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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

Cables and Cameras return with the massive annual Inspired mini-fest, showcasing POC creatives and centring empowering narratives across a dazzling array of shorts, Q&As + the Bristol premiere of the definitive doc on dancehall queen Sister Nancy. Cables & Cameras proudly presents a dynamic one-day film and music event dedicated to showcasing the vibrant work of filmmakers of colour from across the globe.

Bristol’s glitterati, this is your summer solstice sermon! Comedy don Jeff Innocent and antihero of anarchic verse Attila the Stockbroker top a riotous cabaret lineup of satire, reggae, absurdism and sleight-of-hand. A stacked bill of chaos, charisma and counterculture with a dancefloor basted in enough dub to summon the ghost of DJ Derek. RIOT ACT proudly presents the very best in Comedy, Poetry, Music and everything inbetween from the South West and beyond

Sell out warning! A celestial highlight in the Impermanence calendar bursts onto the stage in a shower of rose petals and illuminating candles. Songs of the Bulbul melds deep Persian myths with the whirling dramatics of Sufi Kathak dance and a sweeping, epic score by Rushil Ranjan. A joyous and mesmerising experience; if you give contemporary dance just one chance this year, make sure this is it. Songs of the Bulbul, a new dance work by Aakash Odedra with choreography by Rani Khanam and music by Rushil Ranjan.

A beacon of contemporary classical and a past collaborator with Earth, Nirvana, and David Byrne (among countless others), Lori Goldston’s cello explorations are a marvel in their own right. Better still, she's joining The Cube to live-score a series of short films from underground visionaries including prolific Seattle outsider artist Jon Behrens, Ukrainian-American multi-disciplinary experimentalist Anna Kipervaser, and BEEF co-founder Vicky Smith. Cinematic Symbiosis

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What our editors say

“Franco-Russian violinist, Daniel Garlitsky, newly entrusted by the Hot Club de France to carry forward the legendary Quintette de Hot Club de France, brings both classical mastery and the improvisational brilliance of Stéphane Grappelli’s lineage. Beside him stands British bandleader, Jack Calloway, whose Midnight Creepers have become one of the most internationally recognised ensembles devoted to the roaring energy of classic hot jazz.”
From: Jack Calloway Presents: An Evening With Daniel Garlitsky

“Nadia catapulted to fame when she appeared on ITV as the only classical singer on The Voice UK 2021. Her four- and-a-half octave range blew the coaches away securing her spot as a finalist of Team will.i.am. Critically acclaimed on stage as an opera and musical theatre star, she is now breaking the mould of the classical crossover genre, receiving standing ovations for her concert shows. This November and December she is touring her hugely successful Christmas concert tour Winter Light, which is taking place in beautiful churches and cathedrals around the UK this Christmas.”
From: Winter Light

“Avon Concordia returns to open our second season with set of thematically charged pieces, taking a journey from tragedy with Brahms, through to heroic Glazunov. Intersected by the 2nd live performance of local composer Sophie Stockham's Selene's Awakening, a piece conjuring the terrible effects on women affected by PMDD, through a unique blend of jazz and classical styles.”
From: Selene's Awakening

“The celebrated sitar player Roopa Panesar performs from her most recent album, ATMA, with a group of the finest Indian classical and jazz musicians in the UK; an enticing mix of traditional Indian and western instrumentation.”
From: Roopa Panesar ATMA

“Following her performance the night before, Laura Snowden will return to The Cube to give a classical guitar masterclass. This is a rare chance for guitarists to learn directly from a player described by Classical Guitar Magazine as being "a true musician whose interpretative capabilities are profound and exciting”.”
From: Masterclass with Laura Snowden