What's On / Bristol Concerts, Theatre & Dance / classical

Classical Concerts in Bristol

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Bristol's Classical Scene

Bristol has a long history of classical music, with new talent emerging year upon year thanks to students at Bristol University’s prestigious department of music. The largest classical music performances see complete orchestras performing at St George’s Hall where natural acoustics continue to wow audiences of over five hundred guests. Contemporary solo performances have found home in Colston Hall’s second room, The Lantern. St Stephen’s church and the Victoria Rooms in Clifton are also essential venues for classical music and orchestras in Bristol.

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Our recent classical recommendations

Sell out warning! Guardian columnist extraordinaire Owen Jones rings the death knell for Western superpowers, launching his explosive new tome in person with former Green leader Carla Denyer MP. Laying bare the 21st century's parade of arrogance and economic failures, Jones shows how the elite's crumbling façade paved the way for the migrant-baiting insecurities of today. The Fall of the West launch - Owen Jones in conversation with Carla Denyer at The Station.

Save House of Boussé from a Computer Hearts fate! Plug in for a four tunnel immersion into the Matrix featuring VRGF’s cyber-pop, Ani Klang hacking the hard dance mainframe, techno-conceptual performances from iPad clown Petty Nonsense and more. Plus interactive games throughout the night to determine who makes it out alive, or stays trapped in the digiverse forever. HOUSE OF BOUSSÉ ARE TRAPPED IN THE INTERNET at Loco Klub.

A kinetic exorcism of working-class identity and masculine performance, Oona Doherty’s 'Hope Hunt and the Ascension Into Lazarus' is a mutating pastiche of regional archetypes. Best known for 'Hard to Be Soft', an electrifying portrait of her hometown Belfast, the Northern Irish dancer-choreographer’s chameleonic blend of comedy, swagger and grace is unmissable. Hope Hunt and the Ascension into Lazarus at The Mount Without.

Sell out warning! Omar El Akkad’s new book takes aim at the West’s moral hypocrisy around the genocide in Gaza, asking why it’s so easy to condemn atrocities once they’re safely in the past, but so hard to act while they’re happening. He joins us in person for an urgent discussion on complicity and what it means to witness injustice without becoming numb to it. One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This with Omar El Akkad at The Station.

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What our editors say

“In their traditional contexts, the folk song traditions of Britain and Ireland have been, almost without exception, unaccompanied. Approaches to the accompaniment of folk songs from the early 20th century onwards have borrowed heavily from the conventions of classical and popular musics, often to the detriment of some of the subtleties and nuances of the traditional material.”
From: Rethinking Accompaniment for Traditional Songs - Workshop with Nick Hart

“In the second part of every class, we will apply this movement to traditional Cuban social dances such as Son Cubano, Chachachá and others, blending Afro-Cuban roots with social dance, and also exploring contemporary technique and basic classical dance concepts.”
From: AFROCUBAN & BODYMOVEMENT

“Deems Experiment (https://www.instagram.com/deems.experiment/) is a group of Bristol-based composers and instrumentalists whose style blends elements of jazz, classical music, hip hop, and math rock. For this night, the crowd will be graced with a duo composed of lead keyboardist Aondoyima ‘Deems’ Ioratim-Uba and bassist and drummer Munashe 'Kaps' Kapswarah (https://www.instagram.com/kaps.drumz/ from Grace Mack & The Pack, to take us through a journey of soulful melodies and smooth, mesmerising sounds.”
From: The Big Fish Bash Gig: Fundraiser for asylum seekers

“Scarlett Smith is an electroacoustic harpist and comedian. Tired of the harps demure, classical reputation, Scarlett’s debut solo show Any Objections? is a surreal quest to prove this instrument belongs far beyond the orchestra pit. Blending live looping covers of popular songs, self-produced indie-pop jingles and fast paced punch lines, the show is a playful celebration of creativity and harp innovation.”
From: Any Objections?

“In this immersive oil painting course, we will focus on painting the two angels from The Baptism of Christ, exploring the moment where High Renaissance naturalism truly comes alive. You’ll learn how to build luminous flesh and atmosphere using the Sfumato technique—Leonardo’s famously subtle, almost magical method of soft transitions. We’ll also dive deep into convincing drapery folds, understanding how fabric flows, settles, and supports form, and you’ll learn how to integrate gold leaf into your paintings, uniting brilliance with classical tradition.”
From: Masters & Apprentices