BBC Philharmonic Orchestra announces 2026–27 Season, exploring the wonder and chaos of the modern world through symphonic works, new commissions, and landmark collaborations

  • Cassandra Miller appointed 2026/27 Composer in Residence, with performances including Swim, Chanter and a new BBC Philharmonic Orchestra commission, Dad Goes to the Mountain

  • ‍ A new production of Einstein on the Beach, created by English National Opera, Factory International, Park Avenue Armory and Improbable, premieres at Aviva Studios in June 2027 in partnership with the orchestra

  • ‍ Large-scale symphonic highlights include Sibelius’ Fifth Symphony, Shostakovich’s Leningrad Symphony, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Tchaikovsky's 'Pathétique', and Strauss’ An Alpine Symphony

  • ‍ New music highlights include Gabriella Smith’s Breathing Forests; the world premiere re-orchestration of Dawn in Retiro by Miho Hazama; works by Jennifer Higdon, Caroline Shaw and Gabriela Ortiz; and programmes featuring music by Errollyn Wallen, Edmund Finnis, Tom Coult, Julia Wolfe and Alex Paxton

  • Major choral highlight with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 featuring Hera Hyesang Park, Jess Dandy, Robin Tritschler and Paul Grant, alongside the CBSO Chorus, marking the 200th anniversary of Beethoven’s death

  • Chief Conductor John Storgårds opens the season and Principal Guest Conductor Anja Bihlmaier returns. Guest conductors include Yoel Gamzou, Simone Young, Roderick Cox, Nil Venditti, alongside conducting debuts from Miho Hazama and Eun Sun Kim. Further appearances include Naomi Woo and Johanna Soller at RNCM, and Clelia Cafiero, Chris Cameron, Olivia Clarke, Izabelė Jankauskaitė and Miguel Sepúlveda featured in the Live from the BBC Philharmonic Studio series

  • World-class soloists include organist James McVinnie, pianist Makoto Ozone, NOVO Quartet, cellist Daniel Müller-Schott, and horn player Ben Goldscheider. Returning soloists include pianists Hayato Sumino and Cédric Tiberghien, violinists Alina Ibragimova, Elena Urioste, guitarist Sean Shibe, and violinist Bomsori Kim, who joins the orchestra on tour in Korea

  • Royal Northern College of Music collaboration continues with Guy Cutting, Sean Shibe, Pavel Kolesnikov and Johanna Soller

  • New for this season, innovative live broadcast collaborations across the BBC, creating shared experiences for audiences worldwide - alongside those in the room at MediaCityUK - through innovative live broadcasts from the orchestra’s home in MediaCityUK – including Contains Strong Language, The Music is Black: Live, a major collaboration with the V&A East Museum celebrating Black British music, and Essential Classics Playlister: Live, where audiences help shape the programme

  • Award-winning CBeebies Musical Storyland returns with a new series in 2027

The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra today reveals its 2026–27 season of programming, exploring the wonder and chaos of the modern world through a wide-ranging programme of large-scale symphonic works, contemporary voices, and distinctive collaborations. The season reflects the orchestra’s continued commitment to artistic innovation and to creating shared musical experiences that bring connection, inspiration and reflection to audiences across Greater Manchester and beyond.

The programme spans from large-scale symphonic concerts at The Bridgewater Hall to more intimate performances at the RNCM, alongside ambitious large-scale collaborations at Aviva Studios. Reflecting the orchestra’s unique role as a BBC broadcast orchestra, the season reaches audiences both in the hall and worldwide on BBC Radio 3, from large-scale concerts and close-up chamber performances to innovative live experiences at the orchestra’s home in MediaCityUK.

Alongside its Manchester season, the orchestra continues to reach audiences worldwide through live performances, broadcast and digital platforms, from the concert hall to BBC Radio 3, BBC Sounds, iPlayer and beyond. Its award-winning children’s series for CBeebies, Musical Storyland continues to grow its international audience, with more than 14 million streams on BBC iPlayer to date, while the orchestra’s live broadcasts and recordings bring its work to millions of listeners worldwide.

Director of the BBC Philharmonic, Adam Szabo, says:

“Live music matters. In a world that can often feel noisy, fast-moving and overwhelming, there’s something powerful about sitting together and experiencing music as it unfolds in real time – something shared, focused, and deeply human.

This season reflects the world around us in all its complexity, from the beauty and fragility of nature to the tensions and emotions that shape our lives. Whether you’re with us in the hall, tuning in on the radio, or listening from the other side of the world, we hope these moments of live music offer space to reflect, reconnect, and feel renewed.”

