The 2026/27 Season:
10 Years of Elbphilharmonie
The Elbphilharmonie and Laeiszhalle present once again a vibrant programme, unique shared experiences and, of course, a season featuring the finest musicians of our time!
The 2026/27 Season
Magnificent orchestral concerts and refined chamber music, outstanding artists, along with several festivals and thematic focuses – the 10th anniversary season at the Elbphilharmonie and Laeiszhalle is bursting at the seams, offering something for every taste, from early music to jazz and electronic sounds.
Thematically, the spotlight turns to the 250th anniversary of the United States. Seven of the finest US orchestras are set to perform a total of 13 concerts, including the New York Philharmonic, returning for the first time since 2017. The multi-award-winning musician Rhiannon Giddens explores the global roots of American musical culture in a wide-ranging »Reflektor« festival, as curator, composer and performer. The birthdays of composers John Adams and Steve Reich are celebrated alongside that of the jazz giant John Coltrane. American composer Missy Mazzoli presents her highly topical works as part of »NDR Artist Across Ensembles« and the season’s Artists in Residence include violinist Augustin Hadelich and Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes.
Elsewhere, the programme turns to the music of Lebanon and to musical explorations of the Prometheus myth, while dance icon Sasha Waltz curates a multi-day »Reflektor« festival. »Elbphilharmonie Visions«, the festival for contemporary orchestral music initiated by Alan Gilbert, returns for its third edition. The Beethoven Year 2027 is marked on a grand scale: Quatuor Ébène performs the complete string quartets, Igor Levit embarks on a two-season cycle of all the piano sonatas and Lang Lang presents the full set of piano concertos.
Beyond classical music, audiences can look forward to the return of favourites such as Mariza, Angelique Kidjo, Youssou N’Dour, Sophie Hunger, Dianne Reeves and the Punch Brothers. Numerous other ambitious projects, including Mieczysław Weinberg’s opera »The Passenger« and Luigi Nono’s magnum opus »Prometeo«, round off the programme.
Themes & Festivals
USA 250
»All people are created equal and they are endowed with certain unalienable rights – life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.« With this declaration, the United States of America broke away from Great Britain on 4 July 1776. Although its implementation, particularly with regard to women, Black and Indigenous people, was long in coming, the text remains one of the most influential in world history. It forms the foundation of the American Dream: the idea of a land of limitless opportunity.
The eventful history of the United States as an immigrant nation and »melting pot« is reflected in its music. It draws on the folk, art and sacred traditions of European settlers as well as on the musical heritage of enslaved Africans. The Elbphilharmonie and Laeiszhalle dedicate a major focus to this diversity. No fewer than four of the legendary »Big Five« orchestras – from New York, Boston, Chicago and Cleveland – appear in Hamburg this season, joined by many other leading ensembles. Toward the end of the 19th century, the search for a distinct American musical voice began. Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony »From the New World«, performed at the season opening concert by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, marked a key moment. Exiled composers such as Sergei Rachmaninov and Igor Stravinsky inspired a new generation, among them Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber, George Gershwin and Leonard Bernstein, who united classical music and jazz, folk traditions and popular culture.
In the 1960s and ’70s, minimal music emerged as another defining style. Steve Reich and John Adams, both celebrated this season with a portrait concert and a dedicated spotlight, take centre stage. The Hamburg International Music Festival honours Julius Eastman, one of the great mavericks of American music history. Jazz, long a cornerstone of the programme, is also celebrated: John Coltrane takes a central role, while Rhiannon Giddens explores the African roots of the banjo in her »Reflektor« festival.
Ludwig van Beethoven
»I will seize fate by the throat,« Ludwig van Beethoven defiantly noted in the face of his advancing deafness. »It will certainly not break me.« This self-assured, combative spirit is characteristic of a composer who united inspiration, compelling logic, Romantic depth and sheer power in his music like no one before or after him. Even during his lifetime, he was elevated as a »Titan«, a figure who continues to dominate concert life to this day. On the occasion of the 200th anniversary of his death on 26 March 2027, Beethoven’s omnipresence is intensified once more through several major cycles.
Superstar Lang Lang performs all five piano concertos, accompanied by Andris Nelsons with »his« orchestras in Boston and Leipzig, paired with a number of symphonies. The irresistible Quatuor Ébène performs the complete string quartets, while Igor Levit begins a two-season series of all the piano sonatas, also explored by several other pianists. Representing the many symphonic performances is the Ninth Symphony with Iván Fischer and his outstanding Budapest Festival Orchestra.
Artist Spotlights
Orchestras in Residence
Genres
Operas and vocal works
Grand operas also make a powerful impact in the Elbphilharmonie Grand Hall in concert performance. Highlights this season include Mieczysław Weinberg’s magnum opus »The Passenger« and Luigi Nono’s visionary music theatre work »Prometeo«. René Jacobs returns with Antonio Salieri’s »Falstaff«, while Alan Gilbert, together with the NDR and MDR choirs and orchestras, presents Stravinsky’s »Oedipus Rex«. Large-scale vocal works with choirs and soloists are, of course, also part of the programme: Giovanni Battista Pergolesi’s »Stabat Mater« with the charismatic Jakub Józef Orliński, two monumental choral works by Hector Berlioz and Bach’s St Matthew Passion with the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra under the direction of Sir Simon Rattle.
