The Southbank Centre Reveals Classical Music Autumn/Winter 2026/27 Season

The Southbank Centre's Classical Music Autumn/Winter 2026/27 programme will open and reach its finale with landmark moments celebrating two of the most influential composers of the 20th and 21st centuries, bringing together Resident Orchestras, Resident Artists and new collaborators to experience the breadth of their genre-defying output. A two-day exploration of the music of Steve Reich (26–27 Sep) marks his 90th birthday with performances ranging from intimate chamber works to a large-scale immersive sonic installation, while the season culminates in a major celebration of Philip Glass (30–31 Jan), which includes the UK premiere of his 15th Symphony, Lincoln.

Across the season, the Southbank Centre continues to present classical music as an evolving, contemporary art form – moving fluidly between tradition and experimentation, canonical repertoire and new commissions, and expanding the ways in which classical music can be experienced in a plethora of formats.

Toks Dada, the Southbank Centre's Head of Classical Music, said: “Classical music's appeal continues to stand the test of time with a 500-year history that brings the most enriching, life-changing musical experiences to audiences in the present, affirming its place as a contemporary and evolving artform. This Autumn's classical music programme reflects the breadth and possibilities of classical music today – from landmark works that have shaped the art form to new voices and collaborations that continue to expand it. Our Resident Orchestras and Resident Artists sit at the heart of this programme, bringing extraordinary music to life, working with us to ignite and realise new ways to connect audiences with classical music's full power, scale and intimacy. As the UK's biggest presenter of classical music, we're proud to continue bringing both new and established audiences experiences that are unapologetically bold, eclectic and welcoming.”

New Artist Residencies

This Autumn/Winter, the Southbank Centre welcomes two new Resident Artists for 2026/27 – violinist and conductor Pekka Kuusisto, and harpsichordist Jean Rondeau – who join returning Resident Artists Manchester Collective. Each brings a distinctive artistic voice, collaborative spirit and the development of new work and ideas to the programme. Kuusisto opens his residency with Aurora Orchestra in a nature-inspired programme, including Kuusisto's folk-influenced reimagining of Vivaldi's Four Seasons (25 Sep) featuring folk musician Ale Carr, before returning with composer and singer-songwriter Gabriel Kahane as Council (7 Nov). Rondeau begins with Bach's Goldberg Variations on the organ (27 Sep), later appearing in a chamber music collaboration with Thomas Dunford and Nicolas Altstaedt (25 Oct). Manchester Collective return for their fifth year as Resident Artists, presenting collaborations that span continents and genres – from a performance with percussionist Sidiki Dembélé (4 Oct) to the genre-blurring Black Gold (6 Dec), and an appearance as part of two-day Philip Glass at 90 celebrations (31 Jan).

Season Opening Week (22-27 Sep) including Steve Reich at 90 (26-27 Sep)

The season opens with a powerful week of large-scale work and defining artistic voices, led by the Southbank Centre's Resident Orchestras and Artists, and kicking the season off with choral and orchestral performances of scale. Julia Wolfe's Fire in My Mouth (22 Sep), conducted by the Philharmonia Orchestra's Principal Guest Conductor Marin Alsop with the Philharmonia Orchestra and a chorus of 146 voices, provides a poignant opening moment. The work commemorates the 146 victims of the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire through an oratorio of massed voices, folk song and visual elements. Principal Conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali then leads the orchestra for a performance of Brahms, Elgar and Dvořák with soloist Sol Gabetta (24 Sep). The London Philharmonic Orchestra continues the week with Britten's War Requiem (26 Sep), a monumental work combining sacred text and war poetry, conducted by Principal Conductor Ed Gardner. Resident Artist Pekka Kuusisto joins Resident Orchestra Aurora Orchestra (25 Sep) for a distinctive reimagining of Vivaldi's Four Seasons featuring folk musician Ale Carr, while pianist Mariam Batsashvili (26 Sep) and Resident Artist Jean Rondeau (27 Sep) bring contrasting approaches to keyboard repertoire spanning Bach to Liszt.

