Critic's choice
Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège - 2026/2027 Season
2026–27 Season: “One Orchestra, a Thousand Colors”
In 2026–27, the Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège (OPRL) presents a season that celebrates, more than ever, the diversity of musical styles and formats. Spanning four centuries of orchestral music, from Mozart to American composer Carlos Simon, the Orchestra’s Composer-in-Residence, the season features more than 100 concerts, with prestigious artists including Nelson Goerner, Hilary Hahn, Daniel Lozakovich, Ton Koopman and Evelyn Glennie.
Under the baton of Music Director Lionel Bringuier, the great Russian and Germanic traditions take center stage, from Rachmaninoff to Brahms, Mahler, Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich. Guest conductors will also bring such landmarks of the repertoire as Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, Beethoven’s “Eroica” Symphony and Holst’s The Planets to life. The Franco-Belgian tradition nevertheless remains at the heart of the OPRL’s identity, with works by Saint-Saëns and Berlioz alongside rarer repertoire by Dutilleux, Florent Schmitt and Claude Ledoux.
The discovery series Music Factory, OPRL+ and Nouveaux classiques venture into other musical worlds, from jazz (John Coltrane) and film music (Danny Elfman) to Modern Classical, with works by Glass, Greenwood, O’Halloran and Czocher. Meanwhile, Symphokids, Philharbabies, Les Dimanches en famille and L’Orchestre à la portée des enfants continue to offer ever more engaging and diverse symphonic experiences for young audiences and families.
Alongside the Orchestra’s own concerts, guest ensembles and artists further enrich this musical kaleidoscope. Among those appearing in Liège during the 2026–27 season are pianists Kirill Gerstein and Benjamin Grosvenor, organist Vincent Dubois, world music ensembles Tengerton (Mongolia) and Tartit (Mali), as well as early-music ensembles L’Arpeggiata and Il Pomo d’Oro.
Concert
Orchestre National de Bordeaux Aquitaine: 2026 - 2027 Season
With two sagas running through its program, international artists, and original events that take music off the beaten path, the ONBA’s season showcases the orchestra at its full power. It is a season that celebrates both the music and the story of the friendship forged between the musicians and their music director: conductor Joseph Swensen, who was recently reappointed to lead the orchestra until 2030.
Two thematic arcs run through this program: the first is dedicated to the sensitive and lyrical genius of Sergei Rachmaninoff. His magnificent Piano Concerto No. 2, his Vocalise for orchestra, and other masterpieces are featured, alongside rarer works such as the overture to Aleko, an early opera.
The second series, in this bicentennial year, will be dedicated to… Beethoven. Symphonies and concertos will be featured in this concert series paying tribute to the Austrian master who passed away in 1827, and in which two ONBA soloists will perform alongside Marie-Ange Nguci.
Between September and June, in some thirty concerts at the Auditorium and elsewhere, the Bordeaux Aquitaine National Orchestra will perform alongside renowned soloists such as Christian Tetzlaff, Liya Petrova, Dmitri Masleev, Marianne Crebassa, and Edgar Moreau.
To experience the orchestra’s power, enjoy film-concert performances, shows for young audiences, and a special concert dedicated to the music of John Williams, come to Bordeaux starting September 11!