Hearing the Hallé: Classical Concerts at Bridgewater Hall, Manchester

If you have moved to Manchester from abroad and want to hear a symphony orchestra live, this guide is for you, whether you come alone, as a couple or with children. It covers who the Hallé are, what they are playing at Bridgewater Hall between now and early December 2026, how booking works, and which events suit younger listeners.

• Who the Hallé are
• The Hallé at Bridgewater Hall this autumn
• Other concerts at Bridgewater Hall
• How to book
• Bringing children
• FAQ

Who the Hallé are

The Hallé is Manchester’s own orchestra, and it has been here a long time. The orchestra’s About Us page says Sir Charles Hallé founded it because he believed music should be for everyone, and its first concert took place on 30 January 1858. It started out in the Free Trade Hall and is now resident at Bridgewater Hall, a venue built specially for it.

A few details are worth knowing if you are new to the city. Kahchun Wong is Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor. Sir Mark Elder became Conductor Emeritus at the end of the 2024/25 season after almost 25 years as Music Director. The orchestra has over 80 musicians, and its players have come from 14 countries, so if you arrived from elsewhere you are in good company on both sides of the stage. There are also 500 singers across five choirs. One of them is the Hallé Choir, an adult symphony chorus of over 200 singers from across the North West.

Bridgewater Hall is not the orchestra’s only base. It also has two homes in Ancoats. Hallé St Peter’s is where it rehearses, records and performs, and Hallé at St Michael’s is used for community events and other activities.

The Hallé at Bridgewater Hall this autumn

The 2026/27 season mixes new music with the big classics. Here is what the Hallé’s What’s On page lists at Bridgewater Hall over the coming weeks:

• Thursday 29 October and Sunday 1 November: Chopin’s Piano Concerto No.1 and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No.5. This is a safe first concert if you are new to orchestral music.
• Thursday 5 November: Rush Hour: Scheherazade. You get Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade and the world premiere of Steve Reich’s Proverb, orchestrated by Anna Clyne. Afterwards, students from Chetham’s School of Music play in the foyer, so there is no need to rush off.
• Saturday 14 November: Sir James MacMillan’s Christmas Oratorio, with a pre-concert talk at 6.30pm.
• Thursday 19 November: Stravinsky’s The Firebird suite, two pieces by Thomas Adès, and the world premiere of Gabriella Smith’s Violin Concerto, How To Be A Bird, which the Hallé co-commissioned. At 6.30pm there is a talk in the main hall with Hallé Chief Executive David Butcher and Thomas Adès.
• Saturday 21 November: Elvis: Viva Las Vegas, a lighter evening of songs from Heartbreak Hotel to Suspicious Minds.
• Thursday 26 and Sunday 29 November: Elgar’s Symphony No.1, Berg’s Violin Concerto and Adès’s … but all shall be well.
• Saturday 5 December: Handel’s Messiah. It is a long piece, so check the running time on the concert listing before you book dinner.

There are also two smaller concerts at Hallé St Peter’s in Ancoats. On Friday 6 November, a Chamber Series concert has Priaulx Rainier’s Quanta, a new work by Richard Causton and Beethoven’s String Trio in C minor. On Saturday 5 December there is a Hallé Composers’ Concert. The season page does not give start times for these dates, so check each concert’s own page.

One tip: if you don’t know the music, go to the pre-concert talk. Hearing a composer explain a piece before it is played changes the way you listen to it.

Other concerts at Bridgewater Hall

The Hallé are the resident orchestra, but plenty of other performers play here too. The venue’s What’s On page currently lists:

• BBC Philharmonic playing Mahler’s Symphony No. 4, Saturday 24 October at 7.30pm
• Scott Brothers Duo, Monday 26 October at 1.00pm
• Leslie Odom, Jr., Tuesday 27 October at 7.00pm
• The Hallé’s Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No.5, Thursday 29 October at 7.30pm, marked as limited availability
• A Public Building Tour, Friday 30 October at 11.15am
• The Amy Winehouse Band, Friday 30 October at 7.30pm, also limited availability

The building tour is a good idea if you would like to see inside the city’s main concert hall before you buy tickets for an evening there.

How to book

Tickets for Hallé concerts at the hall are sold through The Bridgewater Hall Box Office and website. The official pages do not give ticket prices, box office opening hours or the hall’s address, so check the Bridgewater Hall website for current details before you go. Both Hallé pages also carry a notice that ticket booking was temporarily unavailable during essential maintenance. During that time the website and box office phone lines stayed open for information, and queries went to supervisors@bridgewater-hall.co.uk. If booking ever stops working, look at the venue’s site and social media before you assume a concert has sold out.

Two practical points. First, “limited availability” on the Bridgewater Hall listing means you need to decide soon, so don’t leave the 29 October Hallé concert or the Amy Winehouse Band until the last minute. Second, the Hallé site lets you filter concerts by venue, genre and speciality, including Chamber, Christmas, Opera, Premieres and Rush Hour, which saves scrolling. You can also join the orchestra’s mailing list to hear about new dates.

Bringing children

Most of the evening concerts above are aimed at adults. However, the Hallé site has a “Family friendly” filter, and its About Us page says the seasons include family performances and relaxed concerts. Neither page gives age limits, so check the event page if you are not sure.

For a first outing with children, Bridgewater Hall lists Music Makers under Family Events on Friday 30 October, with sessions at 11.00am, 12.00pm, 1.45pm and 2.45pm. With several sessions to choose from, it is easier to work around naps or lunch. Older children who like a good tune might enjoy the Elvis evening on 21 November, or Scheherazade on 5 November, which tells a story through music. You know best whether your child will sit through an evening concert.

FAQ

Where do I buy Hallé tickets?

Tickets for Hallé concerts at Bridgewater Hall are sold through The Bridgewater Hall Box Office and website. The official pages used for this guide do not list prices, so check the venue’s own site for current prices.

Are there concerts suitable for children?

Yes. The Hallé site has a “Family friendly” filter and mentions family performances and relaxed concerts. Bridgewater Hall lists Music Makers family sessions on Friday 30 October at 11.00am, 12.00pm, 1.45pm and 2.45pm. Age limits are not stated, so check the event page.

What is a Rush Hour concert?

Rush Hour is one of the Hallé’s concert series. The next one is on Thursday 5 November at Bridgewater Hall. It features Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade and a world premiere, and afterwards students from Chetham’s School of Music perform in the foyer.

Does the Hallé only play at Bridgewater Hall?

No. Bridgewater Hall is its main home, but it also performs at Hallé St Peter’s in Ancoats and at Manchester Cathedral. It also tours venues around the country, from Sheffield City Hall to the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Official sources: halle.co.uk · halle.co.uk · bridgewater-hall.co.uk

Last checked: 24 October 2026 against the pages linked above. Prices, opening hours and programmes change; the venue’s own site always has the current details.