Crafting a new season

What goes into creating a Manchester Baroque season?

For our Artistic Director and Leader, Prof. Dr Pauline Nobes, one of the most important ingredients is variety.

From familiar masterpieces to rarely heard instruments, forgotten manuscripts and music with fascinating connections to Manchester, our 2026/27 season brings together different styles, nationalities and stories from across the Baroque era.

We asked Pauline to share some of the things she's particularly looking forward to this season…

When I sit down to plan a new season for Manchester Baroque, one of my top priorities is to keep variety. Exploring the full spectrum of the Baroque era is one component. Following the wonderful response to last season’s early Italian programme, Phantasticus, I’m now looking forward to venture into the elegant galant style. We spotlight music by Joseph Haydn composed for his own, almost forgotten, favourite instrument, the Baryton. Haydn’s much-loved instrument features in our Intimate Notes programme ‘Going Galant’.

I’m also pleased to introduce one of the Vivaldi concerto-transcriptions preserved in ‘Anne Dawson’s Book’. This is an 18th-century manuscript-collection of keyboard works. Although it is unclear whether Dawson was the transcriber and arranger of the Vivaldi pieces and/or a skilled or interested performer or simply the owner of the volume, the book deserves to be celebrated: not only for its connection to a mysterious female musician of the period, but also because this 1716 collection, hailed as one of the most important British Baroque keyboard manuscripts, is housed here in Manchester in the Henry Watson Music Library.

This season also brings a very exciting personal milestone. We are over the half-way mark performing the reconstruction programmes Musick in Manchester 1744/45. It will be another concert full of the variety we’ve come to expect from these sixteen historical programmes, and spotlights the illustrious Germans Handel and Hasse, the Italians Corelli and Geminiani, together with a ‘cantata’ and ‘solo on the violin’ sourced from my favourite English Gems.

Including a variety of musical nationalities is again an important factor for me. Works featured in the chamber music programme ‘Baroque Influencers in France and Italy’ contrast beautifully with the sweeping, large-scale choral works by renowned German composers Handel and Bach.

For the first time we feature a countertenor voice in our concert programmes. This invites adding some more music by 17th-century English composer Henry Purcell, whilst providing a solo opportunity for another talented early career performer.

Finally, I’m particularly looking forward to another of Johann Sebastian Bach’s renowned Brandenburg concertos. Performing Brandenburg No 4 brings us over another half-way mark as we continue to programme and bring all six of these fabulous compositions to our Manchester stage.

I look forward to sharing next season’s concerts with you!

Pauline