Manchester was the place to be for superb performances in 2025
The Year in Classical Music
Sometimes going abroad reminds you how good things are at home. In the spring of 2025, I went to the Shostakovich Festival in Leipzig, featuring world-class performers such as the Gewandhausorchester and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. So it was lovely to return home to Manchester to find performers who are just as good.
This post doesn’t pretend to be a ‘best of’ list. There are plenty of those elsewhere. It’s a look back over some of my personal highlights of the year. I have chosen only one concert or opera from each of the performing groups I reviewed in 2025, to celebrate the music of Manchester… and a few other places too.
Manchester Classical
The biennial Manchester Classical Festival is rapidly becoming a fixture in Manchester.
A highlight on Day One was the concert by Riot Ensemble, who have now chosen Manchester as their home base. As they say on their website,
“Why Manchester? Because the classical music scene here is simply electric: welcoming, ambitious, and fiercely creative.“
Under their Chief Conductor, John Storgårds, the BBC Philharmonic has had another excellent year, but I have chosen one of many highlights, the strings of the orchestra in a stunning concert directed from the violin by Leader Zoë Beyers.
Manchester Collective continued to surprise and delight us with their varied and unusual programmes, always performed with passion and deep humanity. The new piece Wintering by Samantha Fernando gave its name to a concert with The Marian Consort at Stoller Hall in November.
Kahchun Wong is quickly becoming established as a fine conductor of the Hallé. At their performance of Tchaikovsky’s violin concerto in November, following a successful tour of China, he made a bold statement of intent,
“After China, we have a new mission: to represent Manchester and this region as cultural ambassadors, with your support”
Opera North
Opera North continue to delight us with their productions at the Lowry. Their production of Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman was another triumph, reviewed here in Leeds.
In October, we welcomed English National Opera to the Lowry in Britten’s Albert Herring, their first fully-staged production here. We look forward to many more productions in the future.
Kantos Chamber Choir provides immersive experiences through its thoughtful programming and staging. One of the highlights of the year was their spellbinding, emotional journey through the Pendle Witch Trials of 1612.
The year ended with a joyful celebration of Christmas in the delightful company of The Apex Singer, a mix of favourites and pieces from their new album Kvällen.
Elsewhere, the Southwell Festival in Nottinghamshire, now in its eleventh year, included another personal highlight, a concert by the Portuguese singer-songwriter Inês Loubet.
Leipzig is one of the most musical cities in the world, home of the Gewandhausorchester and with links to Felix Mendelssohn, Richard Wagner, Robert and Clara Schumann. JS Bach is buried in Thomas Kirche, where he was director of music, so it was profoundly moving to hear his music performed there.
Mahler’s Symphony of a Thousand in St Paul’s Cathedral
When I sang in the Hallé Choir, I was privileged to perform at the opening concert at Bridgewater Hall in 1996. Before we went on stage, conductor Kent Nagano told us that this was a one-off experience – we would probably never get the chance to sing at the opening of a major international concert hall again. So I can imagine how much it meant for members of London’s Bach Choir to sing in the choir’s 150th anniversary concert at St Paul’s Cathedral in October, a concert that will live long in the memory, for performers and audience alike.
Christmas magic comes early to Manchester with joyful singing and a party atmosphere
The Apex Singers. Photo Harry Proctor
On another unseasonably warm evening in early December, we packed into one of Manchester’s newest (and warmest!) venues, The Yard in the Cheetham area of Manchester, for a Christmas concert by the Apex Singers.
The support act on Tuesday was Ardú, who describe themselves as ‘Ireland’s premier a cappella vocal band.’ Their name means to raise up, inspire or elevate. Despite having a terrible journey from Dublin via Heathrow, the three women and three men of the band, singing from memory, managed to do just that in a short but compelling set.
