frozen.

BSO: The Snowman

This enchanting ballet by The Royal Ballet’s Founding Choreographer Frederick Ashton is a theatrical experience for all the family.

The Royal Ballet: Cinderella (ENCORE) – Cert TBC

When Cardinal Lawrence is tasked with leading one of the world’s most secretive and ancient events, selecting a new Pope, he finds himself at the centre of a conspiracy that could shake the very foundation of the Catholic Church.

Conclave (Cert 12A)

Catch a diverse line-up of snow sports legends, Olympic hopefuls, world champions, X Games stars, and emerging talents on the big screen this fall, including snowboarders Shaun White, Jeremy Jones, Danny Davis, and Toby Miller, plus skiers Max Hitzig, Lexi duPont, Caite Zeliff, Mark Abma, and Aaron Blunck.

Warren Miller’s 75 – Cert TBC

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.

The Holiday: Film with Live Orchestra

After Santa Claus (code name: Red One) is kidnapped, the North Pole’s Head of Security (Dwayne Johnson) must team up with the world’s most infamous bounty hunter (Chris Evans) in a globe-trotting, action-packed mission to save Christmas.

Red One – Cert 12A

For the Machine Sewn class you will need to know how to use your sewing machine. We will have a couple available on the day, but we hope you will bring your own.

Sew Christmas – Machine Sewn Workshop

He is joined by the instantly familiar EastEnders/Grange Hill star, Todd Carty, who will play King Tucker, with Sarah-Louise Young as bad fairy Carabosse – and we welcome the return of Poole’s very own Josh Haberfield as Harry, who was a big hit in last year’s production of Aladdin. West End players Isabella Kibble and Melaina Pecorini feature as Princess Rose and Fairy Sunbeam, with Tom Mann – last seen at Lighthouse as Cupid in Beauty and the Beast – as the dashing Prince Ken.

Sleeping Beauty

Lighthouse, Poole's Centre for the Arts 

Join pupils from primary and secondary schools across Poole as they come together in a concert to celebrate Christmas.  The large combined choir and orchestra will perform a variety of Christmas music, including well known carols for audience participation.

Poole Schools Christmas Concert 2024

Vigorous, searching and ever-curious, Caoilfhionn has found a voice at once ancient and modern, intrepidly exploring contemporary technology to transform traditional songcraft for the mid-2020’s. Caoilfhionn’s music is rooted in a knowledge of folk, jazz and all the twentieth century’s classic tunesmiths, and seems to create a magical, otherworldly space of her own imagining, blending Caoilfhionn’s core piano with synths, and pitting a live rhythm section and saxophone embellishments against ambient samples and future-facing production techniques.

Caoilfhionn Rose

We are back with Handel’s ever-popular oratorio. Since 1742, The Messiah has secured itself in the Christmas calendar. Retelling the story of Christ it is heaped full of beautiful arias including He was Despised and Rejected and I Know that My Redeemer Liveth and rousing choruses like For Unto Us a Child is Born and the ever-popular Hallelujah Chorus.

BSO: Messiah

The Royal Ballet: Cinderella – Cert TBC

With performances by the Wessex Youth Symphony Orchestra, Youth Music Wessex Ensembles and guests, this event is guaranteed to leave you feeling thoroughly Christmassy!

The Wessex Youth Symphony Orchestra

With a top team of actor musicians, songs, dancing, and inventive design, all thrown in with a bit of sparkle and magic for good measure!

The Glass Slippers

Get ready to be transported to the wondrous world of enchanting glamour that is André’s winter wonderland! Under the sparkle of 150 chandeliers and 50 Venetian candelabras, feel your heart warm with the magical melody of all your favourite Christmas classics.

