RTÉ Concert Orchestra Nov/Dec 2025

The Nutcracker, Julie Andrews 90th Birthday Celebration, 2fm Breakfast Live and more

Collaborations with RTÉ Radio 1’s Sunday Miscellany (2 December) and RTÉ 2FM’s Late Breakfast (9 December)
A 90th birthday tribute to Julie Andrews in Limerick and Dublin (28 and 29 November)
Seasonal favourites The Nutcracker (10–15 November), performances of Messiah in Mayo (22 November) and Dublin (10 & 11 December), a Christmas concert with Celine Byrne (14 December) and a live score screening of Love Actually (20 December)
Welcoming in 2026 in style, Guy Barker conducts a New Year’s Eve celebration of a century of song, swing and soul (31 December)

The Nutcracker

State Ballet of Georgia
RTÉ Concert Orchestra
Levan Jagaev conductor
Monday 10–Saturday 15 November, 7.30pm with Wednesday and Saturday matinees, 2.30pm, Bord Gáis Energy Theatre
Don’t miss the magic of The Nutcracker presented by the acclaimed State Ballet of Georgia accompanied by the RTÉ Concert Orchestra.
This production brings Tchaikovsky’s enchanting score to life with breathtaking precision, wonder and heartwarming emotion. Audiences will be transported to a dreamlike world of dancing snowflakes, the Sugar Plum Fairy, and the brave Nutcracker Prince, with dazzling choreography and stunning costumes.
The State Ballet of Georgia’s world-class dancers, combined with Tchaikovsky’s rich music performed live by the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, create a truly unforgettable experience. From the iconic Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy to the vibrant Waltz of the Flowers, every moment is a visual feast for the senses.
Perfect for audiences of all ages (recommended over 5), The Nutcracker is a timeless tradition that captures the wonder and joy of the festive season.
“Tender, graceful dancing… Exquisite” – Daily Telegraph, London – Aug 2024
Tickets: €45–€119 plus booking fees, here

Messiah at Knock Basilica

Saturday 22 November, 7.30pm
RTÉ Concert Orchestra
Resurgam
Nicholas Chalmers conductor
Aoife Miskelly soprano • Anne Marie Gibbons mezzo soprano • Andrew Gavin tenor • Rory Musgrave baritone
Handel’s Messiah returns with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, renowned soloists and Resurgam vocal ensemble. Joy, power and musical glory!
Following unprecedented sell-out performances of Messiah at the Knock Basilica in 2017 and 2018, the trumpet shall sound once again for this third performance at the Basilica of the world’s most famous and beloved oratorio. Overflowing with stunning choruses and arias, thundering timpani and blazing trumpets, the  Messiah energises audiences and leaves them singing ‘Hallelujah’.
Tickets: €27-€32 plus booking fees, here

Julie Andrews: A 90th Birthday Celebration

Friday 28 November, 7.30pm, University Concert Hall, Limerick
Saturday 29 November, The Helix, Dublin, 7pm
RTÉ Concert Orchestra
Richard Balcombe conductor
Graham Bickley, Katie Birtill & Kelly Mathieson vocalists
Dame Julie Andrews has enjoyed a career spanning seven decades. She is a multi-award-winning actor and singer, with an Academy Award, a BAFTA, two Emmys, three Grammys and six Golden Globe awards. Having first appeared in London’s West End in 1948, she rose to prominence on Broadway in The Boyfriend in 1954, followed by My Fair Lady and Camelot. She made her feature film debut in Mary Poppins, winning the Academy Award for Best Actress, and followed that success with a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in The Sound Of Music.
In her 90th year, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra – joined by vocalists Graham Bickley, Katie Birtill and Kelly Mathieson – celebrate her long and varied career with an evening of music that will include so many songs we have all grown to love.
Tickets UCH: €20–€35 plus booking fees, here
Tickets The Helix: €15–€42.50 plus booking fees, here
Presented by the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and GRB Concerts

Sunday Miscellany Celebrates Christmas with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra

Tuesday 2 December, 8pm, National Concert Hall
RTÉ Concert Orchestra & guests
Palestrina Choir
Gavin Maloney conductor
Sunday Miscellany is a gem in the RTÉ Radio 1 schedule. Since the programme’s first broadcast in 1968, it has built its own space for listeners to escape to on Sunday morning, with the very best of new writing and complementary music.
In recent years, Sunday Miscellany and the RTÉ Concert Orchestra have come together to bring this magic to audiences in live Christmas concerts, creating a new, beloved seasonal tradition.
Each year an eclectic range of great musical artists and speakers join the RTÉ CO for an evening of music and creative writing at its best. This year’s line-up will include Paul Howard, Paul Muldoon, Joseph O’Connor, Eithne Shortall and John Toal, with musical guests Naomi Berrill, Lisa Lambe and the Palestrina Choir.
This concert will be featured in the RTÉ Radio 1 Christmas schedule.
Presented by the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and RTÉ Radio 1
Tickets: €15–€42.50 – sold out, returns only