The week culminates in a two-day celebration of Steve Reich's 90th birthday (26-27 Sep), featuring the Carducci, Ligeti and Solem Quartets joining forces to perform Triple Quartet, the UK premiere of a new arrangement of Different Trains, and WTC 9/11 marking the 25th anniversary of September 11. The concert is followed by a Reich-inspired classical club night. Paraorchestra perform Music for 18 Musicians as a live sonic installation for a moving audience, while Resident Orchestra London Sinfonietta joins forces with Jonny Greenwood for a programme featuring Electric Counterpoint and Pulse alongside City Life, bringing together one of minimalism's defining compositional voices with contemporary collaborators.

Resident Orchestras – world-class performance at scale 

At the heart of the season are the Southbank Centre's six Resident Orchestras – Aurora Orchestra, Chineke! Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and Philharmonia Orchestra – whose programmes span large-scale symphonic works, contemporary commissions and distinctive concert formats, powered by exemplary, world-class orchestral talent.

Highlights include the Philharmonia Orchestra's performance of Bruckner's colossal 5th Symphony, led by Herbert Blomstedt, and the London Philharmonic Orchestra performing Britten's War Requiem (26 Sep) in a season that includes Stravinsky's The Firebird and the world premiere of Mark Simpson's Piano Concerto. Aurora Orchestra collaborates with Resident Artist Pekka Kuusisto in a reimagining of The Four Seasons (25 Sep), while Chineke! Orchestra presents The Ayoub Sisters' Arabic Symphony (11 Oct) alongside core repertoire and new work. The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment brings staged drama to Bizet's L'Arlésienne (9–10 Oct) and festive performances of Bach's Christmas Oratorio. The London Sinfonietta plays a central role in the Steve Reich at 90 celebrations, including a collaboration with Jonny Greenwood (27 Sep), while across the season all six orchestras contribute to a programme that reflects the scale, diversity and vitality of orchestral music today. Further information about the Resident Orchestras can be found here.

Philip Glass at 90 (30-31 Jan)

The Southbank Centre closes the Autumn/Winter programme with a celebration of another great voice of American minimalism and influential architect of the modern soundworld: Philip Glass. Over two days, audiences will have a rare opportunity to hear the epic Music in 12 Parts, performed by Riot Ensemble, and Glass' string quartets performed by the composer's close collaborators Brooklyn Rider and Southbank Centre Resident Artists Manchester Collective. The two-day focus culminates  in the UK premiere of Glass' 15th Symphony, Lincoln, with a libretto drawing on the speeches and writings of Abraham Lincoln, sung by baritone Davóne Tines.

Mark Ball, the Southbank Centre's Artistic Director, said: “As we continue our 75th anniversary year, this season reflects our ongoing ambition to bring audiences closer to the transformative power of classical music. Working closely with our Resident Orchestras and Artists, we present a programme of concerts that honours the depth of the repertoire while exploring new ways of experiencing it. Seventy-five years on from our opening concert, it's our privilege to welcome audiences to the place where the heritage of classical music inspires the innovators of today. From large-scale orchestral works to exploratory mixed reality formats outside the concert hall, this is a season that speaks to the richness and range of the art form.”

Playing with Fire: Yuja Wang – an odyssey through a new kind of concert experience

A major highlight of the Southbank Centre's 75th anniversary year is Playing with Fire: Yuja Wang (11 Sep – 3 Jan), a multisensory mixed-reality installation that reimagines the piano recital as an expansive visual and sonic world. At its centre is a self-playing Steinway Spirio piano, recreating Yuja Wang's own performance in precise detail, while audiences are surrounded by an immersive virtual reality audio and visually animated environment. The mixed reality experience extends the virtuosity and emotional range of the music into a fully realised visual landscape, offering audiences a new way to encounter classical performance and canonical repertoire.

This work is produced by VIVE Arts and Atlas V, in collaboration with production partner Lightroom, and supported by Steinway & Sons and the Centre National du Cinéma et de l'image animée.