Andre Rieu’s 2024 Christmas Concert: Gold and Silver

Wicked, the untold story of the witches of Oz, stars Emmy, Grammy and Tony winning powerhouse Cynthia Erivo (Harriet, Broadway’s The Color Purple) as Elphaba, a young woman, misunderstood because of her unusual green skin, who has yet to discover her true power, and Grammy-winning, multi-platinum recording artist and global superstar Ariana Grande as Glinda, a popular young woman, gilded by privilege and ambition, who has yet to discover her true heart.

Wicked – Cert PG

This Christmas feel-good show brings all the magic of the season to life, with all your favourite songs you will know and love including – All I Want for Christmas Is You, Last Christmas, Jingle Bell Rock, Stay Another Day, Let it Snow, White Christmas, Do They Know it’s Christmas, A Winter’s Tale and Merry Xmas Everybody.

Step Into Christmas

Welcome to an all-singing, all-dancing, and storytelling cinema experience bound to delight people of all ages. It makes a perfect family outing and a great way to introduce the little ones to the panto.

Cbeebies Panto: Beauty and the Beast – Cert U

Tessa is a young, brilliant barrister. She has worked her way up from working class origins to be at the top of her game; defending; cross examining and winning. An unexpected event forces her to confront the lines where the patriarchal power of the law, burden of proof and morals diverge.

Prima Facie – Cert 15

Daytura are a 5 piece enigmatic Classic rock & Blues Band, reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac, Led Zeppelin and Neil Young’s golden era of rock. They have burst onto the scene over the past year releasing multiple singles, gaining national radio exposure (BBC and others), performing a festival tour with Main Stage and Headline appearances over the summer (Teddy Rocks, Ragcity, Purify, HomeFarm Fest, NFFF24, VDUB, The Anvil, Bear Cave, The Troubadour, The Railway, APP FEST), and they are now ramping up towards a forthcoming EP and tour for 2025!

Live and Unheard – December

Brought to you by the award-winning producers behind the hugely successful Whitney – Queen Of The Night, What’s Love Got To Do With It? pays homage to one of the most iconic and much-loved musical artists of the 20th Century.

What’s Love Got To Do With It?

Catherine Hooper is a Kiwi-British soprano, known for her expressive musicality and wide-ranging repertoire. A graduate of the Royal College of Music in London, Catherine has appeared as a Young Artist with Opera Prelude and SongEasel, and as an Associate Artist with OperaUpClose. With OperaUpClose, she covered Senta in The Flying Dutchman and toured as Woman in We Two Were Lovers, a work for soprano and harp.

Lunchtime Recital: Catherine Hooper (soprano), Jack Campbell (piano)

He’ll be revisiting the repertoire written by his brother Paddy, that stretches back through the classic Prefab Sprout albums: Swoon, Steve McQueen, Protest Songs, Langley Park to Memphis, Jordan: The Comeback, Let’s Change the World With Music, Andromeda Heights, The Gunman and Other Stories, I Trawl The Megahertz and Crimson / Red.

Martin McAloon of Prefab Sprout

Rachmaninov’s Third Piano Concerto begins with a brief murmuring from the orchestra and the simplest of introductions of the main theme from the piano. A mood of dark, impassioned lyricism prevails throughout which builds with urgent expressiveness before reaching an almost delirious close. With its massive chords, cascading and leaping octaves, high-speed runs and wide-spaced, busily embellished textures, it demands a pianist with strength, dexterity, control, and stamina – and big hands! Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker has charmed audiences over the years with its range of gorgeous music and romantic imagery. There is a wonderfully vivid, pictorial quality to his colourful music. From the elegant Waltz of the Flowers to the witty Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Dance of the Reed Flutes, the score is a feast of wonderful melodies. The music tinkles in the memory like a lost music box – enchanting for young and old alike.

BSO: Nutcracker Magic

Over the last fourteen years, The Overtones have released seven studio albums, enjoyed many sold out tours, appeared on major TV shows and headlined in world renowned venues including the London Palladium, the Royal Albert Hall and have also performed The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee at Buckingham Palace.

