B:Music has unveiled its 2026/27 Birmingham Classical Season at Symphony Hall- an inspiring programme featuring some of the world’s leading orchestras, outstanding soloists, exclusive performances and the brightest emerging talent.

The season brings together the very best of orchestral music, from beloved masterpieces to exciting new discoveries. Audiences can look forward to a wealth of world-class performers and conductors taking to the iconic Symphony Hall stage. B:Music also continues its commitment to accessible pricing, with tickets available from just £15 for every concert, and most top-price tickets capped at £42. Generous discounts remain in place to ensure Birmingham Classical is accessible to all. And the much-loved Sunday morning concerts- complete with coffee and cake- return to the Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space, showcasing the next generation of exceptional young artists.

A stellar line-up of internationally renowned soloists will take to the stage in the new season, including internationally celebrated pianist Martha Argerich, who performs with the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra on 4 September. Founded in 1893, the orchestra remains central to Munich’s musical life and arrives in Birmingham under newly appointed Chief Conductor Lahav Shani. Their programme opens with a rarely heard attention-grabbing overture by 19th-century French pianist-composer Louise Farrenc, before concluding with Brahms’s Fourth Symphony- its graceful opening and powerful, driving finale making the perfect conclusion to what promises to be an exceptional evening.

Camila Mandillo’s career continues to gather momentum. Currently an Artist in Residence at the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Belgium and a featured performer at World New Music Days 2025, it’s hardly surprising she has also been selected as a Rising Star by ECHO (the European Concert Hall Organisation). She performs on 11 October in the Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space as part of a series of six Sunday morning recitals. Her programme spans Monteverdi and Mozart through to Poulenc and Ligeti, alongside a newly commissioned work by British composer Bushra El-Turk, described by the BBC as “one of the most inspiring 100 women of today”.

The ECHO Rising Stars series- showcasing exceptional young artists touring Europe’s leading venues- also features Petar Pejčić (8 November), Javus Quartett (21 February), Amelio Trio (21 March), Elionor Martínez (11 April) and Ava Bahari (16 May). The NDR Radiophilharmonic Hannover makes a long-awaited return to Symphony Hall on 13 October- the first chance Birmingham audiences have had to hear them since 2017. Led by Chief Conductor Stanislav Kochanovsky, the orchestra brings fresh perspective and exciting authenticity to masterpieces by Beethoven and Brahms.

The Flanders Symphony Orchestra visits on 5 November, performing Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending with thrilling French violinist Alexandra Soumm, alongside Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5, ‘Turkish’, all under the baton of Duncan Ward. The Orchestra is a fixture in the Flemish cultural scene and undoubtedly one of Belgium’s most exciting ensembles. Later in the month, on 22 November, the Philharmonia Orchestra returns for a standout concert with breathtaking violinist Esther Yoo. The
Orchestra will perform Bernstein’s virtuosic Serenade, before delivering Mahler’s profound Symphony No. 6, all conducted by the internationally acclaimed Marin Alsop. Praised for its musical excellence and thrilling performances, the Philharmonia is a world-class symphony orchestra for the 21st century.

On 9 January, Ben Palmer returns to Symphony Hall with his own Covent Garden Sinfonia to mark the centenary- almost to the day- of the premiere of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis. This special live-to-picture performance of one of the most influential and revered sci-fi movies ever made features a newly restored orchestral version of Gottfried Huppertz’s original symphonic score.

7 February sees Aziz Shokhakimov lead the superlative musicians of the Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra in a programme of vivid contrasts, featuring works by Prokofiev, Saint-Saëns, and Rachmaninov, with multi award-winning violinist Maria Ioudenitch as soloist. The Orchestra retains its distinctive dual French-Germanic traditions and is one of the most important ensembles in France and Europe.

The Taiwan Philharmonic, one of Asia’s foremost orchestras, makes its Symphony Hall debut on 3 April, offering Birmingham audiences a vibrant and accessible introduction to orchestral music. Perfect for classical newcomers and first-time concertgoers, the programme combines exhilarating energy, cosmic drama and rich orchestral sound. Under the baton of Chief Conductor Jun Märkl, the orchestra presents a space-themed concert featuring two of the most famous movements from Holst’s The Planets, alongside a spectacular finale: John Williams’ iconic Star Wars Suite. Drawing on music from one of the most celebrated film franchises of all time, Williams’ score captures adventure, heroism and romance in unforgettable style- making this a truly out-of-this-world concert experience.

The 2026/27 Birmingham Classical Season concludes on 5 June with the return of The Hallé, featuring the magnetic presence of violinist Alena Baeva. Their sensational programme opens with Akira Ifukube’s Dance of the Seven Veils and culminates in Walton’s dramatic choral masterpiece Belshazzar’s Feast: decadent and sacrilegious, gripping and intense, it promises a thrilling and fitting finale to the season.

Tickets for all Birmingham Classical concerts start at £15 and are available at bmusic.co.uk