RTÉ 2FM Late Breakfast Live with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra

Tuesday 9 December, 8pm, The Helix
RTÉ Concert Orchestra
Gavin Maloney conductor
Gavin James and Chubby Cat vocalists
Carl Mullan, Roz Purcell and Aisling Bonner presenters
Join RTÉ 2fm Breakfast hosts Carl Mullan, Roz Purcell and Aisling Bonner for your favourite morning show transformed into an evening of entertainment like never before! Enjoy tunes by Lola Young, Charli XCX, Billie Eilish, Alex Warren and more, all performed live by the RTÉ Concert Orchestra.
They’re conducted by Associate Principal Conductor Gavin Maloney, and joined by vocalists Gavin James and Chubby Cat, who will perform a selection of their own songs (including Gavin James’ Storm Warning and Chubby Cat’s My Boy), as well as chart-topping hits, duets and Christmas favourites.
Tickets: €15–€42.50 plus booking fees, here
Presented by RTÉ 2fm and the RTÉ Concert Orchestra

Handel’s Messiah

Wednesday 10 and Thursday 11 December, 8pm, National Concert Hall
RTÉ Concert Orchestra
Our Lady’s Choral Society 
Proinnsías Ó Duinn conductor
Ava Dodd soprano • Sarah Richmond mezzo-soprano • Robin Tritschler tenor • Padraic Rowan bass
In Our Lady’s Choral Society’s 80th anniversary year, the much-loved traditional performances of Handel’s Messiah with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and Proinnsías Ó Duinn.
Christmas starts here…to avoid disappointment early booking is advisable for these sell-out performances.
Tickets: €25–€38, here
Presented by Our Lady’s Choral Society

Celine’s Christmas Celebration

Sunday 14 December, 7.30pm, Bord Gáis Energy Theatre
RTÉ Concert Orchestra
David Brophy conductor
Celine Byrne soprano
After phenomenal performances in 2023 and 2024 at Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Celine Byrne once more joins the RTÉ Concert Orchestra under conductor David Brophy for a very special Christmas Celebration. A night of music that will warm the heart!
Tickets: From €41.10, here
Presented by CMS Marketing

Love Actually in Concert, with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra

Saturday 20 December, 7.30pm, Convention Centre
RTÉ Concert Orchestra
George Jackson conductor
Love Actually (2003), perhaps one of the most quotable and beloved Christmas films around, screened with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra playing the score live to film.
The score for Love Actually was written by Golden Globe®, BAFTA and Emmy-winning Scottish composer Craig Armstrong OBE, known for his work on films such as Me Before You, Moulin Rouge, Far From The Madding Crowd and Elizabeth: The Golden Age. The score and music for Love Actually is considered some of the most recognisable across the modern romcom genre, featuring covers of Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You and the Troggs’ Love Is all Around.
Written and directed by Richard Curtis, Love Actually follows 10 different stories of love around the festive period, many interweaving as the plot progresses. The all-star cast features Liam Neeson, Colin Firth, Laura Linney, Bill Nighy, Martine McCutcheon, Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, Keira Knightley, Rowan Atkinson, Martin Freeman and many more.
Doors 18.30. Screening starts 19.30.
Tickets: €86–€112 plus booking fees, here
Presented by Singular Artists

New Year’s Eve: A Century of Song, Swing and Soul

Wednesday 31 December, 10pm, National Concert Hall
RTÉ Concert Orchestra
Guy Barker conductor
Giacomo Smith clarinet/sax
Tommy Blaize, Vanessa Haynes & Joe Stilgoe vocalists
Join us for a sensational New Year’s Eve celebration with RTÉ Concert Orchestra Associate Artist conductor/arranger Guy Barker, following last year’s sold out ‘Swing and Jive’ concert, and 2023’s ‘Gatsby and Beyond’ night.
Sing and dance into 2026 as the RTÉ CO and Barker welcome back vocalists Vanessa Haynes, Joe Stilgoe, Strictly Come Dancing’s Tommy Blaize, and clarinet virtuoso Giacomo Smith, performing classics including Ella Fitzgerald’s ‘What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?’, Ray Charles soul favourites, plus Bob Hilliard and Dick Miles’ playful ‘The Coffee Song’ – originally recorded by Frank Sinatra in 1946, and shortly afterward by Louis Prima and His Orchestra.
Expect show-stopping party pieces by Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Frank Sinatra, Percy Mayfield, Fats Domino, Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Al Green, Prince, Paloma Faith and more. Join us to mark a century of song, swing and soul.
Tickets: €31.50–€69.50, here
Presented by the RTÉ Concert Orchestra