The Overtones Good Times Tour 2024

Ruth Wall’s explorations into Gaelic song, fiddle and pipe tunes and history of the Scottish Highlands where she grew up, are at the heart of the music. Composer Graham Fitkin has created enigmatic and mesmerising new versions of these tunes for Ruth’s three harps – the sitar-like Renaissance bray harp, the beautiful medieval Gaelic wire harp (clàrsach) and the Scottish lever harp.

FitkinWall: Harpland

The story of photographer Elizabeth ‘Lee’ Miller, a fashion model who became an acclaimed war correspondent for Vogue magazine during World War II.

Silver Screen: Lee – Cert 15

After his home is conquered by the tyrannical emperors who now lead Rome, Lucius is forced to enter the Colosseum and must look to his past to find strength to return the glory of Rome to its people.

Gladiator II – Cert 15

Having grown up in Handsworth and first played the Tenor at Andy Hamilton’s Ladywood Community Music School, he’s now among a long legacy of Birmingham Saxophonists including Soweto Kinch and Shabaka Hutchings.

Xhosa Cole Trio

Under the guidance of Tina Treadwell (daughter of the group’s original founders, George & Faye Treadwell) The Drifters have enjoyed a remarkable resurgence in recent years with multiple successful UK tours including headline shows in major arenas and, most notably, the world famous Royal Albert Hall in London for the first ever time in the group’s glittering career.  “I am thrilled with the success of our recent UK tours and we invite you all to join us in continuing to celebrate this incredible and everlasting story of The Drifters.” Said Tina, speaking about the tour.    

The Drifters

Si Newell is an architect who is passionate about the way design can surprise and delight and provide new solutions to an ever-changing world. Lifelines charts Si’s life and travels through architectural drawings stemming from a childhood fascination with far away locations following his first visit to an airport for a family holiday.

Fine Art Exhibition: Lifelines. An Architectural Journey Through Drawings

Hart is recognized as one of her generation’s most talented voices. She has sold out tours worldwide, including performances at historic venues such as Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, London’s Royal Albert Hall, and the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam. She’s topped the Billboard charts six times, gone double platinum and had a string of Top 10 charting albums across Europe.

Beth Hart

Formed in 2023, Revenant bring a huge rock sound with a southern spin. Their debut E.P ‘What A Time To Be Alive’ received critical acclaim in 2024 and they are making huge waves on the live circuit. Labelled as ‘ones not to be missed’ with ‘One of the best guitar releases of 2024’ Revenant might just become your favourite new band. We have them in town for one night only so catch them while you can!

Live and Unheard – November

A poor but hopeful boy seeks one of the five coveted golden tickets that will send him on a tour of Willy Wonka’s mysterious chocolate factory.

Dementia Friendly Screening: Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory – Cert U

In 1985 devoted father Bill Furlong discovers disturbing secrets kept by the local convent and uncovers shocking truths of his own.

Small Things Like These – Cert 12A

Sir Ian Rankin is the multimillion-copy award-winning bestseller of over thirty novels worldwide and creator of John Rebus. His books have been translated into thirty-six languages and have been adapted for radio, the stage and the screen. His Rebus novels have dominated the detective fiction market, with the recent BBC television series ensuring the detective’s legendary status.

Rebus: A Game Called Malice

Paddington in Peru brings Paddington’s story back to Peru, as he, and the Browns, visit his beloved Aunt Lucy. A thrilling adventure ensues when a mystery plunges them into an unexpected journey through the Amazon and beyond.

Paddington in Peru – Cert PG

Internationally acclaimed CALAN emerge with a new, captivating narrative; ancient tales of Welsh mythology are meticulously brought to life, transcending the pages of folklore to resonate through the enchanting melodies of harp, guitar, fiddle, accordion, and song. ‘Nefydd’ tells stories of murderous princes, thieving highwaymen and the triumphant resurgence of the heart of Welsh folklore.

Calan: A Mythical Musical Odyssey

In World War II London, nine year old Georgia is evacuated to the countryside by his mother, Rita, to escape the bombings. Defiant and determined to return to his family, George embarks on a journey back home as Rita searches for him.