New music & Cassandra Miller: Composer in Residence

Contemporary music sits at the heart of the season, with the orchestra continuing its commitment to championing new voices and expanding the orchestral repertoire. The orchestra welcomes Cassandra Miller as Composer in Residence for the 2026/27 season, bringing her distinctive, quietly powerful music and deeply personal voice to audiences throughout the year. Spanning both large-scale concerts and more intimate settings, the residency includes three major performances of her work, reflecting her fascination with memory, transformation and human connection.

Swim(24 October) is inspired by two chords by Robert Schumann and the writings of Anne Carson, alongside Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor with Alina Ibragimova and Mahler’s Symphony No. 4. Chanter(26 February), performed with Sean Shibe, draws on Scottish folk music and the work of smallpipes player Brìghde Chaimbeul, and sits within a programme including music by Purcell, Bruckner, Julia Wolfe, Alex Paxton and Kurtág. The residency concludes with the UK premiere of Dad Goes to the Mountain(6 March), a new commission informed by Peruvian banda music and themes of memory and perception, presented alongside Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis and Walton’s Symphony No. 1. The work was co-commissioned by Brussels Philharmonic, BBC Radio 3, L’Auditori Barcelona, Radio France, Festival d’Automne and Orchestre symphonique de Montréal.

Further new music highlights include Californian composer Gabriella Smith’s Breathing Forests (19 September), a concerto for organ and orchestra, exploring the fragility of the natural world, and the world premiere re-orchestration of Dawn in Retiro by Grammy-nominated Miho Hazama (28 November), audiences can also hear Jennifer Higdon’s Fanfare Ritmico (16 January), Gabriela Ortiz’s Clara (10 April), and Caroline Shaw’s Entr’acte (10 April).

Contemporary music also runs throughout the RNCM series, with Errollyn Wallen’s Photography, Edmund Finnis’ Hymn (after Byrd) and Tom Coult’s Black Shuck Lament featured in British Iconoclasts (16 October), while Grave Tidings (26 February) includes Julia Wolfe’s Reeling and Alex Paxton’s Needy Mouth Corners.

The season also features rarely performed works by Lili Boulanger, including D’un matin de printemps and Psalm 24, written during the First World War, alongside Bernstein’s The Age of Anxiety (16 January), an unusual and less frequently heard work for piano and orchestra.

World-leading Conductors and Notable Debuts

The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2026–27 season welcomes a distinguished roster of conductors. John Storgårds continues in his role as Chief Conductor,leading five concerts. Highlights include the opening night of the season, with Sibelius’ Symphony No. 5 and Gabriella Smith’s Breathing Forests (19 September); Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 and Cassandra Miller’s Swim (24 October); Shostakovich’s Leningrad Symphony (6 February); and Walton’s Symphony No. 1, alongside the UK premiere of Cassandra Miller’s Dad Goes to the Mountain (6 March). Storgårds also conducts a live studio broadcast of Neikrug’s Symphony No. 4 from MediaCityUK (3 March). Principal Guest Conductor Anja Bihlmaier conducts Brahms’ A German Requiem (25 September) and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 (13 March).

Returning guest conductors include Yoel Gamzou conducting Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 (10 October), Simone Young, renowned for her Strauss interpretations, leads his epic An Alpine Symphony (4 December), Roderick Cox conducting Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5 and Berstein’s Symphony No. 2 ‘The Age of Anxiety’ (16 January); and Nil Venditti directing Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 5 ‘Reformation’, alongside the Hebrides Overture (10 April).

The season also features a number of conducting debuts, including Miho Hazama, who makes her Bridgewater Hall debut with Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and her own Dawn in Retiro (28 November), and Eun Sun Kim with a Beethoven inspired programme (13 February).

The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra’s partnership series with the RNCM includes Naomi Woo (26 February) and Johanna Soller, who makes her BBC Philharmonic debut directing a baroque programme from the harpsichord (7 May). Conductors in the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra’s Live from the BBC Philharmonic Studio series at MediaCityUK include Clelia Cafiero (21 October); Chris Cameron, leading a landmark collaboration with the V&A East Museum and Friday Night is Music Night celebrating the impact of Black British music on British culture (11 November); Roderick Cox (13 January); Olivia Clarke (3 February); Izabelė Jankauskaitė (17 February); and Miguel Sepúlveda (13 April).

Star Soloists and Guest Artists

The season sees an outstanding lineup of world-class soloists join the orchestra. Highlights include organist James McVinnie as soloist in Gabriella Smith’s Breathing Forests (19 September), and Makoto Ozone performing Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue (28 November). The acclaimed BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists NOVO Quartet joins for Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 8 (6 February) while Daniel Müller-Schott performs Haydn’s First Cello Concerto (13 February), and horn player Ben Goldscheider performs Mozart’s Horn Concerto No. 4 (10 April).

