Events

No tickets are required and admission is free. However, there will be a voluntary retiring collection

Glinka - Overture to Ruslan and Ludmilla 7'
Rachmaninov - Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini 26'
Shostakovich - Symphony No. 5 52’

Kenneth Woods - conductor
Ryan Wang - piano

Glinka’s fiery and virtuosic Overture to Ruslan and Ludmilla sets the stage for an evening that sees the ESO traversing two monumental Russian works of the 1930s. Rachmaninov crowned his unique cycle of works for piano and orchestra with his 1934 Rhapsody, a work with the kind of abundance of melodic riches and virtuosic thrills in which Rachmaninov remains without peer.

Composed only three years later, Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony emerged from the darkest days of Stalinist repression and is, in the view of many music lovers worldwide, the definitive symphony of the 20th Century.

Canadian pianist Ryan Wang was the BBC Young Musician winner in 2024 and the youngest performer ever to feature in Classic FM’s ‘30 under 30’ list in 2023.

ESO has introduced the new ESO Insight Series. These relaxed, engaging pre‑performance conversations offer a closer look at the stories, ideas, and creative voices behind each programme. Led by the musicians and composers who shape their performances, the Insight Series invites you to arrive a little earlier, at 6.30pm, settle in, and enjoy a more connected start to your evening with the ESO. Free to ticket holders and no need to book.

George Dyson - The Canterbury Pilgrims

Orchestra - Bristol Ensemble
Conductor - Simon Bell
Soloists - Felicity Tomkins (soprano)
                    Thomas Elwin (tenor)
                    Felix Kemp (bass)

No tickets are required and admission is free. However, there will be a voluntary retiring collection

The programme will include traditional Carols plus

Gaspar Fernandez - Xicochi Conetzintle, a 14th Century piece sung in Nahuati, an indigenous language from Central America.
Christopher Tye - A Sound of Angels, a 14th Century English piece 
Gedicht von Martin Boelitz and Max Reger - Maria Wiegenlied, a German piece 
Nino Lindo, a traditional Venezuelan Carol translated to English.

Entry and refreshments are all free but there will be a retiring collection towards the work of the Minster Singers.

No tickets are required and admission is free. However, there will be a voluntary retiring collection

Adrian Partington - Gloucester Cathedral
No tickets are required and admission is free with a retiring collection.

Make We Joy Now

A seasonal celebration exploring texts and settings from the medieval to the contemporary classical, including Poulenc’s ‘Quatre motets pour le temps de Noël’; and pieces by Byrd; Walton; Warlock; Bob Chilcott; Elizabeth Poston and Adrian Peacock

With their line-up of just one soprano, one mezzo-soprano, two tenors and a bass, APOLLO5 are one of the UK’s smallest but most critically acclaimed vocal ensembles. Formed in 2011 and with a repertoire that spans over 500 years of music, they inhabit and communicate a sound-world of extraordinary intimacy and intensity.

Berlioz - Beatrice et Benedict Overture
Elgar - Cello Concerto
Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 5
Soloist - Kirsten Jenson
Conductor - Tom Gauterin