Bristol Beacon set to welcome 'Incredible' orchestral programme

Bristol City Council owns the concert hall, which has been closed since 2018

World-renowned musicians and conductors will come to Bristol Beacon in its first orchestral season after reopening.

The programme will feature three world premieres as well visits from conducting greats.

Formerly known as Colston Hall, the Victorian venue has been closed since 2018 for a five-year £132m rebuild.

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (BSO) will open the season in December with a new work dedicated to the venue.

Called 'Beacons', it was written by British composer Mark Anthony Turnage.

Conductor Kirill Karabits will lead the BSO, as the orchestra also performs works by Shostakovich, Beethoven and Stravinsky.

Kiril Karabits will lead the BSO in the first classical concert in the newly reopened Beacon Hall

Other notable performances will be by the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO), The Hallé, The Royal Philharmonic and Royal Northern Sinfonia.

This will be the inaugural season for Sir Antonio Pappano as Chief Conductor Designate of the LSO, and Kirill Karabits will be in his final season as Chief Conductor of the BSO.

Sir Mark Elder CH CBE will be completing his final season after 23 years as Music Director of The Hallé.

Sir Mark Elder will complete his final season after 23 years at The Halle

The Bristol Beacon is due to reopen on 30 November after a refurbishment that has cost £132m, nearly three times the original estimate.

Originally opened in 1867, it is owned by Bristol City Council and run by Bristol Music Charity.

The refurbishment has seen improvements to its performance spaces and capacity expanded, with the main hall able to hold 2,000 people, the Lantern Hall 500 and the previously unused Weston Cellar 200 people.

The orchestral programme will feature well-known artists like Alison Balsom

"Revealing the first orchestral season for our newly transformed Beacon Hall is a very special moment for us" said Louise Mitchell CBE, Chief Executive of Bristol Beacon.

"We are looking forward to welcoming audiences to experience world-class music reverberate around the improved acoustics of our wonderful auditorium Beacon Hall, in 21st century levels of comfort.

"We are also honoured to host conductors and orchestras who have played such a huge part of our musical history to date."

The programme revealed so far has seven different orchestras performing from December 2023 through to June 2024.