The Southbank Centre Announces Spring/Summer Classical Music Programme For 2021/22

Following the return of live classical music performances in September, today the Southbank Centre unveils its Spring/Summer programme (February - June 2022), featuring stand out projects from great artists, thought-provoking world premieres and inventive ways of looking at modern masterpieces.

This Spring/Summer programme builds on Autumn/Winter, which saw BBC Radio 3 broadcast a week of concerts sharing live music with audiences beyond the Southbank Centre, including thrilling inaugural concerts from new Principal Conductors Edward Gardner with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Santtu-Matias Rouvali with the Philharmonia Orchestra.

Artist Residencies continue, featuring artists who are breaking new ground. Following the start of their year-long Southbank Centre residency, Manchester Collective appears with South African cellist Abel Selaocoe (24 April 2022), featuring a programme of new work by Selaocoe alongside music from South Africa, Mali, and the Ivory Coast. In the final concert of the 2021/22 season, the ensemble will perform music from a diverse range of composers including Steve Reich, David Lang, Hannah Peel, Julius Eastman and the world premiere of a new work by Lyra Pramuk co-commissioned by Manchester Collective and the Southbank Centre (14 May 2022). Associate Artist Patricia Kopatchinskaja appears with the Budapest Festival Orchestra (17 February 2022) and Aurora Orchestra (24 June 2022), and the BBC Concert Orchestra will perform a new work by Associate Artist Bryce Dessner (9 March 2022) before Bryce Dessner returns later in the year with a special project featuring Marielle Labèque, Katia Labèque and David Chalmin performing music by Dessner himself alongside works by Timo Andres and Hildur Guðnadóttir (2 June 2022). Bramwell Tovey conducts the BBC Concert Orchestra in a concert celebrating The Queen's Platinum Jubilee (1 June 2022).

As part of the Contemporary Edit, the Southbank Centre presents a weekend focus on the music of Canadian composer Claude Vivier (6-8 May 2022), featuring Soundstreams and London Sinfonietta. Also part of the Contemporary Edit is SoundState (30 March-3 April 2022), featuring Meredith Monk and Bang on a Can All-Stars, the Arditti Quartet, and three of the Resident Orchestras London Philharmonic Orchestra (with the UK premiere of Rebecca Saunders' Piano Concerto), Philharmonia Orchestra (performing music by Liza Lim conducted by Manoj Kamps with Claire Chase) and the London Sinfonietta (presenting a world premiere by George Lewis).

Following the launch of our new Family Series, the Resident and Associate Orchestras present events such as OAE TOTS and LPO FUNharmonics (13 February), OAE TOTS: The King of the Sea (29 May), and the Philharmonia Orchestra performs the London premiere of Jonathan Dove's Gaspard's Foxtrot (16 February) with more events to be announced later in the year.

Ambitious standout projects feature throughout the second half of the year, both from international orchestras and artists, chamber ensembles, great pianists and the Resident and Associate Orchestras. The Budapest Festival Orchestra together with Iván Fischer will present a two-day residency of Stravinsky's ballet music (including late night performances in the Clore Ballroom) (17 - 18 February 2022). In a major pan-London collaboration with the Barbican; Andris Nelsons: The Strauss Project takes place in May 2022 with the Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Andris Nelsons performing at the Royal Festival Hall (12-13 May 2022). The Southbank Centre also welcomes back the Emerson String Quartet to begin the complete cycle of Shostakovich's 15 string quartets in 5 concerts across the next two years ahead of their retirement at the end of the 2022/23 season (16-18 March 2022). The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment presents the complete cycle of Beethoven's five piano concertos with Sir András Schiff (6-9 June 2022) and Tamara Stefanovich performs a marathon of 20 sonatas across 3 concerts in one day (27 February 2022).

The Southbank Centre continues to welcome more great pianists including Maurizio Pollini for a special 80th birthday recital (1 March 2022), Yuja Wang (20 April 2022), Kirill Gerstein (25 May), and Mitsuko Uchida appears, both in recital (29 April 2022) and with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra as she plays/directs a programme of music by Webern and Mozart (5 February 2022).

Lastly, the year ends as it begins, with opera on an epic scale as we welcome Opera North in Wagner's Parsifal (26 June 2022).

The orchestras continue to stream digital content ensuring classical music is accessible to all: the Philharmonia Orchestra will stream two concerts: Dvořák's New World Symphony and Mahler Symphony No.2; the LPO continues its two year digital residency with Marquee TV, streaming Royal Festival Hall concerts with delayed broadcast and 48 hour initial free access for all; the OAE will present content and hybrid event experiences on OAE Player; the London Sinfonietta will continue to post high-quality concert films on YouTube throughout the season; and Chineke! will film their performances for future streaming.

As previously announced, the Southbank Centre and all of its orchestras continue to collaborate to present a unified 'multi-buy' ticket offer, allowing audiences to curate their own journey through the rich and varied programme, irrespective of the orchestra, strand or series.

Gillian Moore CBE, Director of Music and Performing Arts at the Southbank Centre, said:

"We are committed to bringing the most exciting and forward looking artists to our spaces at the Southbank Centre. This includes the dynamism of our Resident Orchestras as they enter a new year with their new conductors, and innovators such as Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Iván Fisher and Tamara Stefanovich. Classical Music is more needed than ever and is entering an exciting new phase."

Toks Dada, Head of Classical Music at the Southbank Centre, said:

"We are continuing to build on a thrilling return for classical music, with a focus on engaging the widest possible audience, and supporting a broad range of artists through artist residencies and new commissions. As we continue to reopen, we're also presenting ambitious projects, unique to the Southbank Centre, that fill our spaces and immerse audiences with music.

We believe that collaboration is increasingly important to ensure great music, and great artists continue to appear on our stages. In this spirit, we are delighted to be working with our Resident & Associate Orchestras and partners such as Opera North on major projects and festivals throughout the year, in addition to joining forces across London with our friends at the Barbican. The future truly is in collaboration."

For Southbank Centre members booking opens at 10am on 9 November. General booking will be from 10am on 11 November.