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BBC Orchestras and Choirs

BBC Orchestras and Choirs Calendar

By Month

Thu 11 Apr 2024
- 19:30
  Enigma Variations
  BBC Hoddinott Hall, Cardiff
  Striking a balance between the light-hearted and the noble, Elgar’s Enigma Variations is an ingenious collection of musical sketches of his friends and an astute self-portrait.
  Striking a balance between the light-hearted and the noble, Elgar’s Enigma Variations is an ingenious collection of musical sketches of his friends and an astute self-portrait.
  Programme
  Grace Williams
  Sea Sketches
  William Mathias
  Concerto for Harp
  Edward Elgar
  ‘Enigma’ Variations
  Performers
  BBC National Orchestra of Wales
  Jac van Steen
  conductor
  conductor
  Catrin Finch
  harp
  harp
  Composers
  Grace Williams
  William Mathias
  Edward Elgar
  Part of
  BBC NOW 2023-24 Season BBC Hoddinott Hall 2023-24
Fri 12 Apr 2024
- 14:30
  Rožeň conducts Smetana, Mozart and Janáček
  Maida Vale Studios
  Emerging talent Jiří Rožeň returns to the BBC Symphony Orchestra in a free afternoon studio concert at Maida Vale.
  Emerging talent Jiří Rožeň returns to the BBC Symphony Orchestra in a free afternoon studio concert at Maida Vale.
  Programme
  Bedrich Smetana
  Má vlast - Vyšehrad
  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
  Piano Concerto No 25 in C major, K 503
  Bedrich Smetana
  Má vlast - Vltava
  Leos Janáček
  Kátya Kabanová - Suite
  Performers
  Alim Beisembayev
  piano
  piano
  Jiří Rožeň
  conductor
  conductor
  BBC Symphony Orchestra
  Composers
  Bedrich Smetana
  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
  Leos Janáček
  Part of
  BBC Symphony Orchestra Maida Vale Concerts 2023/24 BBC Symphony Orchestra & Chorus 2023 - 24 Season
- 19:30
  Enigma Variations
  Brangwyn Hall, Swansea
  Striking a balance between the light-hearted and the noble, Elgar’s Enigma Variations is an ingenious collection of musical sketches of his friends and an astute self-portrait.
  Striking a balance between the light-hearted and the noble, Elgar’s Enigma Variations is an ingenious collection of musical sketches of his friends and an astute self-portrait.
  Programme
  Grace Williams
  Sea Sketches
  William Mathias
  Concerto for Harp
  Edward Elgar
  ‘Enigma’ Variations
  Performers
  BBC National Orchestra of Wales
  Jac van Steen
  conductor
  conductor
  Catrin Finch
  Harp
  Harp
  Composers
  Grace Williams
  William Mathias
  Edward Elgar
  Part of
  BBC NOW 2023-24 Season Brangwyn Hall 2023-24
Sat 13 Apr 2024
- 19:30
  Sir Michael Tippett’s ‘New Year’ with BBC Singers
  City Halls
  Book your free tickets now for a live performance of Sir Michael Tippett’s space-age fairytale opera, 'New Year', featuring the BBC Singers and a stellar cast of soloists.
  Book your free tickets now for a live performance of Sir Michael Tippett’s space-age fairytale opera, 'New Year', featuring the BBC Singers and a stellar cast of soloists.
  Programme
  Michael Tippett
  New Year (complete opera)
  Performers
  Rhian Lois
  soprano
  soprano
  Ross Ramgobin
  baritone
  baritone
  Susan Bickley
  mezzo soprano
  mezzo soprano
  Roland Wood
  baritone
  baritone
  Robert Murray
  tenor
  tenor
  Rachel Nicholls
  soprano
  soprano
  Alan Oke
  tenor
  tenor
  BBC Singers
  BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
  Martyn Brabbins
  Conductor
  Conductor
  Victoria Newlyn
  stage director
  stage director
  Composers
  Michael Tippett
  Part of
  BBC SSO 2023-24 Season BBC Singers 2023-24
- 19:30
  Tapas and Some French Bon Bons
  The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester
  Fiesta season comes early with the welcome return of James Ehnes, one of the world’s finest violinists in is Saint-Saëns' imioned Third Violin Concerto. On the podium, Juanjo Mena returns in a programme with sun-kissed music by Ravel and Berlioz.