All the arrangements were made by their music director, Ciarán Kelly, beginning with a gorgeous, intricate version of O Holy Night.The song Galileoby the Irish singer-songwriter Declan O’Rourke was an attractive ballad with a light tenor solo, the singers swaying gently and smiling at each other. The song ended with a lovely falsetto line, like fine wine.
Longing for home in Ireland inspired a gentle, lilting arrangement of the song Carrickfergus, sung in lovely, pure tones and with a superb blend of voices. The band released it during lockdown, during the ‘Famous Plague’ (as they described it), and their performance at Carrickfergus Castle featured in the Last Night of the Proms in 2021.
In their last song, Fire, the band demonstrated their versatility, singing in a more strident style to suit the nightmare of waiting for Santa to arrive, worrying about the weather. The band sang with urgency and passion, and supreme confidence. After such an excellent but short set and such a stressful journey, it was a relief to hear that the band had another gig booked for the following day, Songs from Ireland – Holiday Edition at The International Anthony Burgess Foundation in Manchester.
As the six members of Ardú left the stage, they were immediately replaced by the eight Apex Singers, although there were often only six singers on stage later in the concert. The Singers performed songs from their new album, Kvällen, which means evening in Swedish, but opened with an older song, Da Ia Da from their previous album Woven. The song was composed by the choir’s Founder and Artistic Director, Ollie Lambert. This was a lovely wordless vocalise (we were told ‘it’s a joy to listen to, but the lyrics need more work’). The piece has an attractive melody, with lovely falling harmonies.
Soprano Lydia Wonham introduced the first piece for Christmas (well, Advent), O Come O Come Emmanuel, which dates back to a Latin version, Veni, veni, Emmanuel, first sung by monks around 1,200 years ago. Apparently, Lambert bought 271 candles from Primark for the music video, but fortunately failed to set fire to the cameraman (no one wants a repeat of the cover of Pink Floyd’s 1975 album Wish You Were Here, in which the late Ronnie Rondell Jr was famously set on fire). The piece began in unison, which soon flowered into close harmony, in a stunning arrangement by Lambert that did catch fire. A Lambert original (the first one he wrote for the Singers) followed. Stopping by the Woods featured a pure-voiced tone from Wonham, a gently syncopated rhythm, and a sweet offbeat solo from George Lowe.
The cover of Kvällen by the Apex Singers
Two tracks from the new album, Kvällen, followed. Suo Gân, a Welsh lullaby, was soporific (in a good way), with beautifully poised singing from alto Issie Turner, who was new to the choir on this tour. The lower voices of the choir took up the tune in barbershop style. In complete contrast, and demonstrating the choir’s versatility, they sang the Croatian song Nevijska Kolenda in an invigorating, robust style led by tenor Douglass Lloyd, depicting a Christmas festival with bonfires (was a pyromaniac theme developing here?).
A feature of the choir is their warm-hearted and witty spoken introductions to the songs, and they were on fire (sorry) on Tuesday. Bass Elliott Maxwell-Hodkinson introduced Ye Banks and Braes, with words by no less a poet than Robert Burns, as a story about an abandoned woman who was ‘really miffed’ about being left literally holding the baby. George told us they believed an Irishman who said Wild Mountain Thyme doesn’t grow in Ireland, only to find out it’s the most prolific wild plant there!
Two highlights in the first half were: a jolly version of It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year, with an American-inflected solo by tenor Douglas Lloyd and virtuosic backing vocals; and The Fox with a busy, complex arrangement carried off with supreme aplomb. There were several solos in the latter song, which is over 500 years old; all the choir members felt very comfortable singing them. In the final piece of the half, the Swedish hymn, Ett barn är fött på denna dag, (A Child is Born on this Day) singers from the choral workshop earlier in the day, and members of Ardú, joined the lovely chromatic harmonies, while Lydia Wonham provided a pure coloratura soprano above.
