This year, Barnsley celebrates 20 years of a very special musical relationship.

Since 2006, Sheffield charity Music in the Round has been bringing some of the world’s finest classical musicians to the town, giving local audiences the opportunity to experience live chamber music without travelling further afield.

What started with Arts Council funding to deliver ten concerts and educational activities in the borough has developed into a legacy of bringing internationally acclaimed performers to Barnsley audiences.

To mark the anniversary, a series of concerts will continue throughout the 2026/27 season at Emmanuel Methodist Church on Huddersfield Road.

The Barnsley programme will showcase some of classical music’s greatest composers, with something for both experienced classical music lovers and anyone curious to discover the genre for the first time.

The anniversary season gets under way on Friday 16th October when the Consone Quartet and Dr Katy Hamilton present Beethoven & Friends.

Then, on Friday 27th November, the award-winning Norwegian Engegård Quartet arrives in Barnsley for Mozart, Beethoven & Brahms. The programme includes Mozart’s Divertimento in B-flat major, Beethoven’s Harp String Quartet and Brahms’ String Quartet No. 2 in A minor.

The celebrations continue into 2027. On Friday 19th February, pianist Tim Horton, who has been a constant presence throughout Music in the Round’s Barnsley residency, begins an ambitious cycle of Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas. The season concludes on Friday 23rd April with Ensemble 360 performing Death & the Maiden, featuring Schubert’s famous quartet alongside Janáček’s Intimate Letters.

Formed in 2005, Ensemble 360 is Music in the Round’s resident ensemble featuring 11 leading chamber musicians who play everything from the flute, oboe and horn to the violin and cello.

If you have never been to a classical concert before, Music in the Round’s approach is designed to make the experience welcoming and engaging. Its performances are built around proximity, with audiences sitting just metres from the musicians.

Concerts are often accompanied by lively spoken introductions, offering insight into the music and helping listeners connect with what they are hearing.

All concerts take place between 7.30pm and 9.30pm, with tickets priced at £16. A reduced rate of £5 is offered for people under 35, while discounts are also available for people in receipt of Universal Credit, PIP or DLA.

Find out more about Music in the Round and how to buy tickets at musicintheround.co.uk