Keyboard Music – welcoming the greatest in piano and organ performance

The Keyboard Music series brings together a roster of internationally acclaimed pianists and organists, exploring repertoire that spans centuries while offering fresh perspectives on familiar works. Highlights include Mariam Batsashvili's programme of Bach and Liszt (26 Sep), Resident Artist Jean Rondeau's Goldberg Variations (27 Sep), and Vadym Kholodenko's performance of Schumann and Berlioz (17 Oct). Later in the season, Hayato Sumino presents Chopin Orbit (29 Nov) following his recently released album of the same name, followed by Nobuyuki Tsujii's programme of Beethoven, Grieg and Tchaikovsky (6 Dec). The series continues into the new year with Isabelle Demers' organ recital culminating in Brahms (23 Jan), before concluding with Pavel Kolesnikov performing Feldman's Triadic Memories (29 Jan). Across the series, each recital transforms familiar works into vivid, unforgettable experiences, showcasing the piano and organ at their most expressive and daring.

Alternative Experiences – shifting perceptions of the classical experience

Bold, unexpected, and boundary-pushing, Alternative Experiences invite audiences to rethink what a classical concert can be. Central to this is Paraorchestra's presentation of Music for 18 Musicians (27 Sep), transforming the Clore Ballroom into a living sonic installation where audiences can move among the performers. Riot Ensemble performs Glass' epic four-hour Music in 12 Parts (30 Jan) turning the Clore Ballroom into a minimalist soundbath. Alongside these flagship events, After Dark events continue the concert hall experience late into the evening, offering more informal, exploratory encounters with music in the Queen Elizabeth Hall Foyer: a Reich-inspired club night (26 Sep); Zubin Kanga performs music by Alex Groves in a classical club night setting fusing Baroque forms and electronic music (17 Oct); players from Chineke! Orchestra join guitarist Plínio Fernandes and violinist Braimah Kanneh-Mason for an intimate evening of Latin American music and folk songs (27 Nov); and players from the London Philharmonic Orchestra join clarinettist Martin Fröst and vocalist Matilda Fröst (20 Jan).

Contemporary Edit – showcasing boundary-pushing new music and innovation

The Contemporary Edit places today's most visionary artists alongside the defining composers of the 20th century, framing the season with landmark celebrations of Steve Reich at 90 (26–27 Sep) and Philip Glass at 90 (30–31 Jan). Opening with Julia Wolfe's Fire in My Mouth (22 Sep), the series spans bold new commissions and genre-defying collaborations. Resident Artists Manchester Collective return with performances alongside percussionist Sidiki Dembélé (4 Oct) and the ground-shaking Black Gold (6 Dec) featuring Luke Mombrea's work of the same name with visuals by Nate Mohler, and the London premiere of a new work by Sasha Scott. Elsewhere, Zubin Kanga returns with Ghost in the Machine (17 Oct) exploring the intersection of music and technology. Resident Artist Pekka Kuusisto appears with singer-songwriter and long-time collaborator Gabriel Kahane as Council (7 Nov), and the London Sinfonietta presents the world premiere of Brigitta Muntendorf's Last Show (28 Nov), an immersive work that turns the concert hall into a live social experience including audience participation.. The series concludes with Pavel Kolesnikov's performance of Feldman's Triadic Memories (29 Jan), bringing the Contemporary Edit full circle from minimalist pioneers to today's most exploratory voices.

Chamber Music – intimate tableaux of traditional repertoire

Chamber Music at the Southbank Centre brings audiences close to the alchemy of small ensembles, where duos, quartets, and quintets spark off one another in intimate, emotionally rich performances. As part of the Steve Reich at 90 celebrations, the Carducci, Ligeti and Solem Quartets join forces (26 Sep), showcasing the intricate, shifting textures of his chamber writing. Resident Artist Jean Rondeau joins Thomas Dunford and Nicolas Altstaedt for a programme of French Baroque music (25 Oct), while trumpeter Tine Thing Helseth leads a quintet in The Boulangerie (7 Nov), celebrating the legacy of influential teacher and composer Nadia Boulanger. Later in the season, Concerto Italiano returns to perform Monteverdi's complete Third Book of Madrigals (4 Dec), bringing early Baroque vocal music to life in an intimate setting. Spanning centuries from early Baroque to contemporary minimalism, these performances highlight the expressive immediacy and collaborative spirit at the core of chamber music.

Family experiences – classical music for all ages