News and Press Releases

The Southbank Centre’s Classical Music Autumn/Winter 2026/27 programme bookended by milestone 90th birthday celebrations for icons of minimalism Steve Reich and Philip Glass

The two landmark celebrations frame a programme of world-class orchestral performance, boundary-pushing new work and fresh approaches to the concert hall experience.

The season kicks off with new work by Julia Wolfe featuring 146 voices, conducted by Marin Alsop.

The programme sees Pekka Kuusisto and Jean Rondeau join Manchester Collective as the Southbank Centre’s cohort of Resident Artists for 2026/27.

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The Barbican has unveiled its forthcoming season of classical music, from September 2026 to July 2027

Across the 2026-2027 Barbican season – through curated concert series, composer spotlights, major anniversaries and a continued commitment to championing new music – the Barbican and its resident and associate orchestras and ensembles will present some of the very best that classical music has to offer, welcoming new and returning audiences to the artform.

Highlights from the forthcoming season will include a number of major celebrations, starting with the work of Caroline Shaw as the Barbican showcases her work and artistry in a Composer in Focus series. The 200th anniversary of Beethoven’s death is commemorated across two landmark residencies with pianist Lang Lang and conductor Andris Nelsons with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig with all five piano concertos performed across the two three-night runs. The Barbican also marks Steve Reich’s 90th birthday, with multiple performances by percussionist Colin Currie and Barbican Resident Orchestra the London Symphony Orchestra.

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Royal Ballet and Opera 2026/27 Season

10 new opera productions: Parsifal, Un ballo in maschera, Götterdämmerung, Good Sometimes Queen, Così fan tutte, Les Boréades, Duke Bluebeard’s Castle with The Rite of Spring in concert, UR_, La Gioconda and Hercules

A Season of ballet masterworks: Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Ashton’s Symphonic Variations and Daphnis and Chloë, and MacMillan’s Manon and Song of the Earth

Wayne McGregor at 20: The Royal Ballet revives Chroma and MADDADDAM to mark his two decades as Resident Choreographer

50 years of Schools’ Matinees: expanding access, opportunity and creative futures

A global season on screen: nine productions broadcast in 1,500 cinemas

Tickets from £7, on sale from 24 June 2026
More information and how to book tickets will be available HERE

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Grimeborn Opera Festival 2026

The festival continues for its 19th year

With powerful new works and electrifying innovations on the classics, this is an opera festival that rips up the rulebook and creates something radically new

Opera reinvented, rewired, and reborn

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