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

Superlative, high-camp satire of family-values conservatism in Hollywood’s take on French stage comedy La Cage Aux Folles. Miami cabaret couple Robin Williams and Nathan Lane go from drag glamour to farcical subterfuge as they play it straight for the sake of their son and his would-be in-laws. A watershed moment for LGBTQ+ representation in mainstream media, and a real gem in the Williams oeuvre. The Birdcage at Bristol Megascreen.

Sell out warning! Bristol > Abergavenny summer getaway par excellence, Come Bye hosts a steaming pre-festival warmup with this Sauna + DJ session in Horfield Common’s community wellness retreat. Sweat out to residents spinning acid chug, bumpin’ garage and sunshine-filled house before taking the deep cold plunge. Come Bye & Sauna at Ardagh Community Sauna, BS6 7YL.

What can karaoke tell us about empire? Multi-disciplinary artist Sadia Pineda Hameed traces unexpected routes across the Pacific to the UK, following the musical traditions carried between islands and diasporic communities. Using her own family history as a springboard, she explores how these journeys continue to shape identity and memory through an evening of conversation, moving image and song. Ghost in the Karaoke Machine: Colonial Echoes in Filipino Music and Dance at IC Visual Lab.

Free entry / PWYC! Cinema Transexuál treats you to some delicious agitprop via La Chinoise – Godard’s Dostoyevsky-riffing portrait of a group of Maoists rehearsing the revolution in 60s Paris. One of his most overtly political and narratively unruly, it’s a borderline Brechtian spectacle that’s essential viewing for would-be insurrectionists and cinephiles alike. CINEMA TRANSEXUÁL PRESENTS: LA CHINOISE at Cafe Kino.

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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