Lydia Wonham, Nia Edwards and Douglas Lloyd. Photo Harry Proctor
The second half began with a very different version of Fairytale of New York, so well known for the distinctive vocals of Shane MacGowan and Kirsty MacColl. It was slightly startling to hear the words ‘You scumbag, you maggot’ sung so beautifully by Issie Turner; the song, in a lovely arrangement by Lambert, sounded more like a Christmas carol despite the brutal nature of the words. Michael Colman asked us if we were having a good time; we replied that we were (it was true). He thought that was ‘frankly excellent news’ (it was).
More lovely songs from the new album followed: the Catalan carol/lullaby El Noi de la Mare (The Child of the Mother), sung in a gentle waltz time. As George sang the simple tune with ardent honesty, they were surrounded by a halo of sound. The French classic Noël Nouvelet featured a jazzy arrangement that evoked Jacques Loussier‘s jazz versions of JS Bach’s music. A false ending drew some premature applause, then a very enthusiastic reaction when we realised it was safe to applaud.
Elliott Maxwell-Hodkinson, Michael Colman, Issie Turner . Photo Harry Proctor
Another pair of songs from the new album included the Spanish lullaby A la Nanita Nana, with warmly idiomatic singing by alto Nia Edwards. There was a thrilling contrast in The Christmas Goose, a Mancunian folk song with saucy lyrics, featuring a funky bass line and solos throughout the group. Lydia Wonham commented that the song was about going to a pub and ending up with a baby: ‘we’ve all been there.’ Well, quite.
After unusual but exquisite arrangements of White Christmasand Hushabye Mountain, the choir started to get a bit giddy with the joy of singing such complicated versions so well. They decided to take a selfie, inviting us all to squeeze in (we did our best). This was Nia Edwards’ last show, so the choir gave her parting gifts, and a party atmosphere broke out on stage.
The Apex Singers at The Yard. Photo Harry Proctor
We had reached the end of the show with (appropriately) The Parting Glass, which began with a moving, contemplative duet from alto Nia Edwards and soprano Eva Jones. The final words, ‘Good night and joy be to you all’, rang true. The evening ended with an encore, a heartfelt version of Auld Lang Syne, which brought new meaning to the words that are often mumbled and forgotten when sung in other contexts.
So ended another delightful evening with the Apex Singers. It would not be easy to find another ensemble as happy to perform together. Their joyful singing and warmth washed over the audience, embracing us, and they wore their virtuosity very lightly. The atmosphere was relaxed and intimate, and they made very genial hosts. Lambert’s skilful arrangements took us around the world and to different eras, but always with his unique stamp. Christmas came early to Manchester this year.
Performers
Ardú
The Apex Singers: Lydia Wonham, Eva Jones soprano Nia Edwards, Issie Turner alto Douglas Lloyd, Michael Colman tenor George Lowe, Elliott Maxwell-Hodkinson bass
Ollie Lambert Founder & Artistic Director
This review was updated at 20.57 on 15 December 2025 to correct a few minor factual errors.
Last year marked the 30th anniversary of the death of my father, John Charles Holmes, under whose benign and loving influence I developed a lifelong passion for music. He was the choirmaster and organist of the local church choir. I joined his choir at the age of six and went on to sing with several ensembles, including the choirs of Exeter and Worcester Colleges in Oxford, the BBC Symphony Chorus, the Hallé Choir and the John Powell Singers. Whenever I visit an English cathedral city, I always try to go to choral evensong, which remains part of the great choral tradition that has produced many great classical singers. Although it’s a while since I sang in public, I still appreciate choral music and several highlights of 2024 featured choirs.
I was honoured to be invited to review concerts by the superb Philharmonia Orchestra in London. I enjoyed Elgar’s choral masterpiece, The Dream of Gerontius, with a premiere of a wonderfully evocative new piece, Cusp, by the baritone and composer Roderick Williams, which describes end-of-life experiences in a powerful libretto by Rommi Smith. Another moving libretto, with war poems by Wilfred Owen, featured in another stunning concert by the Philharmonia with The Bach Choir in Britten’s War Requiem. The orchestra joined forces with Garsington Opera for a joyful, semi-staged performance of another Britten piece, his opera A Midsummer Night’s Dream conducted by Douglas Boyd at the BBC Proms.