  Fiesta season comes early with the welcome return of James Ehnes, one of the world’s finest violinists in is Saint-Saëns' imioned Third Violin Concerto. On the podium, Juanjo Mena returns in a programme with sun-kissed music by Ravel and Berlioz.
  Programme
  Hector Berlioz
  Overture 'Le carnaval romain'
  Camille Saint‐Saëns
  Violin Concerto No 3 in B minor
  Maurice Ravel
  Alborada del gracioso (for Orchestra)
  Pablo de Sarasate
  Carmen Fantasy
  Manuel de Falla
  The Three-Cornered Hat, Suite No. 1
  The Three-Cornered Hat – Suite No. 2
  Performers
  BBC Philharmonic
  Juanjo Mena
  conductor
  conductor
  James Ehnes
  violin
  violin
  Composers
  Hector Berlioz
  Camille Saint‐Saëns
  Maurice Ravel
  Pablo de Sarasate
  Manuel de Falla
  Part of
  BBC Philharmonic 2023-24 Season
Sun 14 Apr 2024
- 17:45
  BBC Concert Orchestra at the Olivier Awards
  Royal Albert Hall
  Celebrate all that's great about British theatre in a star-studded evening at the Royal Albert Hall.
  Part of
  BBC Concert Orchestra 2023-2024
Tue 16 Apr 2024
- 14:30
  Nil Venditti conducts the BBC Symphony Orchestra in Puccini, Mozart and Casella
  Maida Vale Studios
  The BBC Symphony Orchestra is delighted to welcome the acclaimed young Italian-Turkish conductor Nil Venditti for her debut in this free afternoon studio concert at Maida Vale. She brings music by two Italian composers and Mozart.
  Part of
  BBC Symphony Orchestra Maida Vale Concerts 2023/24
Wed 17 Apr 2024
- 14:00
  Twentieth Century Treasures
  MediaCityUK, Salford
  This afternoon the we welcome Martyn Brabbins to Salford for a programme of five 20th-century works by British composers
  This afternoon the we welcome Martyn Brabbins to Salford for a programme of five 20th-century works by British composers
  Programme
  Ralph Vaughan Williams
  Heroic Elegy
  Pamela Harrison
  Five Poems of Ernest Dowson
  William Walton
  Improvisations on an Impromptu of Benjamin Britten
  Grace Williams
  Elegy
  Peter Warlock
  Capriol Suite (version for full orchestra)
  Performers
  Martyn Brabbins
  conductor
  conductor
  BBC Philharmonic
  Benjamin Hulett
  tenor
  tenor
  Composers
  Ralph Vaughan Williams
  Pamela Harrison
  William Walton
  Grace Williams
  Peter Warlock
  Part of
  BBC Philharmonic Orchestra Studio Concerts
Thu 18 Apr 2024
- 19:30
  Beyond the Console: Video Games in Concert
  Nottingham Royal Concert Hall
  Digital epics, live in concert: Robert Ames and the BBC Concert Orchestra perform classic gaming scores, from Final Fantasy to Battlefield 2042.
  Part of
  BBC Concert Orchestra 2023-2024, Nottingham Royal Concert Hall BBC Concert Orchestra 2023-2024
- 19:30
  Stardust and Souls
  BBC Hoddinott Hall, Cardiff
  Featuring two world premieres and a gem of the choral repertoire, we’re delighted to welcome back the inimitable Sofi Jeannin alongside the BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales, Dame Evelyn Glennie and soprano Julieth Lozano Rolong.
  Featuring two world premieres and a gem of the choral repertoire, we’re delighted to welcome back the inimitable Sofi Jeannin alongside the BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales, Dame Evelyn Glennie and soprano Julieth Lozano Rolong.
  Programme
  Alexander Campkin
  Sounds of StardustWorld Premiere
  Dani Howard
  Percussion ConcertoWorld Premiere
  Francis Poulenc
  Stabat Mater
  Performers
  BBC National Orchestra of Wales
  Sofi Jeannin
  conductor
  conductor
  Evelyn Glennie
  percussion
  percussion
  Julieth Lozano Rolong
  soprano
  soprano
  BBC National Chorus of Wales
  chorus
  chorus
  Composers
  Alexander Campkin
  Dani Howard
  Francis Poulenc
  Part of
  BBC NOW 2023-24 Season BBC Hoddinott Hall 2023-24
- 19:30
  Hough Plays Rachmaninov
  Glasgow City Halls
  Pianist Sir Stephen Hough returns to City Halls for Rachmaninov’s hugely-popular 'Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini' under the baton of our Chief Conductor Ryan Wigglesworth.