Blitz – Cert 12A

There is perhaps no more beloved violin concerto than Mendelssohn’s masterpiece. Journeying from darkness to light, it begins restless, mysterious and questioning, and ends in a blaze of colour, full of joy and exhilaration. The sheer quality of the music and lightness of touch, bursting with unbridled vitality that leaves audiences clamouring for more, makes it a favourite amongst performers and listeners alike. Brahms’ First Symphony, although inspired by those of his hero Beethoven, broke new ground for symphonic form. It is a symbolic journey from darkness to light, the themes developed from a handful of motivic nuggets, all smelted together into a shining edifice, with nothing wasted. A turbulent mood is established at the outset, by turns dark and meltingly warm, often infused with a rueful quality expressing a strain of sadness in his personality never lightened by artistic success. Schumann’s majestic and vivacious Overture, Scherzo & Finale is a joyous work. It opens in dramatic fashion, dark and challenging, until a lively major melody appears, lightening the mood.

BSO: Mad Over Mendelssohn

Point Break stars Keanu Reeves as FBI agent Johnny Utah, who goes undercover with a gang of surfers, led by Patrick Swayze’s Bodhi, who are suspects in a series of bank robberies.

Point Break (4k Re-release) – Cert 15

Dana has selective mutism, but that doesn’t stem her vivid imagination. Because it’s not just the noise you make that makes you who you are.

Shout

Packed with dazzling sets, colourful characters, astounding choreography, original music, and heaps of audience participation, this brand-new adaptation sees the adventurous Little Mermaid embark on an unforgettable adventure as the wonders of the sea burst onto the stage in a magical experience that will have audiences of all ages enchanted and enthralled from start to FIN-ish.

The Little Mermaid

In this fun sci-fi adventure, children aged 3 to 7 and their adventurous grown-ups will be transported into space, encountering alien creatures, embarking on daring missions, and facing challenges that will put their bravery to the test.

Groove Onto The Moon

They’ll be performing a mixture of Boyzone and Westlife’s classic tracks on the14-date tour, which will run from January through until March and will head to Birmingham, London, Glasgow, York, Sheffield and more.

BOYZLIFE Featuring Keith Duffy & Brian McFadden

Despite some initial criticism that it was unplayable, Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto lost little time in establishing itself as a concert favourite. One of the more demanding works for the violin virtuoso, it is more remarkable still for its unwavering melodic inspiration and passionate expression of human feeling. Tchaikovsky speaks to us from the heart, using the voice of the solo violin as his medium. Scheherazade is a landmark in the history of descriptive music which never fails to make an impression and to give delight. Consisting of “separate, unconnected episodes and pictures” from The Arabian Nights, the suite is bound together by a recurring motif, a bewitching melody sung by the solo violin: the voice of Scheherazade herself. Vaughan Williams’ tribute to Tallis calls for a large string orchestra divided into three parts. The theme is heard in its complete form three times, then serves as the source for a wonderful miasma of variants and developments. Although it is not specifically religious music, it seems to speak to the spirit.

BSO: Tales of Passion

A collective of 12 classically trained artists brought together by their love of rock music and immense talent, the lsro formed in 2018 and have been wowing audiences ever since. lsro have collaborated and performed with many artists including the trevor horn band and queen machine and have played more than 200 shows to over 400,000 fans!

London Symphonic Rock Orchestra

Red Riding Hood is tasked with delivering bread to her Grandmother, deep in the heart of the fairy-tale forest. But en route, Red meets a cunning Wolf who tricks her into taking a different path. Along the way, Red stumbles into a colourful cast of characters, including a scary witch, a talking cat and a rather persuasive Peddler.

