VASILY PETRENKO ANNOUNCES RPO’S BOLD 2025/26 LONDON SEASON
MUSIC FOR EVERYONE: 26 CONCERTS RESPONDING TO LONDON’S DIVERSE MUSICAL TASTES
“We’re creating music that speaks directly to you” – Vasily Petrenko, RPO Music Director.
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) today announces its ambitious 2025/26 London season, with Music Director Vasily Petrenko at the helm for a diverse programme spanning 26 concerts across four iconic London venues.
Petrenko, widely acclaimed for his dynamic interpretations and artistic vision, comments: “When you conduct a great orchestra like the RPO, you think big. This season, we’re aiming high—from the cosmic visions of Wagner to the joy of Bernstein—creating music that speaks directly to you, whether in the grandeur of the Royal Albert Hall or the intimacy of Cadogan Hall. We want to move you, surprise you, and make your heart soar.”
Tom Philpott, Director of Artistic Planning and Partnerships at the RPO, comments: “In such a richly diverse city as London, orchestral music has to be for everyone. Under the artistic leadership of Vasily Petrenko, we will push boundaries whilst injecting new life and passion into core repertoire. For those new to the orchestral world – and those developing a love for the genre – we are committed to giving them concert experiences that will live long in the memory and fuel a life-long journey of discovery. Our 2025/26 Season offers a healthy mix of the serious and the fun, the old and new discoveries.”
The RPO’s 2025/6 London Season also welcomes new artistic leaders: The RPO’s Composer-in-Association, Joe Hisaishi, will be celebrated at the Royal Festival Hall and Cadogan Hall and Kevin John Edusei joins the Orchestra as Conductor-in-Residence at Cadogan Hall for the 2025/26 Season. Other conductors for the new season include Sir John Rutter, Emilia Hoving and Adam Hickox. Guest artists include violin virtuoso Clara-Yumi Kang Violin performing Britten’s Violin Concerto and pianist Benjamin Grosvenor will play Beethoven’s playful Piano Concerto No.1.
Philpott adds: “In curating our new London season, we have taken time to research the views of London’s concert-goers and understand why they return to the concert hall. Whilst excellence is a given, everything points to a hunger for diversity. Londoners told us they wanted concerts that inspired them to discover more music; that they were excited by attending a variety of different forms of orchestral concert; that they wanted to choose concerts their family members would like – and they wanted experiences that benefitted their mental health and well-being.”
Celebrating its international reach and musical journeys being for and about everyone, the RPO and Vasily Petrenko extend their thanks to all the conductors, soloists and ensembles that will join the Orchestra for its new season: Mark Bebbington, Ray Chen, Jess Dandy, Alexandra Dariescu, Alexander Edmundson, Matt Ford, Boris Giltburg, Benjamin Grosvenor, Ben Hulme, Alison Jiear, Clara-Yumi Kang, Pavel Kolesnikov, Anne-Marie MacIntosh, Sally Matthews, Midori, Steven Osborne, Makoto Ozone, Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha, John Roberts, Alexandra Tirsu, Katy Woolley, Yuriy Yurchuk plus The Bach Choir, The King’s Singers, The Philharmonia Chorus and Symphonic Voices – and the conductors Stephen Bell, Kevin John Edusei, Matthew Freeman, Antony Hermus, Adam Hickox, Emilia Hoving, Cornelius Meister, Sir John Rutter, Jordan de Souza, Alexander Shelley, Eun Sun Kim and Nil Venditti.