  Pianist Sir Stephen Hough returns to City Halls for Rachmaninov’s hugely-popular 'Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini' under the baton of our Chief Conductor Ryan Wigglesworth.
  Programme
  Hans Abrahamsen
  Suite from The Snow Queen(12 mins)
  Sergey Rachmaninov
  Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini(26 mins)
  interval
  Igor Stravinsky
  The Fairy's Kiss(44 mins)
  Performers
  Stephen Hough
  piano
  piano
  Ryan Wigglesworth
  conductor
  conductor
  BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
  Composers
  Hans Abrahamsen
  Sergey Rachmaninov
  Igor Stravinsky
  Part of
  BBC SSO 2023-24 Season BBC SSO Glasgow Series 2023/24
Fri 19 Apr 2024
- 19:30
  A Fiddler's Tale at Nottingham Trent University Hall
  nottingham
  musicians from the BBC Concert Orchestra, conductor Martyn Brabbins and a guest narrator for this special performance of Wynton Marsalis's A Fiddler's Tale.
  musicians from the BBC Concert Orchestra, conductor Martyn Brabbins and a guest narrator for this special performance of Wynton Marsalis's A Fiddler's Tale.
  Programme
  Wynton Marsalis
  A Fiddler’s Tale
  Performers
  Martyn Brabbins
  conductor
  conductor
  Clarke Peters
  narrator
  narrator
  BBC Concert Orchestra
  Composers
  Wynton Marsalis
  Part of
  BBC Concert Orchestra 2023-2024
- 19:30
  Songs of Farewell with BBC Singers and Christian Forshaw
  Cadogan Hall
  We forces with saxophonist-composer Christian Forshaw & conductor Graham Ross at Cadogan Hall, to perform music by Byrd, Tallis, Hildegard of Bingen, Roderick Williams and Forshaw himself. The concert finishes with Parry’s poignant Songs of Farewell.
  We forces with saxophonist-composer Christian Forshaw & conductor Graham Ross at Cadogan Hall, to perform music by Byrd, Tallis, Hildegard of Bingen, Roderick Williams and Forshaw himself. The concert finishes with Parry’s poignant Songs of Farewell.
  Programme
  Christian Forshaw
  My soul, there is a countryworld premiere
  Roderick Williams
  Ave verum corpus Re-imagined
  Hildegard von Bingen
  Alleluia, O virga mediatrix
  Thomas Tallis
  Sancte Deus, sancte fortisarr. Forshaw
  Hildegard von Bingen
  O Euchari in leta via
  William Byrd
  Ave verum corpusarr. Forshaw
  Graham Ross
  Ascendo ad Patrem meum
  interval
  Hubert Parry
  Songs of Farewell(with saxophone interpolations)
  Performers
  BBC Singers
  Christian Forshaw
  saxophone
  saxophone
  Graham Ross
  conductor
  conductor
  Composers
  Christian Forshaw
  Roderick Williams
  Hildegard von Bingen
  Thomas Tallis
  William Byrd
  Graham Ross
  Hubert Parry
  Part of
  BBC Singers 2023-24
- 19:30
  Fantastic Symphony
  Barbican, London
  Severed heads, demonic orgies and obsessive love. Jader Bignamini pairs Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique with the equally colourful imaginations of Poulenc and Camile Pépin.
  Severed heads, demonic orgies and obsessive love. Jader Bignamini pairs Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique with the equally colourful imaginations of Poulenc and Camile Pépin.
  Programme
  Camille Pépin
  Les Eaux célestesUK Premiere
  Francis Poulenc
  Gloria
  Hector Berlioz
  Symphonie fantastique
  Performers
  Elizabeth Watts
  soloist
  soloist
  Jader Bignamini
  conductor
  conductor
  BBC Symphony Chorus
  BBC Symphony Orchestra
  Composers
  Camille Pépin
  Francis Poulenc
  Hector Berlioz
  Part of
  BBC Symphony Orchestra & Chorus Barbican Season 2023-24 BBC Symphony Orchestra & Chorus 2023 - 24 Season
- 19:30
  Hough Plays Rachmaninov in Aberdeen
  Music Hall, Aberdeen
  Pianist Sir Stephen Hough comes to the Music Hall for Rachmaninov’s hugely-popular 'Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini' under the baton of our Chief Conductor Ryan Wigglesworth.