Screen on Stage: Royal Opera House – Wolf Witch Giant Fairy (Cert TBC)

A graduate of Birmingham and Trinity Laban Conservatoires, Daniel is the ‘go-to’ bassist for A-list jazz stars including Nubya Garcia, Binker Golding, Camilla George and many others. Jazz FM’s 2021 ‘Instrumentalist of the Year’, Daniel’s ‘Boxed In’ then picked up the best Parliamentary Jazz Album gong in 2022, whilst new album, Balance, has also been creating major waves. In the interim, Dan has been headlining Ronnie Scott’s with his Big Band, which reads like a who’s who of the new London jazz scene, including Nubya, Cassie Kinoshi and many others.

Daniel Casimir

A triple Grand Slam winner, World Cup finalist and England’s longest-serving captain will talk leadership, skill and camaraderie. Unafraid to speak his mind, Carling famously described the Rugby Football Union executives as “57 old farts”. So what was it like leading his country from the age of 22 for an astonishing 59 games? How did he prepare his team for facing Jonah Lomu? Was Jerry Guscott the greatest centre he played with or against? Did it mean more to him playing for England or the British and Irish Lions? How did the amateur years compare to the professional era?

An Evening with Will Carling

The festive charms of The Nutcracker will captivate audiences of all ages. When Clara is gifted a Nutcracker doll who magically comes to life, an enchanting adventure unfolds; a dramatic battle with the Mouse King ensues, and dancing snowflakes fill the stage.

The Nutcracker

Forest Holme Hospice Charity presents Strictly Extravaganza 2025! Join their gala dinner and evening of entertainment raising money for a good cause. Who will claim the 2025 title and win the glitter ball trophy?

Strictly Extravaganza 2025

Our main speaker will be the daughter of Holocaust survivor, Yehuda Bacon. He was born in Czechoslovakia and in 1942 his family were deported to Terezin. In 1943 he was deported to Auschwitz. He was eventually liberated from Gunskirchen. As soon as he was released, he drew small sketches of the gas chambers and crematoria which were used as testimony in Eichmann’s trial in 1961.

Holocaust Memorial Day 2025

Join Bournemouth Symphony Chorus in a singing workshop followed by an informal run through of songs from some of the greatest Broadway shows including Guys and Dolls, Jesus Christ Superstar and Rodgers and Hammerstein.

Big Sing 2025: Broadway Melodies

Journeying back to his school days, Hoffmann relives his childhood romance with Olympia, a model student in every sense. Doomed love follows him into adulthood, where the dancer, Antonia, is taken from him too soon. Meanwhile, the sensual courtesan Giulietta has her own secret agenda. As memory and fantasy becomes increasingly blurred, will Hoffmann find the enigmatic Stella before it is too late?

The Royal Opera: The Tales of Hoffman (ENCORE) – Cert TBC

Stravinsky’s great ballet has gone through a fascinating series of metamorphoses since first conceived as a concert piece, inspired by the immensely popular puppet plays of 19th century Russia. The score is one of his most brilliant achievements, bursting with the energy and inventiveness of youth. From the opening bar it positively dazzles with its colour and energy, often so gestural that even in a concert performance, the images of the dancers are vividly conjured up. The Chamber Symphony Op.110a is in fact a transcription for string orchestra by erstwhile BSO Principal Conductor, Rudolf Barshai, of the String Quartet No.8. Whilst visiting a still decimated Dresden in 1960, Shostakovich wrote it in just three days dedicating it to “victims of fascism and war”. It is a gripping portrayal of the brutality of conflict – jagged, dynamic rhythms in the central sections are contrasted by elegiac outer movements that never fail to move the senses. Mozart’s first fully mature piano concerto with its technical demands and depth of expression, is alone among his early concertos.

BSO: Petrushka

The critically acclaimed Supersize Polyphony programme of choral music on a colossal scale, made Armonico Consort famous across the British Isles. Back with even more daring and adventurous staging in 20 – 40, and even 60 different voice parts, we will once again sing 360 degrees around the audience, totally immersing them in their sound.

