What's on
Booking info
Your Visit
History
Contact
This season, the Bardi Symphony Orchestra invites you to celebrate 40 years of being a leading force for classical music in Leicester.
Their exciting new season will see them return with four conductors, each bringing something new to the orchestra, including audience favourite Jonathan Lo, film music expert George Morton, rising star Agata Zając, and cello virtuoso turned conductor Leonard Elschenbroich.
The 40th anniversary programme will cover cinematic hits, classical favourites, including Elgar’s Cello Concerto, soaring ballet themes, and even introduce a new commission specifically for the 40th Anniversary! 🎵
Truly comparable with the best orchestras in the capital, the Bardi Symphony Orchestra prioritise creating exciting concerts with an infectious energy, sure to delight everyone in the audience!
Multi-buy discounts are available! Book three concerts and save 10%, or book all four concerts and save 15%! This is automatically applied at checkout.
The Greatest Movie Themes Sunday 4 October 2026, 3pm
George Morton conductor
Tickets £26 £23 £19
Seniors/Unemployed £24.50 £21.50 £17.50
Students/18 and under £6
Strictly ages 5+
Join the Bardi for an afternoon at the movies as the Orchestra takes you on a journey though the history of film music. From the stirring themes of John Williams’s E.T. and Superman, via the iconic and unmistakable music from the James Bond films, the terrifying sounds of Psycho, and the swashbuckling Pirates of the Caribbean and The Sea Hawk, to the folk-inspired joy of How To Train Your Dragon, the expansive Out of Africa, and the quiet tenderness of the theme from Chocolat – there is something for everyone in this concert!
40th Anniversary Concert Sunday 29 November 2026, 3pm
Jonathan Lo conductor
Thomas Kelly piano
GERSHWIN Cuban Overture
RACHMANINOV Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
MOTTRAM 40th Anniversary Commission
ELGAR Enigma Variations
Tickets £26 £23 £19
Seniors/Unemployed £24.50 £21.50 £17.50
Students/18 and under £6
Strictly ages 5+
Audience favourite Jonathan Lo returns to the Bardi for the Orchestra’s 40th Anniversary Concert exploring friendship and joy in music.
As each movement is inspired by one of Elgar’s friends, Jonathan specifically chose the Enigma Variations for this concert to celebrate friendship rooted in music, which he rightly sees as one of the foundations of the Bardi Symphony Orchestra.
The Elgar is mirrored by Rachmaninov’s sparkling variations in his Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini in the first half, with Liszt Piano Competition finalist Thomas Kelly as soloist. Gershwin’s Cuban Overture will give the concert a swinging start, while a newly commissioned celebratory work by Paul Mottram – one of the Orchestra’s first violinists and an acclaimed composer for television and film – completes what promises to be a truly special occasion.
Elgar Cello Concerto Sunday 21 March 2027, 3pm
Agata Zając conductor
Jonathan Aasgaard cello
BACEWICZ Overture
ELGAR Cello Concerto
SIBELIUS Symphony No. 5
Tickets £26 £23 £19
Seniors/Unemployed £24.50 £21.50 £17.50
Students/18 and under £6
Strictly ages 5+
The fast-paced Overture by Grażyna Bacewicz gives a rousing start to this concert before we enjoy one of the best-loved works in the history of classical music: Elgar’s Cello Concerto. Performed by sublime cellist Jonathan Aasgaard, who will be recording the concerto with John Wilson and the Sinfonia of London shortly afterwards, this promises to be an outstanding performance.
The second half of this concert features Sibelius’s spectacular Fifth Symphony, a striking work inspired by swans flying over a lake that showcases the composer’s unique mix of tradition and experimentation in his music.
Rising star Agata Zając will conduct this enjoyable concert of classics.
Swan Lake and Petrushka Sunday 23 May 2027, 3pm
Leonard Elschenbroich conductor
PROKOFIEV Lieutenant Kijé Suite
TCHAIKOVSKY Swan Lake Suite
STRAVINSKY Petrushka
Tickets £26 £23 £19
Seniors/Unemployed £24.50 £21.50 £17.50
Students/18 and under £6
Strictly ages 5+
Star cello soloist turned conductor Leonard Elschenbroich joins the Bardi for this programme exploring How music can tell stories.
The suite taken from Prokofiev’s music for Lieutenant Kijé, one of the earliest sound films ever made in the USSR, is full of character and lyricism. Following this, the music from Tchaikovsky’s ballet Swan Lake is some of the best-loved and best-known music in the repertoire, beautifully depicting a tragic story of love.
This thought-provoking exploration of musical storytelling is completed in the second half of the concert by Stravinsky’s energetic music to the ballet Petrushka, which follows the lives of three puppets and is an entertaining tragic comedy full of a sense of chaos and mischief.