The Bach Choir and the Philharmonia. Image credit Andy Paradise
David Hill conducted both of the concerts by the Bach Choir. He appeared at Manchester’s Stoller Hall in another guise as conductor of Bach’s Mass in B Minor with the young student forces of Yale Schola Cantorum and Juilliard415, who brought joy and precision to a performance which seemed to reveal Bach’s soul in all its intellectual and spiritual glory. That weekend was very special for music-making in Manchester, as the previous day was the end of an era as Sir Mark Elder ended his tenure as Hallé Music Director, a position he held for nearly a quarter of a century. His final concert included the European premiere of James MacMillan‘s splendid new choral piece Timotheus, Bacchus and Cecilia, a performance of Mahler’s Fifth Symphony, and a passionate, moving speech by Sir Mark. He is replaced by new Principal Conductor Kahchun Wong from Singapore, who I have only seen once so far, conducting a lively Rush Hour Concert in October in Tan Dun’s Violin Concerto: Fire Ritual and Stravinsky’s Firebird: Suite. He seems to be a bright prospect with an engaging stage presence.
I made two choral discoveries in Manchester in 2024. Firstly, The Apex Singers, a Manchester-based chamber choir of eight voices, founded and directed by Ollie Lambert, who directs this young choir remotely in his stunning folk song arrangements. Then Kantos Chamber Choir, under their conductor Ellie Slorach, brought Behold The Sea, a bold and innovative programme of maritime music to the Stoller Hall. I also discovered the fascinatingly intense music of Tim Benjamin, whose evocative pieces The Seafarer and The Wanderer were beautifully recorded by Kantos Chamber Choir.
Manchester Collective and SANSARA in Rothko Chapel
There were more fantastic chamber music performances from Manchester Collective, who I have seen perform live probably eight or ten times in the last few years, at all sizes and shapes of venues from Salford’s White Hotel to the RNCM, the Stoller Hall, the Bridgewater Hall and even the Royal Albert Hall. The Collective makes choosing to go to one of their concerts an easy decision, as it’s guaranteed there will be high-quality music-making, inspired programming and fascinating collaborations. I saw them twice in 2024, first in the uplifting Rothko Chapel with SANSARA chamber choir at the Bridgewater Hall, then in Sirocco with the force of nature that is the cellist Abel Selaocoe at the Stoller Hall. Both concerts brought deep, life-affirming joy across time and genres.
I spent the August Bank Holiday weekend in the charming market town Southwell in the heart of Nottinghamshire, enjoying the delights of the tenth annual Southwell Music Festival directed by the indefatigable baritone and conductor Marcus Farnsworth. There was supreme artistry in all the concerts, not least from the artist in residence, Mark Padmore, whose word painting in his Recital of English Song with pianist Libby Burgess was astonishing. There was new music from Martin Bussey and Gemma Bass and a world premiere of With What Sudden Joy by Cheryl Frances-Hoad, with a text compiled by the poet Kate Wakeling from words of local people in Southwell about the power and effect of music.
The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra were on excellent form as well in 2024. Early in the year, under conductor Nicholas Kraemer they were joined by Manchester Chamber Choir in a moving and dramatic interpretation of Bach’s St John Passion, 300 years after the first performance. In the Proms the orchestra under John Storgårds (Chief Conductor) played a searing version of Shostakovich’s fourth symphony, and Cassandra Miller‘s viola concerto I cannot love without trembling with Lawrence Power a remarkable soloist. The next evening, they performed Messiaen’s remarkable Turangalîla-Symphonie with pianist an Steven Osborne an energetic and compelling piano soloist. Osborne was stunning in another Messiaen work, Des canyons aux étoiles… with conductor Ludovic Morlot and outstanding solo contributions from Martin Owen (horn), Paul Patrick (xylorimba) and Tim Williams (glockenspiel) in a concert that also featured a lively wind machine and an instrument invented by the composer himself, the geophone.