Spem in Alium / Supersize polyphony 2

From the streets of New Jersey to the dizzying heights of the West End and Broadway, this incredible music has delighted audiences for over 5 decades, The Best of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons features all your favourite songs including Sherry, My Eyes Adored You, Big Girls Don’t Cry, Can’t Take My Eyes Off You and many more.

Peter Andre in The Best of Frankie Valli

Tony Kofi is one of the best and also most in-demand British saxophonists whose previous visits to Lighthouse have been very popular. Tony has played tribute to many of the great names of  jazz – Monk, Cannonball, Coltrane. But this band (which has been playing as a unit since 2015) will be exploring material by John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Hank Mobley, Sam Rivers, Wayne Shorter, Joe Henderson and Dexter Gordon amongst others as they pay homage to some of the giants of the tenor saxophone.

Studio Jazz: Tony Kofi Tenor Legacy

Lunchtime Recital: Isabella Gori and Viola Lenzi (piano duo)

With staging ‘full of wolfish imagination and alarming surprise’ (★★★★★ The Guardian), the immersive 5.1 cinema surround sound places the audience inside the minds of the Macbeths, asking are we ever really responsible for our actions?

MACBETH: David Tennant & Cush Jumbo – Cert 12A

After a debut hit tour in 2024, This spectacular 4 piece band is back bigger and better than ever. With beautiful vocal harmonies, and foot-stomping drums they will have you on your feet playing all of Mumford & Sons’ very best hits, including Little Lion Man, I Will Wait, The Cave, Roll Away Your Stone and many more. This is a stomp and holler not to be missed!

The Mumford & Sons Story

A one-man (and one puppet) musical journey through a zombie outbreak, combining live performance, puppetry and animation. Ridiculous, dark, sometimes gruesome, warm, funny and sad.

Do Zombies Dream of Undead Sheep?

Relive some of the greatest songs of all time from artists such as Donna Summer, Gloria Gaynor, Earth, Wind & Fire, Sister Sledge and Chic.

Lost in Music

A majestic work showcasing a whirlwind of virtuosity, but above all a sublime poetic journey where music is pure emotion. Nottingham based Senegalese composer and kora player Seckou Keita is proud to present African Rhapsodies: an epic project created in collaboration with Italian composer and musician Davide Mantovani This enchanting work for kora and orchestra celebrates Africa’s magical 22-stringed harp and gives it the position of prominence granted for centuries to the violin, piano and flute. It makes us wonder if Bach or Beethoven might have composed for kora had they traveled to Africa in their lifetime. Seckou builds on that notion by way of his own imagination, which is greatly sparked by his lengthy fascination with crossing cultural borders.

BSO: African Rhapsodies

With songs by Joe Stilgoe (Zog and Zog and The Flying Doctors), The Baddies is a wickedly hilarious adaptation of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s smash-hit story. A laugh-out-loud riot for all the family.

The Baddies

Written in the summer of 1919, the Cello Concerto represented, for Elgar, the angst, despair and disillusionment he felt after the Great War, and an introspective look at death and mortality. It signified Elgar’s farewell to the way of life as he had known it. The music is private and poignant but it still remains a richly lyrical and noble work with the solo cello in full focus with its bold statements and heart-rending themes. Taking the late Romantic ideal of transfiguration, summing up a lifetime of musical experience, and pushing the orchestral genre to its extreme, Tod und Verklärung portrays a dying man who recalls the great loves of his past. It is an emotional cauldron of sheer magnificence. It seems fitting that Beethoven composed his First Symphony at the dawn of a new century.  Despite its homages to the older generation, it is very much a forward-looking work with glimmers of the innovations to come from the great composer.

BSO: Cello Elegy

Recording their debut album, 2014’s ‘From Where We Stand’, whilst still in school, the duo have since cemented themselves as pioneers in the UK Country and Americana scene; not least for the follow-up album ‘Cartwheels’ released in 2016 going to No.1 in the UK Album Charts, the first by a UK country act to top the charts.

