The Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra (ARCO) has announced its 2026 concert season, promising a bold and joyous year of historically informed performance that traverses intimate chamber music, daring full-orchestra works, landmark recordings and vibrant education programs.

The Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra © Wallis Media

Under the vision BOLD | VISIONARY | JOYFUL, ARCO’s 2026 program opens with First Light, an evocative chamber music tour presented in association with Musica Viva Australia. Five of Australia’s talented period-instrument performers draw from Mozart’s lyrical lines and Schubert’s sparkling quartet to Brisbane composer Nicole Murphy’s ocean-inspired colours and Haydn’s effervescent Sunrise Quartet (5–8 March in Armidale, Port Macquarie, Tamworth and Dungog).

Later in the year, ARCO presents Love, Loss & Madness – a dramatic journey through bel canto tales of the heart. Grounded in new research by Neal Peres Da Costa, this program showcases some of Australia’s most brilliant vocal soloists supported by the Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra’s full period-instrument orchestra. The concert explores the emotional extremes of 19th-century Italian operatic expression, coming to Sydney on 16 July at Verbrugghen Hall.

The season also features an Australian premiere recording of Louise Farrenc’s groundbreaking Nonet – the work that helped win the composer equal pay at the Paris Conservatoire in 1849. This milestone album, performed on period instruments with the orchestra’s signature dynamism, will be released on CD and digital platforms in 2026 with an all-star international cast of soloists. The album features Anton Eberl’s Symphony in E flat major.

ARCO’s recording projects continue with Mozart’s Clarinet, pairing the iconic Clarinet Quintet with Murphy’s commissioned Wavelength – a collaboration blending Mozart’s genius and fresh Australian creative voices, slated for release in 2027. The recorded works can be heard live on Sunday 24 May at Melbourne Recital Centre.

Education remains central to the orchestra’s mission: the Young Mannheim Symphonists national and state academies return in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne, offering emerging musicians immersive, historically informed performance experiences before culminating in public concerts. Regional workshops will bring dynamic music education to schools, communities and orchestras across Australia.

Tickets for the 2026 season are now on sale, with more concerts and tours to be announced. For more information visit the Australian & Romantic Classical Orchestra website.