Read our latest highlights from the live classical music offer in Manchester and the North, taking in a number of the region’s most cherished ensembles and venues.
Want more music? Head to our general Music guide for our latest scoop on the North’s best gigs and festivals.
Composer Simon Knighton curates an eclectic evening of sonic invention and boundary breaking new music in Sound Sculptures.
Jazz lovers rejoice – manchester jazz festival is back with a bumper edition in 2025, as the festival celebrates its 30th anniversary.
The 27th instalment of The Bridgewater Hall’s flagship classical music series is here. True to form, there are some incredible concerts to look forward to, featuring some of the leading ensembles and musicians of our time.
Leeds International Concert Season is on a mission to push boundaries, expand horizons, and ask the question: ‘What haven’t we heard?’ as it presents its city-spanning Sound Out Leeds series.
Home to the Hallé and the BBC Philharmonic orchestras, the Bridgewater Hall attracts some of the biggest names in classical music. Purpose-built to the tune of £42m, the hall was designed around its acoustic needs; it floats on 280 earthquake-proof isolations springs that mute all external noise, perfect for shielding around 250 performances a year from the trams outside.
The Royal Northern College of Music is both a music venue and an academic institution training up some of the country’s finest music students.
Still Manchester’s newest kid on the concert hall block, The Stoller Hall opened its doors in April 2017 to further enhance the city’s already enviable live music provision.
The 1930s Art Deco Philharmonic Hall, home to the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, gives no hint of the sensuous curves of the auditorium inside from its hard exterior.
Hallé St Peter’s is a deconsecrated Grade-II listed church, once a theatre prop store, then a knitting factory, before being restored and becoming home to the Hallé orchestra.
Manchester’s Albert Hall is an astounding Wesleyan Chapel turned live music venue, regularly hosting classical concerts.
Manchester Cathedral dates back to at least the 1400s and has been rebuilt many times. In current, striking form, it’s still a place of worship, but also host to regular gigs and events.
Manchester Punk Festival returns for its 10th year, hosting over 140 bands across multiple venues around Oxford Road.
from £110
Slow Knife perform a brand new live score for Dario Argento’s iconic giallo as part of Leeds Jazz Festival.
from £11.50
One of the country’s foremost festivals showcasing new and emerging talent, Sounds From The Other City is back over Early May Bank Holiday.
from £30
manchester jazz festival is back this May with 10 days of live music from some of the best northern, national and international musicians operating in the world of contemporary jazz.
0-£30
Through a treasure trove of concerts, the RNCM’s initiative Dance:Music explores the symbiotic relationship between music and dance.
from £0.00
Salford’s Sacred Trinity Church becomes a gothic dreamland as Penelope Trappes brings A Requiem to the fitting Chapel Street venue.
from £14
Playable art installations, Shakespearean adaptations, contemporary cabaret, hip hop and live photography, Factory International bring another electrifying Spring Season.
Accomplished silent film pianist Jonny Best provides live improvised music to accompany Alfred Hitchcock’s classic thriller.
from £14.00
Leeds International Concert Season is on a mission to push boundaries, expand horizons, and ask the question: ‘What haven’t we heard?’ as it presents its city-spanning Sound Out Leeds series.
from £10.00
The Bridgewater Hall’s flagship concert series brings the best international orchestras, celebrated recitalists and world-renowned choirs to Manchester.
from £8
Get priority booking on the best seats, special discounts, invitations to exclusive events and much more. Are you in?
from £45.00
Join the electrifying musical ‘That Night in Manchester’. Immerse yourself in the vibrant Manchester indie scene. Step into the Madchester time machine as you hear a father recount the highs and lows of his life to his only son during the Madchester era spanning his life through the 70’s 80’s & 90’s as you experience the music performed live on stage.
Manchester's best secret, hidden and hard to find bars - here's our guide.
Take me there
From the team behind the Kazimier, the Invisible Wind Factory is Liverpool’s most eclectic live music venue and nightclub.
District Liverpool is a multi-purpose venue in the Baltic Quarter, hosting gigs, club nights, films, cabaret, festivals and much more.
One of Salford’s finest churches and also, unusually, a live music venue
One of Manchester’s most important cultural buildings, The Bridgewater Hall attracts the biggest names in classical music.
Latest addition to The ACC Liverpool Group’s family of world class venues alongside interconnected sister venues BT Convention Centre and the M&S Bank Arena.
Welsh for ‘everyone’s house’, Tŷ Pawb in Wrexham is a brand new cultural community hub, featuring two galleries, performance areas, a gallery shop, market stalls and a food court.
Nightclub identifying as an ‘IndieDiscoElectroHomoMadHiphopBritPopFunkyKindaShagtasticQueerThing’, Bar Pop on Manchester’s vibrant Canal Street is known for its friendly atmosphere.
Small Seeds is a live music venue in Huddersfield.
Dynamic dance, party-performance, high-energy stand-up and a site-specific show set in a pub. All this and more in our newest theatre guide.
Crocodile-themed Easter egg hunts, sense-sational museum trips and more this Easter!
Boozy tours, art workshops and a 'hobby house' that champions all things DIY, get the creative cogs whirring with our latest batch of tours and activities.
From precarious ceramics to photography festivals, spring is here and brings with it a breath of fresh air in visual art and exhibitions.
If it's inspiring, inclusive events and avant-garde, experimental afternoons you're after, look no further than live literature this spring – we've got you covered.
Make the most of the springtime sun with some of the North's best bars and restaurants.
The outsiders, the oddities and the outrageous – we’re keeping it weird with a hot new batch of underground gigs about to hit Manchester, Leeds, and Liverpool.