Returning artists include Hayato Sumino, who performs Bernstein’s Symphony No. 2, ‘The Age of Anxiety’ (16 January), following his acclaimed appearance with the orchestra in 2025; violinist Alina Ibragimova, who performs Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor (24 October); pianist Cédric Tiberghien, who joins the orchestra for two contrasting works by Schumann - the Introduction and Concert Allegro and the Konzertstück (4 December); and violinist Elena Urioste, who returns as soloist in Korngold’s Violin Concerto (10 October). Violinist Bomsori Kim joins the orchestra on tour in Korea.

A major choral highlight is Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 (13 March), marking the 200th anniversary of the composer’s death. The performance features soprano Hera Hyesang Park, contralto Jess Dandy, tenor Robin Tritschler and baritone Paul Grant, alongside the CBSO Chorus. Brahms’ A German Requiem features soprano Julia Grüter and baritone Joshua Hopkins (25 September).

At RNCM, Orchestra Leader, Zoë Beyers directs a programme pairing Britten and Michael Tippett, with tenor Guy Cutting performing Britten’s Les Illuminations (16 October), marking the 50th anniversary of the composer’s death, in a concert exploring shared themes of war, identity and a deep engagement with earlier musical traditions. Guitarist Sean Shibe joins the orchestra for a programme exploring rituals of mourning and remembrance, including Cassandra Miller’s Chanter (26 February), while pianist Pavel Kolesnikov joins the orchestra for a programme centred on the piano, from John Adams and Britten to Mozart’s ‘Jeunehomme’ Piano Concerto (16 April). The RNCM season also includes an early music programme, with Johanna Soller making her debut directing from the harpsichord in an exploration of Baroque repertoire including Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos (7 May).

Studio performances from MediaCityUK include soprano Ruby Hughes in Strauss’s Death and Transfiguration (3 February) and violinist Guido Sant’Anna in a programme including Chausson’s Poème and Ravel’s Tzigane (13 April).

Partnerships

Beyond its main stage activity, the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra continues to build on its collaborative spirit through partnerships that expand opportunities for audiences and performers alike and reimagine how orchestral music is experienced.

At the RNCM, the orchestra continues its much-loved concert series, offering audiences the chance to experience music up close in an intimate setting. The 2026-27 season features a series of close-up performances showcasing the orchestra’s musicians, including British Iconoclasts (16 October), Grave Tidings (26 February), and Gods Among Men (16 April).

Following the UK premiere of Du Yun’s Angel’s Bone, the orchestra continues its collaboration with English National Opera and Factory International with a new staging ofEinstein on the Beach, directed by Phelim McDermott. Created by English National Opera, Factory International, Park Avenue Armory and Improbable, this landmark production of Philip Glass and Robert Wilson’s iconic 1976 opera completes ENO and Improbable’s Glass Portrait Trilogy, following the success of Satyagraha and Akhnaten. The production premieres in Manchester at Aviva Studios in June 2027.

Children, Families & Learning

Engagement with children and young people continues to be a vital part of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra’s work. From first musical experiences to career-defining opportunities, the orchestra’s learning programme plays an integral role in musical life across Greater Manchester and beyond.

The orchestra delivers a year-round programme for schools, families and emerging performers, including concerts, workshops and in-school activity led by its musicians. In the past year alone, the orchestra performed 62 concerts, reaching more than 13,500 children in 131 schools across Greater Manchester and Blackburn with Darwen. In collaboration with the BBC Orchestras and Choirs, it also supports the BBC’s flagship education initiative BBC Ten Pieces, which has reached over 5 million children in more than 10,000 schools across the UK.

Its award-winning CBeebies series Musical Storyland has now been streamed more than 14 million times on BBC iPlayer, with a new series planned for broadcast in 2027, alongside continued touring of Musical Storyland Live for school and family audiences.

Partnerships with the Royal Northern College of Music and Chetham’s School of Music continue to support the next generation of professional musicians, with more than 200 students benefiting from mentoring, training, audition preparation and side-by-side performance opportunities. The orchestra also works with the Greater Manchester and Blackburn with Darwen Music Hub to support the delivery of the National Plan for Music Education across the region, ensuring access to live musical experiences for every child, regardless of background or circumstance.

Live from the BBC Philharmonic Studio series

Audiences around the world can also enjoy nine broadcast concerts from the Philharmonic Studio at MediaCityUK. These 90-minute afternoon concerts are hosted by a range of star presenters from across the BBC on-air family. Highlights include Contains Strong Language: Live (15 September); The Music is Black: Live (11 November), a major collaboration with the V&A East Museum celebrating the impact of Black British music on British culture; and Radio 3’s Essential Classics Playlister: Live (30 April), where audiences help shape the programme. Further concerts in the series include Schubert’s Great (21 October), Quiet City (13 January), Strauss’ Death and Transfiguration (3 February), Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite (17 February), Neikrug’s Symphony No. 4 (3 March), and Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition (13 April).

‍ ‍Full season details can be found at www.bbc.co.uk/philharmonic