  Pianist Sir Stephen Hough comes to the Music Hall for Rachmaninov’s hugely-popular 'Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini' under the baton of our Chief Conductor Ryan Wigglesworth.
  Programme
  Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
  The Sleeping Beauty(20 mins)Excerpts.
  Sergey Rachmaninov
  Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini(26 mins)
  interval
  Igor Stravinsky
  The Fairy's Kiss(44 mins)
  Performers
  Stephen Hough
  piano
  piano
  Ryan Wigglesworth
  conductor
  conductor
  BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
  Composers
  Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
  Sergey Rachmaninov
  Igor Stravinsky
  Part of
  BBC SSO 2023-24 Season BBC SSO Aberdeen 2023/24 Series
Sat 20 Apr 2024
- 19:30
  The Soldier's Tale at the University of Nottingham
  nottingham
  A theatrical work by Igor Stravinsky and Swiss writer Charles Ferdinand Ramuz, ‘The Soldier’s Tale’ (L'Histoire du soldat) is the composer’s greatest work for narrator and orchestra.
  A theatrical work by Igor Stravinsky and Swiss writer Charles Ferdinand Ramuz, ‘The Soldier’s Tale’ (L'Histoire du soldat) is the composer’s greatest work for narrator and orchestra.
  Programme
  Igor Stravinsky
  The Soldier's Tale
  Performers
  Martyn Brabbins
  conductor
  conductor
  Alistair McGowan
  narrator
  narrator
  BBC Concert Orchestra
  Composers
  Igor Stravinsky
  Part of
  BBC Concert Orchestra 2023-2024
- 19:30
  Viennese Whirl
  The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester
  Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony conducted tonight by Anja Bihlmaier is a feast of rhythm and dance, whilst Berg’s Violin Concerto tonight with Josef Špaček is by turn angelic and angst-ridden.
  Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony conducted tonight by Anja Bihlmaier is a feast of rhythm and dance, whilst Berg’s Violin Concerto tonight with Josef Špaček is by turn angelic and angst-ridden.
  Programme
  Johann Strauss II
  Emperor Waltz
  Alban Berg
  Violin Concerto
  Johann Strauss II
  By the Beautiful Blue Danube – waltz
  Ludwig van Beethoven
  Symphony No. 7 in A major
  Performers
  BBC Philharmonic
  Anja Bihlmaier
  conductor
  conductor
  Josef Špaček
  violin
  violin
  Composers
  Johann Strauss II
  Alban Berg
  Ludwig van Beethoven
  Part of
  BBC Philharmonic 2023-24 Season
Wed 24 Apr 2024
- 14:00
  An afternoon of Arvo Pärt
  MediaCityUK, Salford
  Estonian composer Arvo Pärt is one of the most performed living composers in the world. Today we hear a selection of his works conducted by John Storgårds
  Estonian composer Arvo Pärt is one of the most performed living composers in the world. Today we hear a selection of his works conducted by John Storgårds
  Programme
  Arvo Pärt
  Festina lente
  Summa
  Swansong
  Symphony No 3
  Performers
  John Storgårds
  conductor
  conductor
  BBC Philharmonic
  Composers
  Arvo Pärt
  Part of
  BBC Philharmonic Orchestra Studio Concerts
- 19:00
  Jack Sheen conducts the BBC Symphony Orchestra
  Maida Vale Studios
  UK conductor-composer Jack Sheen makes his debut with the BBC Symphony Orchestra in a free evening concert at the BBC’s Maida Vale studios, with new works from younger composers concerned with the environment.
  UK conductor-composer Jack Sheen makes his debut with the BBC Symphony Orchestra in a free evening concert at the BBC’s Maida Vale studios, with new works from younger composers concerned with the environment.
