The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra unveils a thrilling 2026/27 season

From monumental symphonies and poignant choral masterworks to world premieres, intimate chamber collaborations and springtime celebrations of Beethoven’s peerless legacy, the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra has unveiled another intensely captivating season for 2026/27.

Bringing together internationally acclaimed conductors, decorated soloists and some of the greatest orchestral works ever written, the forthcoming programme spans concerts at both The Bridgewater Hall and the RNCM, promising audiences an exhilarating journey through the past, present and future of classical music.

The season begins on Sat 19 Sep with Chief Conductor John Storgårds leading a programme drawn from the beauty, terror and triumph of nature, with a Sibelius masterwork at its core. Wagner’s luminous Prelude to Act I from Lohengrin opens the evening, before organist James McVinnie joins the orchestra for Gabriella Smith’s striking concerto Breathing Forests, an evocative work shaped by the Californian composer’s experiences of wildfire and the fragile majesty of woodland landscapes. Sibelius’ majestic Fifth Symphony, inspired by the sight of swans in flight, brings the concert to a dazzling conclusion with a final movement that contains ‘one of the greatest moments in all symphonic music’.

A week later (Fri 25 Sep), Brahms’ German Requiem pairs one of classical music’s most profound meditations on grief with Lili Boulanger’s thunderous Psalm 24, before October sees conductor Yoel Gamzou and violinist Elena Urioste unite for a richly expressive programme featuring Bernstein’s sparkling Candide Overture, Korngold’s sumptuous Violin Concerto and Tchaikovsky’s devastating Pathétique Symphony.

Later in the autumn, Grammy-nominated conductor and composer Miho Hazama makes her Bridgewater Hall debut with an evening dedicated to the music of George Gershwin, overseeing the iconic Rhapsody in Blue alongside new orchestral arrangements and the world premiere re-orchestration of her own Dawn in Retiro (Sat 28 Nov). In December, conductor Simone Young returns for one of orchestral music’s most spectacular live experiences as Richard Strauss’ colossal An Alpine Symphony transforms the concert hall into a soaring mountain vista, performed by an enormous ensemble complete with offstage musicians and theatrical sound effects (Fri 4 Dec).

The new year schedule commences with two towering programmes under John Storgårds. February’s Storgårds Conducts Shostakovich pairs the composer’s intensely personal Eighth String Quartet – a gravely affecting tribute to the victims of fascism and war, performed by BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists the NOVO Quartet – with the defiant, monumental Leningrad (Sat 6 Feb). On Sat 6 Mar, Vaughan Williams’ serene Fantasia on a Theme, a UK premiere from Canadian composer Cassandra Miller and Walton’s blazing First Symphony combine to conjure a fascinatingly eclectic musical realm full of tranquility and turbulence in equal measure.

Beethoven takes centre stage later that month, as Anja Bihlmaier conducts the composer’s revolutionary Ninth Symphony, framed by works from Pauline Oliveros, Roderick Williams and John Adams in a programme exploring community, musical heritage and the enduring power of the human voice (Sat 13 Mar). This extraordinary concert forms part of the orchestra’s wider celebrations marking 200 years since Beethoven’s death.

Alongside its flagship Bridgewater Hall performances, the BBC Philharmonic also continues its acclaimed partnership with the RNCM, presenting four intimate performances throughout the season. These include British Iconoclasts (Fri 16 Oct), exploring centuries of groundbreaking national composition, Grave Tidings (Fri 26 Feb) with guitarist Sean Shibe, Gods Among Men (Fri 16 Apr) featuring pianist Pavel Kolesnikov, and The Dresden Connection (Fri 7 May), a baroque programme directed from the harpsichord by the acclaimed Artistic Leader of the Netherlands Bach Society, Johanna Soller.

Whether traversing boundless orchestral canvases, introducing contemporary voices or bringing audiences closer to spellbinding live music through its RNCM series, the BBC Philharmonic’s latest season once again reinforces the orchestra’s global reputation as one of the UK’s most adventurous, all-embracing classical institutions.

For more information and to book tickets for the BBC Philharmonic’s 2026/27 season, visit the BBC Philharmonic website, and see the full season brochure HERE.