Handel’s Messiah Returns to St George’s Hall in Celebration of Bradford’s Musical Heritage
November 4, 2025Bradford Festival Choral Society (BFCS) is set to return to St George’s Hall this autumn with a performance of Handel’s Messiah, reviving a tradition that dates back nearly 170 years.
Scheduled for Saturday the 15th of November 2025 at 7pm, the concert brings together local musicians, period-instrument ensemble Baroque in the North, and a line-up of professional soloists to perform the Watkins-Shaw edition of Messiah, so named for the editor: Bradford-born Handel scholar Harold Watkins Shaw.
Messiah has held a long-standing place in the city’s musical life since BFCS first performed it in 1856, just three years after the opening of St George’s Hall. It has remained a touchstone of Bradford’s cultural calendar for generations, connecting local audiences with a wider choral tradition.
Speaking about the piece, Thomas Leech, Musical Director of Bradford Festival Choral Society stated:
“Messiah has been part of Bradford’s story since the Victorian era. Every time we perform it, we’re joining hands with the generations who’ve sung and heard it here before us. It’s an act of civic pride as much as musical performance.”
The choir recently performed as part of the Bradford Gala event marking the West Yorkshire premiere of Alan Bennett’s The Choral, and the upcoming Messiah performance is seen as a continuation of the choir’s role in the city’s musical and cultural landscape.
Event information:
Date: Saturday the 15th of November 2025
Time: 7:00pm
Venue: St George’s Hall, Bradford
Tickets: £18–£36, with concessions available for students and low-income audience members – Book yours via the Bradford Theatre’s website
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