Ward Thomas

Aged just 10, she and her siblings left Trinidad and sailed alone to join their parents. But Floella’s excitement for her new life in England is short-lived, with her family subjected to racism and intolerance in 1960s’ London.

Coming To England

Tommy Smith and Gwilym Simcock collaborate to bring two generations of UK jazz mastery to the stage in world-class performances. Their intimate, intensely musical duets, with a repertoire drawn from many musical avenues, have delighted audiences at events across Scotland and the UK.Tommy Smith, OBE is one of the world’s leading saxophonists .A presence on the global jazz scene since his teenage years, when he toured internationally with vibes virtuoso Gary Burton’s Whiz Kids quintet, Smith has gone on to record with the definitive jazz label, Blue Note and work with myriad jazz greats, including Chick Corea, Jaco Pastorius, Dame Cleo Laine, John Scofield, Randy Brecker, Jack DeJohnette, Arild Andersen, Dizzy Gillespie and Trilok Gurtu to name but a few. Since leaving Berklee College of Music, an experience that shaped his affirmative approach to jazz, he has recorded over thirty solo albums for Blue Note, Linn, ECM and his own Spartacus Record label, toured 50+ countries and performed with many influential figures in modern twentieth-century jazz.

Studio Jazz: Tommy Smith & Gwilym Simcock Duo

For the first time all the hits, attitude and fashion are brought to the stage by this incredibly talented cast of musicians, singers and dancers that will take you on a rollercoaster ride you will never forget Featuring hits originally performed by The Sex Pistols, The Clash, Blondie, The Damned, Ramones, Buzzcocks, Sham 69, The Undertones, Tom Robinson Band, Ian Dury and The Blockheads, The Police, The Jam, Generation X, Siouxsie and The Banshees, The Pretenders, Joy Division, The Stranglers, The Rezillos, and many, many more.

Pretty Vacant

Valentine’s Day presents the perfect opportunity to take a pause and focus on someone special. Enjoy an a selection of classical music’s most romantic pieces of music ever written, from the worlds of film, opera and ballet. From scores inspired by Shakespeare’s tale of two star-crossed lovers, including Prokofiev’s powerful ballet suite and themes from the Romeo and Juliet films of Franco Zefferelli and Baz Luhrmann, to modern tearjerkers from Miss Saigon and Titanic, the evening is all set for your romantic rendezvous.

BSO: Valentine Classics

Since then, the  event has seen tremendous growth. It has established itself as an internationally recognised event, attracting an ever-increasing number of entries and seeing the very best in terms of drumming talent.  Sponsorship from various high profile companies has meant that the competition has continued to improve, both in terms of popularity and scale of production with many finalists have gone on to be the busiest drummers in the uk.

Zildjian Young Drummer of the Year 2025

Young Drummer of the Year 2025

Aided by his corvid companion Crowbert and a collection of curious contraptions, Mr West demonstrates the fundamental principles of scientific enquiry and tackles some of the trickiest questions in the history of humanity.

Crafty Fools: Adventures in Science!

Drawing inspiration from the intricate connection between juggling and magic, Heka transports audiences into a mesmerising realm where reality blurs with illusion. Heka transcends boundaries, inviting spectators on a journey where objects materialise and vanish, levitate, and transform before their eyes. Yet, beneath the surface lies a tantalising question: what is real and what is merely a trick of perception?

Heka

From international arenas to stellar performances on Britain’s and Holland’s Got Talent, starring former cast members from the smash hit show, Starlight Express, the Roller Boys have conquered it all.

