I make no apology for taking up much of this month’s column with details of events that will take place between September and next May. My raison d’être is simple – many of the chosen performances will sell out, and early booking is therefore recommended.

The National Concert Hall in Dublin is, as regular readers will have no doubt surmised, one of my happy places, and Ireland is lucky to have a venue of its status. It provides a large, yet intimate, locale for solo performers and orchestras, performances and face-to-face interviews. While there is a much greater schedule than I could possibly cover, I am putting forward some of the nights that will be unmissable for me.

The ambitious new NCH season will open on 7 September, when the living legend Sir Simon Rattle conducts the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in Bruckner’s Fourth Symphony, Romantic, alongside the Irish premiere of Thomas Adès’ Aquifer.

This is the centenary year of Puccini’s death, and 25 October will witness a rare opportunity to hear his Messa di Gloria performed by the National Symphony Orchestra and Chorus.

200th anniversary

The NCH is honouring the 200th anniversary of the birth of the Austrian composer Josef Bruckner, and 6 December sees the National Symphony Orchestra, with conductor Hans Graf and violinist Stefan Jaciw, perform his most popular symphony, the Seventh. The night opens with Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5, Turkish.

The new season has many anniversaries to commemorate, and 2025 will begin with our National Symphony Orchestra, this time with Diego Matheuz wielding the baton, performing Shostakovich’s Seventh Symphony, Leningrad, on 17 January. Also on that evening’s programme is Rachmaninov’s vibrant Second Piano Concerto, with Lise de la Salle playing. Next year will be 50 years since the death of Shostakovich.

On 7 March, the National Symphony Orchestra celebrates Ravel with a performance on the very day of the 150th anniversary of his birth.

Next May will be an extra busy one in my calendar. On 9 May, our busy National Symphony Orchestra has a packed programme, the highlight being Shostakovich’s energetic First Symphony. Six days later, on 15 May, Elgar and Rachmaninov feature during a visit from the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.

The season finale, almost a year from now, will see Anja Bihlmaier return to guest conduct the National Symphony Orchestra in Mahler’s colossal final work, his majestic Ninth Symphony. Truly an evening not to be missed.

Tickets for these world-class concerts begin at an incredible €15, but they will not be available for long. Visit nch.ie for full details, and concessions of up to 30% are available for multiple bookings.

Outdoor performances for the family

By the time you read this, the Chapterhouse Theatre Company will be completing the first part of their tour of Ireland with Pride and Prejudice and Little Women. Those performances are a prelude to the next round of their one-off outdoor performances of a great favourite, Beauty and the Beast.

The nature of these shows means that the company can take them to venues not normally associated with theatre, and the style of presentation has the audiences very relaxed.

I am delighted to see the Irish National Stud among the list of stops on this tour, as many years ago I enjoyed memorable light opera productions there.

When an arrogant prince is cursed to live as a hideous beast, his only hope is a kindly young woman in search of a rose. Presented with original music and sparkling humour in delightful settings, from picturesque gardens to sweeping country parks, Chapterhouse Theatre Company’s lovely new adaptation of Beauty and the Beast is suitable for all the family.

Dates, starting times and venues for Beauty and the Beast are: 28 June 6pm, National Botanic Gardens, Kilbride, Co Wicklow; 29 June 6.30pm, Enniskillen Castle, Co Fermanagh; 30 June 4pm, Strokestown Park, Co Roscommon; 4 July 7pm, Fota House, Carrigtwohill, Co Cork; 6 July 7pm, Wells House and Gardens, Gorey, Co Wexford; 9 July 7pm, Belvedere House, Mullingar, Co Westmeath; 10 July 7pm, Emo Court, Co Laois; 11 July 6.30pm, Battle of the Boyne Estate, Co Meath; 12 July 7pm, Irish National Stud & Gardens, Tully, Co Kildare; 14 July 5pm, Newbridge House and Farm, Donabate, Co Dublin; and 16 July 3pm, Rathmullan House, Co Donegal.

Also running in association with this tour is a truncated schedule for A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and it will play on 2 July at Malahide Castle and Gardens; 5 July at Ardgillan

Castle in Balbriggan; 7 July at Fota House in Cork; and 13 July in Enniskillen Castle.