Performances of BBC Philharmonic Orchestra at BBC Music

Experience an unforgettable evening as Chetham’s Symphony Orchestra joins forces with the renowned BBC Philharmonic Orchestra for a special side-by-side concert at their Studios in MediaCityUK, Salford Quays.

Experience an unforgettable evening as Chetham’s Symphony Orchestra joins forces with the renowned BBC Philharmonic Orchestra for a special side-by-side concert at their Studios in MediaCityUK, Salford Quays.

Boticelli’s The Birth of Venus is one of the most famous paintings in the world.

Hear the world premiere of Robert Laidlow’s new work TECHNO-UTOPIA, a genre defining piece for piano, orchestra and new AI live-processed instruments.

Tenor Allan Clayton gives the world premiere of Tom Coult’s Monologues for the Curious, while John Storgårds and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra stalk the shifting musical landscapes of Mahler’s Seventh Symphony

Anja Bihlmaier and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra give the world premiere of Mark Simpson’s ZEBRA between performances of two iconic 19th-century tone-poems: Richard Strauss’s Death and Transfiguration and Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique

Joshua Weilerstein and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra perform Rachmaninov’s enigmatic final masterpiece, the Symphonic Dances, alongside Copland’s jazz-inspired Clarinet Concerto

A chance to hear Shostakovich’s blistering operatic tragedy with Amanda Majeski starring as Katerina and Nicky Spence as her lover Sergey

Five-time Grammy winner Angélique Kidjo presents a showcase as part of Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture, paying tribute to her African heritage and taking in iconic tracks from legends such as Miriam Makeba, Fela Kuti, Hugh Masekela and Youssou N’Dour

As part of Herbst Gold 2025 – Festival in Eisenstadt, we visit Austria with conductor Julian Rachlin. Jean Guihen Queyras is soloist in Dvořák’s Cello Concerto.

There’s nothing quite like Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony. Join us in the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra Studio in MediaCityUK for this absolute masterpiece.

For our season opener, an assembly of composers who, by embracing pain, find solace, redemption, and clarity.

Pop idol Rufus Wainwright brings an epic reimagining of his Want One and Want Two albums to Manchester following a premiere performance at the BBC Proms, and tours across Europe and the US.

Pop idol Rufus Wainwright brings an epic reimagining of his *Want One* and *Want Two* albums to Manchester following a premiere performance at the BBC Proms, and tours across Europe and the US.

The rugged coastline of Northern California was the inspiration for this similarly jagged piece for singing cellist and orchestra by American composer Gabriella Smith.

As part the 28th Beijing Music Festival, we visit China with our Chief Conductor John Storgårds. Hayato Sumino joins us as soloist in Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3.

These startlingly evocative scores defy easy categorisation.

Join us in Nottingham with conductor Elena Schwarz for Debussy’s La Mer, Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, and Dani Howard’s Trombone Concerto featuring Peter Moore.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a programme that is a greater expression of the titanic power of the symphony orchestra. Tonight, more is most certainly more.

Grief, rage and manic intensity.

Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto sings with elegance and life. This meticulous yet passionate piece takes you on a heartfelt journey of discovery.

In Steve Reich’s endlessly tessellating music, shapes emerge, solidify, uncouple, drift away, and begin to emerge anew.

Tonight, our string section takes centre stage. Written in 1939 as Europe teetered on the brink of war, Bartók’s Divertimento fuses Hungarian folk-rhythms with his signature spiky harmonies and driving momentum.

*Laniakea* is Hawaiian for ‘immeasurable celestial paradise’, a term that perfectly describes the music of Camille Pépin.

The irresistible sway of Johann Strauss’s An der schönen blauen Donau has made it arguably the most famous waltz of all time.

Step into a winter wonderland as we bring the magic of Christmas to life with a dazzling evening of festive music.

The RNCM Strings Festival celebrates the versatility, beauty, and brilliance of string music through a weekend of inspiring performances and collaborations.

A full orbit of the sun with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra.

City Noir is John Adams’s musical tribute to half-lit rooms, venetian blinds, desperate men, dangerous women, secrets, lies, and the City of Angels.

Join us in Nottingham for Bartók’s gripping one-act opera, Bluebeard’s Castle.

Bluebeard’s Castle by Béla Bartók sits somewhere between a gothic tale of horror and a psychological dissection of a twisted relationship.

Join us in York alongside presenter Sean Chandler for a magical, interactive performance of The Enormous Turnip, from the CBeebies series Musical Storyland at the National Centre for Early Music.

Join us in York alongside presenter Sean Chandler for a magical, interactive performance of The Enormous Turnip, from the CBeebies series Musical Storyland at the National Centre for Early Music.

Music from the court of Versailles begins and ends this sparkling exploration of the baroque.

Rossini’s exciting William Tell Overture, will be a complete contrast to Elisabeth Brauss’ interpretation of the smouldering passions and rapid fire wit of Ravel’s G Major Piano Concerto.

Technicolour dances and celestial legends

Richard Strauss’s Metamorphosen is a lament for strings, mourning the destruction of Europe in the World War II and the collapse of the musical civilisation that shaped and inspired him.

Violist Lawrence Power returns to perform Cassandra Miller’s acclaimed Viola Concerto, a piece heralded on its 2022 premiere as an instant classic.

When it comes to symphonies, Beethoven's Third symphony was a real game changer.

Who knew Haydn and hot cross buns might be related?

Rhapsodies on love, death, and lust

Puccini first showcased his operatic voice through the orchestra alone with his Capriccio Sinfonico. Marking the start of his signature musical style, it blends the lyrical and dramatic qualities that later came to define his iconic operas.

Grit courses through Julia Wolfe’s *Anthracite Fields*, her Pulitzer Prize-winning oratorio for choir and ensemble that serves as a musical memorial to American miners and their struggle. *‘I guess I have a bias towards the grit.'* – Julia Wolfe

One of Debussy’s best loved musical pictures sets the mood as his faun dreams wonderous dreams. There is no better counterpart to this than Dvorak’s ardent and ever popular Cello Concerto.

Influenced by Czech folk and expressionism, Haas’s Study for Strings is an energetic, introspective work now seen as a key piece of 20th-century Czech music.

Joshua Weilerstein makes his triumphant return to the Philharmonic in this musical postcard celebrating the 250th anniversary of American Independence.

Elegant and virtuosic, Haydn’s Cello Concerto in D Major is celebrated for both its charm and technical brilliance, filled lyrical melodies, high-register passages and rapid runs.

Wolfe was two blocks from the Twin Towers when the planes hit on September 11, 2001. *Big Beautiful Dark and Scary* is the sound of that aftermath: an ominous, awesome wall of sound.

We continue our thrillingly up-close series at the RNCM with a heavyweight artistic collaboration – our Chief Conductor John Storgårds joins the acclaimed pianist Tamara Stefanovich in this exploration of the pure power of the piano.

Cursed by the goddess Hera, Echo may only repeat the last words spoken to her.

Berlioz’ Roman Carnival carries us to beautiful Italy where Mendelssohn’s Italian Symphony dances a wild tarantella under the sun!

Angel’s Bone is a Pulitzer Prize-winning contemporary opera by Chinese American composer Du Yun and librettist Royce Vavrek.

A stormy opening from the 19th century prolific German composer Emilie Mayer.

In this striking exploration of Nordic soundscapes, Chief Conductor John Storgårds will flex every Finnish musical muscle as he leads the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra.

The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra returns to Aviva Studios for their next groundbreaking collaboration with Factory International. *‘Watching an orchestra in this way is a one of a kind experience.

Mahler’s Resurrection is a colossal work of drama, beauty, and power.