The BBC Philharmonic also shone in two themed concerts. In Mischief and Magic, the orchestra under John Storgårds played one of the best live performances of Stravinsky’s Petrushka I have ever heard, and veteran Swedish trumpeter Håkan Hardenberger brought incredible virtuosity and great charm to Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto and Betsy Jolas’ Onze Lieder, and a warm arrangement of Joni Mitchell’s Both Sides, Now. In A Hero’s Life the orchestra under Alpesh Chauhan celebrated the human spirit with: Richard Strauss’ description of a heroic life; Alban Gerhardt‘s fiercely dedicated performance of Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 2; and the UK premiere of This Moment by Anna Clyne, inspired by Buddhist writings and Mozart.
Peter Kirk as Lysander, Siân Griffiths as Hermia, Camilla Harris as Helena and James Newby as Demetrius in Opera North’s Midsummer Night’s Dream. Photo credit: Richard H Smith
Not content with one production of Britten’s opera A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the year brought a second one, this time a fully-staged version by Opera North. It was fascinating to compare the production with the Garsington/Philharmonia version a month earlier at the Proms. The most striking difference was the role of Oberon, played in Leeds by countertenor James Laing. He played the character in the more imperious style of James Bowman in Peter Hall’s Glyndebourne production from the early 1980s, rather than the more troubled, argumentative character played by Iestyn Davies in the Garsington version. Opera North also revived Mozart’s Magic Flute, starring Emyr Wyn Jones as a very human Papageno. The lovely, warm rich tones of his voice matched the warmth of his personality.
Musical polymath Nitin Sawhney – producer, performer, and composer – joined the Hallé Orchestra for The Hallé and Nitin Sawhney in Concert. Last year wasn’t a good year for Sawhney – in early March, he announced that ‘out of nowhere’ he had suffered a heart attack.
ComposerNitin Sawhney in conversation with broadcaster Nikki Bedi. Image credit: Hallé/David Hughes
Sawhney turned this experience into a new work for orchestra, Heart Suite. In this highly descriptive and powerful new piece, Sawhney drew on his vast experience as a film composer, taking us on a vivid, moving and immersive journey. On a personal note, I hope you will forgive me for quoting his lovely response on the new social network Bluesky to my review of the concert:
Finally,I would like to thank all my readers for sharing my musical journey in 2024. I hope you will join me again for more adventures in 2025.
A delightful evening of gorgeous a cappella singing
The Apex Singers are a Manchester-based chamber choir of eight voices, founded and directed by Ollie Lambert. Unfortunately, one of the tenors was ill at short notice so last Friday’s stunning a cappella performance at Waterside Arts Centre in Sale was given by seven singers. This meant a lot of last-minute re-arranging and rehearsing to close the gap, but it was done so seamlessly that it was impossible to tell what musical surgery had been done. The choir was helped by the fact that many of the arrangements are for smaller forces, but more importantly by the fact that all the singers are confident soloists who can easily hold a line.
One of the most striking aspects of the performance was that Lambert wasn’t in evidence on stage, but the choir was able to start each song without a conductor or even a starting note. It turned out that Lambert himself was still in control, like some benign deus ex machina from an ancient Greek drama, providing a feed into each singer’s ear with the starting note of each piece, a short click track count-in and even the name of the song to avoid accidents. Each singer was amplified, so he was also providing a well-balanced sound mix. But the singers themselves did most of the work, singing all the complex arrangements without music (although some of the arrangements have been published), listening intently to each other to create superb ensemble singing.
