ANNOUNCING OUR 2025/26 SEASON
More than two years into a period when Britten Sinfonia has no regular funding from Arts Council England – a period now extended, even more challengingly, to five years out of the National Portfolio – I’m proud to announce a full and rich range of activity in our 2025/26 season.
Through the generosity of a wide base of supporters, we have again been able to build a schedule for our brilliant musicians that is characteristically eclectic and, as a recent Guardian reviewer noted, ‘innovative as always’. Read on, and click for details of many of our concerts next season.
Meurig Bowen
CEO and Artistic Director
Selected Highlights
Britten Sinfonia with Jeneba Kanneh-Mason
Rising star Jeneba Kanneh-Mason is the soloist in Mozart’s exquisite and lyrical piano concerto no. 23
OPUS Horizons
A double bill of Britten Sinfonia concerts showcasing premieres by new and exciting contemporary voices
Christmas Oratorio
Britten Sinfonia, Polyphony and Stephen Layton re-unite in Bach’s great seasonal masterpiece.
Earth and Other Planets: Britten Sinfonia with Stevens & Pound and Robert Macfarlane
An exhilarating re-imagining of Holst’s The Planets for folk duo and orchestra, accompanied by text written and narrated by internationally acclaimed writer Robert Macfarlane (Is a River Alive?, The Lost Words)
Sea Beneath The Skin / Song of the Earth
Reflecting on the powerful words of the late Kiribati poetess and activist Teresia Teaiwa, Lemi Ponifasio's Sea Beneath the Skin creates a poignant performance featuring the Theatre of Kiribati.
Nature and Rapture: Recycling Concerto
Three pieces focused on nature and conservation: Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony, Rautavaara’s Cantus Arcticus and Gregor Mayrhofer’s Recycling Concerto
Seven Last Words from the Cross
Barber’s Adagio and Allegri’s Miserere prepare the way for James MacMillan’s great Passion meditation, in this emotionally-charged evening from Tenebrae and Britten Sinfonia.
Re-folking Viennese classics, with ZRI quintet
Inspired by a Viennese pub visited by many composers for the folk performances it hosted, Britten Sinfonia and ZRI perform classical music re-imagined for orchestra and folk band.
ROH Linbury Theatre: Three Chamber Operas
The Jette Parker Artists shine a light on three women composers: Elizabeth Maconchy, Charlotte Bray and Elena Langer.