CLASSICAL MUSIC
Southbank Centre Season Opening Week 2026
Nine contrasting classical choices across Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room—from a 146-voice London premiere to Vivaldi, Britten and Steve Reich.
The essentials, in one place
Choose your date, check your ticket and plan the journey.
- Date
- 22 Sept 2026 – 27 Sept 2026
- Venue
- Southbank Centre South Bank
- What time does it start?
- 20:00 London local time. A door opening time is not a stage time.
- Tickets
- Ticketed; multi-buy shown on official programme Availability and prices can change.
Access, line-up and the journey home
- Access
- Individual halls and performances vary; check the selected event and current access route Venue access information ↗
- Finish and running time
- A finish time has not been confirmed here. Check the venue programme before arranging your journey home.
- Return journey
- Use your actual departure date and time in the journey planner, especially if you expect to leave after midnight.
- Dates
- Tuesday 22–Sunday 27 September
- Venues
- Royal Festival Hall · Queen Elizabeth Hall · Purcell Room
- Booking
- Ticketed; official multi-buy shown on programme
- Nearest major station
- Waterloo
- Checked
- 20 September 2026
Tuesday: the large-scale opener
Fire in My Mouth begins at 20:00 in Royal Festival Hall. Marin Alsop conducts the Philharmonia with London Voices, RSNO Youth Chorus and Farnham Youth Choir in Julia Wolfe’s London premiere, performed with a 146-strong all-woman choir.
Wednesday and Thursday
The Multi-Story Orchestra presents Dreamer at 19:00 on Wednesday in Queen Elizabeth Hall. On Thursday at 19:30, Santtu-Matias Rouvali and cellist Sol Gabetta join the Philharmonia for Brahms, Elgar’s Cello Concerto and Dvořák’s New World Symphony.
Friday: a transformed Four Seasons
At 19:30, violinist-director Pekka Kuusisto and cittern player Ale Carr join Aurora Orchestra. Caroline Shaw and Sibelius lead into Vivaldi’s Four Seasons with additional traditional material.
Saturday: choose, do not stack
Mariam Batsashvili’s Bach and Liszt recital starts at 18:00. Britten’s War Requiem starts at 19:00 in Royal Festival Hall, while Steve Reich programming continues into a 21:30 After Dark event. These are alternatives with overlapping times, not a feasible checklist.
Sunday: keyboard or Reich
Jean Rondeau performs Bach’s Goldberg Variations at 14:00. The Steve Reich at 90 programme continues later with London Sinfonietta and Jonny Greenwood listed by the organiser. Open the live schedule before booking because individual event details control tickets, access and running time.
Who this week suits
Choose it if you want a concentrated introduction to London’s classical institutions without pretending all classical concerts sound alike. Newer listeners may find Dreamer or Four Seasons the easiest entry; large choral scale points toward Fire in My Mouth or War Requiem; pattern and pulse point toward Reich.
Arrival and access
Waterloo is the nearest major interchange, with Embankment across the river. The complex contains several halls, so the venue name on the ticket matters. Check Southbank Centre’s access page for step-free routes and current lift information, and leave time to find the correct entrance.
