No synthesisers. No theremin. After recent seasons in which ACO has included some transistor and semiconductor-inspired music in its programming, 2026 appears more focused on wood, strings and core chamber orchestra content – what ACO Artistic Director Richard Tognetti describes as “[the] masterworks, and the titans who wrote them.” 

That said, the ACO’s 2026 Season, which spans more than a thousand years of music, retains the sharp edge of the new and the unexpected.

ACO is approaching 2026 from a position of relative strength, Tognetti tells Limelight. Even the notable hiccup of violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja’s late cancellation of her much-anticipated appearances with the ACO had a positive side.

“I’m not going to beat around the bush; that was a hard one to take,” Tognetti says. “No Death and the Maiden! But it also shows how strong the orchestra is and how amazingly loyal our audiences are. We don’t take them for granted for one second, and they’ve been very forgiving.”

ACO Artistic Director Richard Tognetti. Photo © Simon Lekias

Programming for 2026 has...