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.”
Diversity and inclusion are key themes for the RPO’s new season, as it mirrors the orchestral preferences of London concert goers. New RPO research conducted in the Capital last week, reveals that 89% of London residents identify as having a relationship with orchestral music, but their terms of engagement and concert preferences vary considerably. Whilst 38% of Londoners say they have enjoyed classical music for many years, a greater number (45%) are beginning or evolving a journey of orchestral discovery. This plays out in the diversity of the orchestral concerts that Londoners say they want to experience. Whilst core symphonic repertoire is popular among 49% of Londoners, many also want to experience family-orientated concerts (23%), whilst others like orchestral concerts that feature rock or pop (27%) – and 25% say they would opt for concerts that feature music from films, musicals or gaming.
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 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2025/26 London Season spans iconic venues including the Royal Albert Hall, Cadogan Hall, Royal Festival Hall, and St Paul’s Cathedral – with concert highlights including:
For long-standing enthusiasts:
· Three monumental Mahler symphonies
· Shostakovich’s raw 10th Symphony
· Scriabin’s ecstatic and rarely-performed 3rd Symphony
For new explorers:
· Symphonic favourites at Cadogan Hall, including Dvorak Symphony No.7, Tchaikovsky Symphony No.5, and Beethoven’s 7th Symphony
· Accessible introductions to orchestral masterworks
For contemporary tastes:
· Symphonic Queen
· Best of Broadway
· The Music of Bond
· Music from Studio Ghibli composer Joe Hisaishi, the RPO’s Composer-in-Association
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.”
Sarah Bardwell, Managing Director at the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, comments: “Our London season is but the start of the RPO’s musical journey for 2025/6. In the weeks ahead, we will also be announcing our season with our partner venues around the UK – from Crawley to Northampton, Reading to Hull – as we continue our work to broaden access to orchestral music. We also will continue our international touring, building further on our recent performances in Germany, Vienna, Greece, Eastern Europe, USA, Dubai, India, China, and Saudi Arabia. Our recent audience report revealed that people in the UK regard music to be this country’s greatest export to the world – but it’s also important that people enjoy orchestral music on their doorsteps, as an enriching part of their daily lives.”
“Even the greatest music can only speak if there are ears to listen,” concludes Petrenko, who begins his fourth season with the RPO. “This season, we want to move you and surprise you: join us, and make the conversation – and the art – complete.”
Tickets for the new RPO 2025/26 London Season go on sale at 10am on Friday 11 April.
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.