The 2025-2026 concert series begins with the much anticipated return of Chineke! Orchestra (Wed 24 Sept) who line-up Beethoven's Triple Concerto, penned at the turn of the 19th century, alongside William Dawson's 1934 Negro Folk Symphony. Joining the pioneering majority Black and ethnically diverse orchestra are leading violinist Tai Murray, and classical superstars Sheku Kanneh-Mason (cello) and Isata Kanneh-Mason (piano). Roderick Cox conducts, having recently recorded Dawson’s work with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra.

Pianist Paul Lewis CBE takes to the stage with Concerto Budapest Symphony Orchestra (Tues 2 Dec) as they present works by Liszt, Beethoven, Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky, while The Orchestra Of The Age of Enlightenment delve into Mozart's World (Wed 28 Jan), and multi-prize-winning South African soprano Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha accompanies the boundary-pushing Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (Fri 27 Feb) under the baton of Kevin John Edusei.

Finally, the City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra's Music Director Kazuki Yamada leads the CBSO (Thurs 5 Mar) through Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No.1 (with Bruce Liu, winner of the 18th Chopin International Piano Competition) and Mussorgsky’s Pictures At An Exhibition.

In addition, the Coventry venue also welcomes appearances from the CBSO Youth Orchestra (Sun 2 Nov), fresh from celebrating their 20th anniversary, and the hugely respected National Youth Orchestra (Mon 5 Jan). The 'world's greatest orchestra of teenagers', the NYO promise a typically exhilarating programme steered by conductor Alexandre Bloch (who recently conducted The Hallé at Warwick Arts Centre) and accompanied by world renowned cellist Inbal Segev.

Armonico Consort (Thurs 18 Dec) also take to the stage for Handel's Fireworks, while broadcaster Katie Derham introduces the BBC Concert Orchestra for a festive edition of BBC Radio 3’s Friday Night is Music Night (Fri 12 Dec).

Warwick Arts Centre's affordable Lunchtime Concerts series (£5/free) continues with appearances from mezzo-soprano Martha McLorinan and pianist Lynn Arnold (Thurs 9 Oct), violinist Jeremy Samson and pianist Colin Druce (Thurs 13 Nov), and pianist Euan Stevenson (Thurs 11 Dec). The University of Warwick Music Centre ensembles celebrate Heroes And Villains (Wed 15 Oct) with a free concert, the University of Warwick Chamber Choir present choral gems for Wintertide (Fri 5 Dec), and the University of Warwick Symphony Orchestra and Chorus' Eternal Echoes (Sun 7 Dec) includes reflective works by Rutter, Respigh, and more.

Doreen Foster, Warwick Arts Centre’s Director, said: “There are dramatic epics, familiar favourites, some heavy-weight performance and more than a few surprises lined up for our 2025-2026 Orchestral Series. Spanning a wide range of musical repertoire, there’s everything from Mozart and Mussorgsky, to Strauss and Sibelius, while outside of our Series we also welcome the next generation of classical stars as part of the NYO and CBSO Youth Orchestra, as well as our own highly accomplished ensembles and groups.”