It’s difficult to categorise the Apex Singers, which is perhaps the point. There’s sometimes an element of the Swingle Singers in the arrangements, but Lambert tends to focus more on the folky aspects of the original songs while adding some lovely ornamentation. It’s fascinating to compare the Apex Singers’ version of The Wayfaring Stranger with the much more florid version by The Swingle Singers:
The Wayfaring Stranger performed by The Apex Singers
Poor Wayfaring Stranger performed by The Swingle Singers
Lambert’s arrangements retain the songs’ emotional honesty and directness, while tickling the intellect with their imagination and musicality. The singers tread a course between a classical chamber choir and folksingers, limiting the amount of vibrato in each voice and not venturing into historically informed folk performance, creating a thoroughly engaging listen.
Most of the songs came from the choir’s first two studio albums, Hiraeth (2020) and Stravaig (2022), although there were a few tasters from the Singers’ forthcoming album Woven, the first of entirely original compositions. The choir’s aim is to bring lesser-known repertoire to the public, which they certainly achieve, but highlights from the first half included a gorgeously chromatic arrangement of Scarborough Fair, opening with a honey-voiced solo from tenor Matthew Burns. There was beautiful close harmony in The Banks of The Roses, and an amusing debate after the song as whether the Scottish or Irish version of the song had more bloodshed! In Down to the River to Pray, Katie Emanuel revealed a soulful voice with a gospel tinge. The first half ended with a moving sequence, starting with a new composition, Hollow, a collaboration between Lambert and alto Niamh Feeney drawn from their shared experience of sadly losing grandparents. This was followed by the contemplative, folky Twenty Bold Mariners. The final song was another new piece by Lambert, Da la Da, a song without words using phonics only. The Singers were joined for this by several singers from the audience who had taken part in a workshop earlier that day. The soprano Lydia Wonham introduced it as a piece for ‘dancing in a meadow’. The new song had a lovely, lilting falling melody and chromatic harmony, making it a perfect fit for the folk song arrangements we heard earlier.
The second half began with a lively version of Leaving of Liverpool with an appealing solo from George Lowe. At one point the singers sang in unison which was an almost visceral shock after hearing their voices weave around each other. The singers also began to relax more in the second half, chatting to the audience and with each other, talking about fish and chips and asking if anyone was from Urmston. It became increasingly difficult to pick out highlights from the 10-song set. But of particular note was the French Love Song Montagne Que Tu Es Haute sung in immaculate French by the four sopranos and altos, passing the melody around, with achingly beautiful harmonies, and – appropriately – a touch of the French composer Francis Poulenc. The next song Homeward Bound – the first arrangement Lambert completed for the choir – had a touch of the English composers of the choral tradition such as Vaughan Williams. The choir ably negotiated the twisting harmonies and key changes, remaining in perfect tune. A new version of Golden Slumbers featured a looping technique. The perfect loop has to be recorded, via the mixing desk, so the singers can accompany themselves – even the slightest glitch can ruin the loop. Apparently, it took three attempts to create a loop in Lancaster earlier in the week, but this time it passed without incident, turning voices into electronic instruments. The set ended with an elegiac farewell, the poignant song The Parting Glass leaving us with a pensive final chord. Fortunately there was a very ‘unexpected’ encore, a jolly version of The Rambling Rover which brought enthusiastic applause. The only slight disappointment was that the venue wasn’t full – the choir deserve to be playing to packed houses. They deliver Lambert’s attractive arrangements of memorable melodies with excellent choral ensemble work, warmth and chemistry between the singers, lovely solos and an engaging sense of humour. This was a delightful evening, the end of their latest tour – hopefully we will get to hear them performing live again soon.
Performers
Lydia Wonham, soprano
Sophie Proctor, soprano
Katie Emanuel, alto
Niamh Feeney, alto
Matthew Burns, tenor
George Lowe, bass
Elliot Maxwell-Hodkinson, bass
Ollie Lambert, founder, artistic director and arranger
