Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra & Chorus

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra & Chorus are back at Beacon Hall on Thursday 18 March 2027, with the concert starting at 19:00. They're led by Principal Conductor Mark Wigglesworth, and the whole night is part of 'Beethoven Now', a season that takes the BSO and Wigglesworth on a chronological journey through Beethoven's symphonies. It's a long-haul project: eight concerts spread across the 2026/27 season and into the first half of 2027/28, with extra events that look at Beethoven beyond the music.

This particular programme is built around the bicentenary of the composer's death in March 1827. The first half is the Cantata on the Death of Emperor Josef II, sung in German with a printed English translation for the audience. The second is Symphony No. 3 'Eroica', one of the most famous works in the orchestral repertoire. Between them, you've got the BSO and the chorus working together on the cantata, then the orchestra taking over for the symphony.

There's a bit more to the evening than just the music on stage. Pre-concert talks are given by conductor, music educator, writer and presenter Jonathan James, who introduces the works, interviews orchestra members and demystifies the creative process. And if you can't make it in person, patients in the city's central hospitals can hear a live broadcast of the concert on Hospital Radio for Bristol. The BSO is the Orchestra in Residence at Bristol Beacon, and the hall itself re-opened in 2023 after extensive refurbishment, home to the Britton Organ.

Tickets run from £10.00 to £58.00 across five price bands: Premium £58.00, Band A £50.00, Band B £37.00, Band C £26.00, Band D £16.00, and U26s at £10.00. The concert is at Beacon Hall, Bristol Beacon, Trenchard Street, Bristol, BS1 5AR, on Thursday 18 March 2027, starting at 19:00.