The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra has unveiled a star-studded 2026 season featuring some of the world’s most sought-after musicians, major international debuts, and a program that blends beloved classical works with contemporary commissions.

Over the course of the year, the orchestra will perform more than 40 concerts across 15 cities and towns, from Auckland to Dunedin.

NZSO Principal Conductor Gemma New. Portrait © Benjamin Ealovega

At the centre of the season is Artistic Advisor and Principal Conductor Gemma New, who will lead four major programs. These include the NZSO debut of Canadian violinist James Ehnes, the return of UK-Australian pianist Sir Stephen Hough, and a solo performance by the orchestra’s Principal Clarinettist Patrick Barry in Copland’s Clarinet Concerto. New will also conduct Beethoven’s monumental Ninth Symphony in Wellington and Dunedin, joined by the Orpheus Choir and City Choir Dunedin.

“Big Ideas, Big Emotions has been our theme in planning this season,” New said. “I’m looking forward to sharing personal favourites in the traditional canon – Mahler’s First Symphony, Beethoven’s Ninth, and Elgar’s Enigma Variations – as well as new treasures by Aotearoa New Zealand composers Ross Harris and Dame Gillian Karawe Whitehead.”

James Ehnes. Portrait © Benjamin Ealovega

Ehnes, Gramophone magazine’s 2021 Artist of the Year, will perform Korngold’s Violin Concerto in a program that also includes Mahler’s Titan Symphony and the New Zealand premiere of Thomas Adès’ The Origin of the Harp.

Hough joins the orchestra for Saint-Saëns’ Egyptian Concerto, paired with Elgar’s Enigma Variations and the world premiere of Ross Harris’ Concerto for Orchestra.

The season also brings the Aotearoa debuts of two young international stars. Spanish violinist María Dueñas, a former Menuhin Competition winner hailed by The New York Times as “a strong-willed young artist with something to say,” will open the season with Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in Wellington and Christchurch under Venezuelan conductor Rodolfo Barráez.

Isata Kanneh-Mason. Portrait © Karolina Wielocha

Later in the year, British pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason – whose family album River of Music topped the UK classical charts this month – will perform Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 27 with the orchestra led by Tianyi Lu. Kanneh-Mason will also give a solo recital in Auckland.

Emerging New Zealand talent also takes the spotlight. Fifteen-year-old pianist Shan Liu, who won acclaim performing with the NZSO and comedian Bret McKenzie in this year’s family concerts, will tackle Prokofiev’s Third Piano Concerto with conductor Jaime Martín.

Other major debuts include Dutch trombonist Jörgen van Rijen, who joins the NZSO for the world premiere of American composer Andrew Norman’s Trombone Concerto under Music Director Designate André de Ridder.

Jorgen van Rijen. Portrait © Marco Borggreve

Internationally acclaimed Finnish conductor Pietari Inkinen, a noted Wagner specialist, will return to lead two programs: a selection of Wagner works featuring tenor Simon O’Neill, and a concert of Sibelius and Magnus Lindberg alongside NZSO Concertmaster Vesa-Matti Leppänen.

Scottish maestro Sir Donald Runnicles will conduct an evening of Brahms and Richard Strauss, including Strauss’ Four Last Songs with soprano Madeleine Pierard.

The season also includes Handel’s Messiah in December, led by Australian conductor and harpsichordist Erin Helyard, with soloists Samantha Clarke, Ashlyn Tymms, Kyle Stegall and Andrew O’Connor, and the Tudor Consort.

Chief Executive Marc Feldman described the 2026 program as “the beginning of a new era” for the national orchestra. “The season is centred around the concept of a classical haven,” he said. “It brings together cherished, timeless works with new discoveries that enhance the beauty and power of the concert experience.”

Alongside international guests, the NZSO will feature leading New Zealand performers, including soprano Anna Leese, cellist Andrew Joyce, and new works from composers Ross Harris, Anthony Ritchie and Dame Gillian Karawe Whitehead.

The orchestra will also collaborate across genres. Māori artist Rob Ruha, a Silver Scroll winner and platinum-selling musician, partners with the NZSO for TEIWA, a special event in March. The orchestra will also join forces with the New Zealand Dance Company and Co3 Contemporary Dance Australia for Gloria – A Triple Bill at the Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts.

Other international artists appearing in 2026 include Chinese-Australian cellist Li-Wei Qin, Australian conductors Benjamin Northey and Dane Lam, and NZSO Music Director Emeritus James Judd.

The 2026 season, with its blend of orchestral cornerstones and ambitious new works, reflects the NZSO’s strategy of balancing tradition with innovation, said New. “It is an absolute joy to continue making music with this exceptional orchestra for our cherished audiences,” she said.

For more information and ticketing, visit www.nzso.co.nz