The Rollerboys

Communicating with fiery passion Grieg’s Piano Concerto is imbued with a Nordic quality echoing traditional Norwegian dances and instruments. The striking, opening gesture (perhaps one of the most recognisable in all classical music based upon descending seconds and thirds) is but one sign of how Norwegian folk music was making its impact upon his emerging style. It continues with many attractive themes, a thrilling cadenza and much dazzling originality. Sibelius’ First Symphony is significant in that never before had a work of such stature emerged from Northern Europe, unveiling the previously unheard character of Nordic music, sounding both ‘old’ and ‘new’ at the same time. It is clearly a work by a skilled composer who already had a musical voice of his own, and much of the musical personality that makes the later symphonies so distinctive is already visible. Passionate yet reflective, Vasks’ music represents a symbol of hope for his Latvian homeland, conveying the message to never give up on beauty, even when the world is filled with turmoil and violence.

BSO: Northern Lights

With over a decade of experience unravelling scams and posing undercover, Nick shares essential strategies to keep your money safe. He exposes the staggering scale of the scam industry and the urgent need for self-protection, as authorities convicted only 0.1% of fraud cases in Britain last year.

Nick Stapleton

Immerse yourself in a phenomenal celebration of Bon Jovi’s timeless classics as the official band to Bon Jovi recreates the magic that defined an era with electrifying energy – transporting you back to the heyday of stadium rock.

The Bon Jovi Experience

The Bon Jovi Experience features smash-hits such as Livin’ On a Prayer,’ Always,  It’s My Life,  You Give Love a Bad Name,  Bad Medicine and many more. Our talented musicians and charismatic front man, Tony Pearce, deliver an authentic and high-energy rock ‘n’ roll extravaganza that will have you singing and dancing all night!

Hangover Hill and Lighthouse present three more highly rated acts as they have a rare opportunity to experience a larger stage in our monthly unsigned music night.

Live and Unheard February 2025

Jason Donovan, has delighted audiences worldwide with his versatility as an actor, singer and all round entertainer. He has amassed a rich catalogue of hits, and Doin’ Fine 25 is set to be a sensational culmination of his outstanding achievements to date. Doin’ Fine 25 Tour is a long awaited follow up to Doin’ Fine 90, which fans still talk about to this day! This show promises to be a musical feast of a night of unforgettable tunes, featuring a dynamic selection of Jason’s most beloved songs from stage shows such as ‘Joseph’, ‘Priscilla’, ‘Rocky Horror’ and ‘Grease’  to nods to his TV work like Neighbours and Strictly and of course his biggest pop hits like ‘Especially For You’, “Too Many Broken Hearts’ ‘Any Dream Will Do’ and ‘Sealed with a Kiss’.   Jason said: “I am so excited about this tour.  My performing career has been an incredible ride, and I can’t wait to celebrate it by performing the songs that have been such an important part of my life. It’s going to be a fantastic show, and I look forward to sharing all those special moments with my fans.”

Jason Donovan – Doin’ Fine 25

Join us for an energetic festival of music from the talented and enthusiastic young people of this year’s Salvation Army Territorial Youth Band and Choir.  Come and be inspired by the combined voices of the Choir and the sound of the Band in this concert of predominately Christian music.

Youth Makes Music

The Princesses, Snow White, Belle, Cinderella, Rapunzel and Elsa, are tired of their royal duties, so they decided to come together and make the ultimate pop girl group. Cinderella’s fairy godmother has given her a magic wand so she can give the other princesses a new look and style.

Princess Live!

At times narrative, and at others abstract, Hidden is a powerful blend of artforms. At the cutting edge of live performance and digital integration, gravity-defying choreography, a pulsing soundscape and a shape-shifting set are drawn together by digital projections into a living film. In this shadowy world, can hidden voices ultimately push through to the light?

Lighthouse Poole

Jan 14, 2025

Screen on Stage: Royal Opera House – Wolf Witch Giant Fairy (Cert TBC)

Jan 17, 2025

Daniel Casimir

Jan 21, 2025

An Evening with Will Carling

23 - 25 Jan, 2025

The Nutcracker

Jan 25, 2025

Strictly Extravaganza 2025

Jan 2, 2025

Live and Unheard: Legends 2025

Jan 1, 2025

BSO: New Year’s Day Viennese Gala

Articles & News

Lighthouse Poole