School Concert Trips to Book for 2025-26

Do you ever find yourself teaching a set work and thinking: if only they could hear this being performed live? It’s one thing watching a Youtube video or listening to a Spotify recording, but something else completely to take students to a concert hall and give them the opportunity to experience live music. And to this end, some of the most well-known professional orchestras in the UK organise concerts specifically aimed at school students. They have compiled programmes relating directly to set works, or to provide an engaging orchestral experience for young people. The tickets for these concerts are usually free or discounted.

In this post, I’ve compiled the details of some brilliant UK school concert trips and events, by region, coming up in 2025-26. I hope there will be something here that you will be able to attend and enjoy with your students.

Every effort has been made to provide correct information but please do check individual orchestra web pages for dates, prices and programme details.

1. Hallé Orchestra (North West)

“The Orchestra Through the Ages’ takes pupils on a guided tour of music from the Renaissance to the twenty first century. Featuring a number of orchestral pieces from the AQA, OCR, WJEC and Edexcel syllabi for GCSE and A-level music, the concert demonstrates the development of the symphony orchestra with a brief history and musical analysis of some key pieces.”

2. Royal Liverpool Philharmonic (North West)

“Earth, 2026. Aliens arrive on our planet and try to work one thing out: what matters most to humans?   

Today, alongside conductor Mike Seal, presenter Alasdair Malloy and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, we’ll help to answer that question. Music is used to deliver big ideas and essential messages to people all around the world, and in this concert, we’ll discover music that takes on important topics – everything from conservation and the environment to the rights of children across the globe. We’ll see how composers have used their works to share information, and learn all about the challenges facing the planet we call home.”

Please note that in 2026, all eight concerts will be aimed at children across Key Stages 2 and 3, linking to curriculum topics from both key stages. We recommend these concerts are most suitable for children in school years 3-7.

3. City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (West Midlands)

Concert: Details not yet released

Please check the CBSO website regularly to find details of their schools concerts.

Location: Symphony Hall, Birmingham

Cost: KS 1, 2 and 3 Schools’ Concerts are £5 per ticket, and 2 free tickets per school are available for groups of 20+

KS3 concerts are FREE for all Year 7 pupils of Birmingham State Schools thanks to the CBSO partnership with Services for Education.

4. London Symphony Orchestra (London)

Concert: Various KS1, 2 and 3 concerts. Click here for more details.

Date and time: Secondary concert (Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra): Wednesday 11 March 2026 10:40am and 12 noon. Click here for KS1 and 2 concert dates.

Location: Barbican Concert Hall, London

5. London Philharmonic Orchestra (London)

Concert: “GCSE Bright Sparks Concert“

Date and time: Thursday 6 November 2025

Cost: Sign up the mailing list for details of when tickets are released and cost.

Location: Royal Festival Hall. London

Website: https://www.lpo.org.uk/education/brightsparks-concerts.html

“Our BrightSparks concerts are inspiring live experiences for school audiences from Key Stage 1 all the way up to A Level. Each year we perform for around 10,000 students at our Southbank Centre home and at the Congress Theatre in Eastbourne, with the chosen music and engaging presentation designed especially for school audiences. Concerts include a presenter breaking down the music in a fun and engaging way, and a big screen behind the Orchestra picks out key elements from the music or story.

Often this is the first time students will have encountered the thrill of a live orchestra, and it’s sure to be an unforgettable experience!”

6. Royal Opera House (London)

“Spark your students’ imaginations by joining other schools across the country at London’s iconic Royal Opera House, and experience incredible opera or ballet productions for only £7.50 with travel grants available. “

7. English National Opera (London)

ENO’s School Membership Scheme is open to all schools across the country. At the English National Opera we are passionate about making opera accessible to all.

The school membership scheme is completely free and offers exclusive benefits including access to:

• Termly newsletters, announcing: upcoming events, competitions and priority booking for ENO Engage programmes and activities
• Free Ticket Offers for each ENO production
• Pre-show talks, events, workshops and tours of the London Coliseum
• Free Teacher CPD training and resources (both online and in-person)

Venue: London Coliseum in St Martin’s Lane

8. Welsh National Opera (Wales & South East)

Concert: WNO Schools Concert

“Our free concert aims to inspire and increase love of music and creativity for pupils from year 3 to 7. This year the audience will be encouraged to use their singing voice, turn on their listening ears and delve into the vibrant world of birds!

Fun, lively and engaging, expect popular hits and less familiar pieces from opera, film, and television, brought to life by the world class WNO Orchestra and a group of sensational soloists. The perfect opportunity to hear and enjoy live music, up close and personal, in a relaxed setting.
 
Our live Schools Concerts are designed to support the Curriculum for Wales and National Curriculum in England and augmented by a free resource pack for teachers to support classroom learning before and after the concert (available online from September 2025).”

Dates and times:

• Friday 26 September 2025 – Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff 12pm
• Wednesday 1 October 2025 – Mayflower Theatre, Southampton 12pm
• Thursday 9 October 2025 – Venue Cymru, Llandudno 12pm
• Thursday 16 October 2025 – Bristol Hippodrome, Bristol 12pm

Cost: Free

Location: Cardiff, Llandudno, Southampton and Bristol

Click here for the WNO website

9. Ulster Orchestra (Northern Ireland)

Event: Ulster Orchestra Schools Concert (KS2)

Date and time: see venues below. All concerts start at 11am.

• Tuesday 11 November 2025, Strule Arts Centre, Omagh
• Wednesday 12 November 2025, Millennium Forum, Derry~Londonderry      
• Thursday 13 November 2025, Ballymena North Recreation Centre    
• Friday 14 November 2025, Newry Leisure Centre    
• Monday 17 November 2025, Waterfront Hall, Belfast 

Cost: £6; teachers go free

Location: various, see above.

Click here for the Ulster Orchestra website

“This was the best trip ever!” Pupil, 2023 Schools Concert

“It was unexpectedly educational – a whole term’s worth of music lessons within an hour!” Teacher, 2022 Schools Concert

10. Royal Scottish National Orchestra (Scotland)

Concert: Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Film screening with live orchestral performance.

Date and time: 19-20 September 2025

Location: Usher Hall, Edinburgh and Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow

Price: discounts available for under 18s – contact the box office for details.

See full RSNO concert season for other concerts.

11. Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (South West)

Concerts: details of schools concerts not available at time of writing. Please check the website for updates.

Click here for full BSO Concert Season

Location: Lighthouse, Poole

Price: Contact the box office for concessions tickets

12. Opera North (West Yorkshire, North West, Tyneside, Midlands)

Concerts: Various – see below for details

Date and time:

• The Big Opera Mystery (for 5-12 years) 25 Oct – 22 Nov 2025
• Kirklees Concert Season ongoing from 8 September 2025 – see website (discounts available for students)

Cost: see Opera North website for price details

Locations: Theatre Royal, Nottingham; The Lowry, Salford Quays, Newcastle Theatre Royal, Leeds Grand Theatre, Huddersfield Town Hall, Dewsbury Town Hall

Click here for website