  Programme
  Ville Raasakka
  Black cloud, under groundUK premiere
  Lisa Streich
  Augenlider Guitar ConcertoUK premiere
  Jack Sheen
  Lung
  Eden Lonsdale
  LichtungUK premiere
  Øyvind Torvund
  A Walk into the FutureUK premiere
  Performers
  Laura Snowden
  guitar
  guitar
  Jack Sheen
  conductor
  conductor
  BBC Symphony Orchestra
  Composers
  Ville Raasakka
  Lisa Streich
  Jack Sheen
  Eden Lonsdale
  Øyvind Torvund
  Part of
  BBC Symphony Orchestra Maida Vale Concerts 2023/24
- 19:00
  Northern Soul Orchestrated
  Wolverhampton Civic Hall
  Travel back in time to experience the elation of Northern Soul with the BBC Concert Orchestra, composer and conductor Joe Duddell, and BBC 6 Music broadcaster Stuart Maconie.
  Part of
  BBC Concert Orchestra: Northern Soul Orchestrated BBC Concert Orchestra 2023-2024
Fri 26 Apr 2024
- 19:00
  Northern Soul Orchestrated
  Southbank Centre, London
  Travel back in time to experience the elation of Northern Soul with the BBC Concert Orchestra, composer and conductor Joe Duddell, and BBC 6 Music broadcaster Stuart Maconie.
  Part of
  BBC Concert Orchestra: Northern Soul Orchestrated BBC Concert Orchestra 2023-2024
- 19:30
  Kate Atkinson and the BBC Symphony Orchestra: Normal Rules Don't Apply
  Barbican, London
  the BBC Symphony Orchestra for an evening of words and music with award-winning author, Kate Atkinson.
  the BBC Symphony Orchestra for an evening of words and music with award-winning author, Kate Atkinson.
  Programme
  Leevi Madetoja
  A Comedy Overture
  Ermanno Wolf‐Ferrari
  Il Segreto di Susannaoverture
  George Gershwin
  Someone to Watch Over Mearr. Simon Nathan
  Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson
  Sinfonietta No. 1 – Rondoii Song Form: Largo
  Charles Williams
  Devil's Galop
  Anna Clyne
  Fractured Time
  Joseph Haydn
  The Creation – Chaos
  Thomas Adès
  Powder Her Faceoverture to Hotel Suite
  George Gershwin
  Promenade (‘Walking the Dog’)
  Performers
  Kate Atkinson
  author
  author
  Jamie Parker
  singer
  singer
  BBC Symphony Orchestra
  Composers
  Leevi Madetoja
  Ermanno Wolf‐Ferrari
  George Gershwin
  Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson
  Charles Williams
  Anna Clyne
  Joseph Haydn
  Thomas Adès
  Part of
  BBC Symphony Orchestra & Chorus Barbican Season 2023-24 BBC Symphony Orchestra & Chorus 2023 - 24 Season
Sat 27 Apr 2024
- 19:30
  Nordic Noir
  The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester
  John Storgårds leads us through the gate into one of Bruckner’s ‘cathedrals of sound’, his Fifth Symphony.  Sibelius invites us into his world of Nordic impressionism with En Saga, whilst Lotta Wennäkoski honours this in her own work Verdigris.
  John Storgårds leads us through the gate into one of Bruckner’s ‘cathedrals of sound’, his Fifth Symphony.  Sibelius invites us into his world of Nordic impressionism with En Saga, whilst Lotta Wennäkoski honours this in her own work Verdigris.
  Programme
  Lotta Wennäkoski
  Verdigris
  Jean Sibelius
  En saga
  Anton Bruckner
  Symphony No. 5 in B flat major
  Performers
  BBC Philharmonic
  John Storgårds
  conductor
  conductor
  Composers
  Lotta Wennäkoski
  Jean Sibelius
  Anton Bruckner
  Part of
  BBC Philharmonic 2023-24 Season
Wed 1 May 2024
- 14:30
  Mahler and Shostakovich with the BBC Symphony Orchestra
  Maida Vale Studios
  Part of
  BBC Symphony Orchestra Maida Vale Concerts 2023/24
- 20:00
  Unclassified Live: Kate Stables (This is the Kit)
  Southbank Centre, London
  Music that won’t stay in its box: Elizabeth Alker presents Moor Mother, Modern Nature and This Is The Kit with the BBC Concert Orchestra in the latest instalment of BBC Radio 3's genre-defying Unclassified Live.
  Part of
  BBC Concert Orchestra 2023-2024 Southbank Centre Season BBC Concert Orchestra 2023-2024