Contemporary Music
Contemporary music has a firm place here: at the Elbphilharmonie, new music is championed and the diversity of the scene is showcased. Its flagship is the »Visions« festival, which over the course of a week presents world premieres alongside major works of recent years. Two leading American composers are given special focus: Missy Mazzoli and John Adams – their music reflects the vibrant culture of a nation in flux. Further highlights include Sofia Gubaidulina’s oratorio »Über Liebe und Hass« and Ensemble Le Balcon with a psychedelic trip through the music of Fausto Romitelli.
Early Music
What does a violin sound like with strings made of soft natural gut instead of hard metal? Many concerts offer the chance to immerse yourself in the vividly alive sound worlds of past centuries. Some of these are brought together in the venerable »Das Alte Werk« subscription series, which this season includes, among other highlights, two concert performances of operas and Bach’s beloved »Brandenburg Concertos«. Beyond this, leading artists such as Giovanni Antonini with his ensemble Il Giardino Armonico and Julia Lezhneva appear, as do Sir Simon Rattle with a St Matthew Passion and audience favourite Jordi Savall with the »Missa solemnis« marking the 200th anniversary of Beethoven’s death.
Lieder and Song Recitals
Experience the great voices of today: song recitalists and opera stars such as Thomas Hampson, Julian Prégardien, Rolando Villazón and Diana Damrau present multifaceted aria programmes and intimate recitals – always accompanied by leading collaborative pianists and first-class ensembles.
Piano Recitals
They are often described as the »New Testament of piano music«: Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas. Marking the 200th anniversary of the composer’s death, outstanding pianists such as Igor Levit, Piotr Anderszewski, Hélène Grimaud and Rudolf Buchbinder devote themselves to this monumental legacy – alongside Leif Ove Andsnes, Artist in Residence with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra. The »Pianomania« series is dedicated to Domenico Scarlatti and a selection of his 555 keyboard sonatas. Familiar faces also return: Evgeny Kissin in duo with Sir András Schiff, the acclaimed Jussen brothers, Grigory Sokolov and audience favourite Víkingur Ólafsson. A fresh breeze comes from the youngest generation of internationally celebrated keyboard virtuosos, including Seong-Jin Cho, Hayato Sumino and Yunchan Lim.
Chamber Music
The Recital Halls of the Elbphilharmonie and Laeiszhalle are perfectly suited to chamber music and song recitals. Their intimate setting brings audiences closer to the performers and offers a particularly vivid experience of the interaction on stage. At the Laeiszhalle, all-star ensembles come together – rare combinations that are seldom heard elsewhere. Among them is Artist in Residence Augustin Hadelich, who always finds time in his busy schedule to perform chamber music with equally renowned colleagues.
Young Artists
These artists have what it takes to become the big names of tomorrow. Every year, the major European concert halls select the most exciting young musicians for the »Rising Stars« and send them on tour. Some of the artists in the »FAST LANE« series started out at the Elbphilharmonie and are now all on the fast track to a great career – but also eagerly return to Hamburg. The »Teatime Classics« presents hand-picked young prize-winners in the Laeiszhalle Recital Hall.
Organ
Not only the Elbphilharmonie celebrates an anniversary this season, but so does the organ in the Grand Hall. Exactly ten years after its official inaugural concert, titular organist Iveta Apkalna looks back in January 2027 with a special anniversary programme. She also frames the organ season with Saint-Saëns’s opulent »Organ Symphony« and a new concerto by Finnish composer Sebastian Fagerlund. Also featured: Thierry Escaich combines dance-inspired works with improvisations, Isabelle Demers presents a portrait of the hyper-virtuoso Charles-Valentin Alkan, German rising star Aurel Dawidiuk turns to Bach and »TikTok organist« Anna Lapwood makes a return appearance.
Jazz
In line with the »USA 250« focus, the Elbphilharmonie presents jazz greats such as John Scofield, Julian Lage and John Medeski, alongside Cécile McLorin Salvant and Terri Lyne Carrington. All-star line-ups featuring Joe Lovano and Branford Marsalis pay tribute to John Coltrane’s 100th birthday, celebrating the legacy of jazz. Jazz harpist, pianist and visionary composer Alice Coltrane would have turned 90 in 2027; her son Ravi Coltrane therefore joins the acclaimed harpist Brandee Younger for a tribute concert in her honour.
World Music
As a house of open doors and ears, the Elbphilharmonie has always been a meeting place for musical styles and traditions from around the world. Alongside Brazilian legends Arthur Verocai and Djavan, audience favourites Angélique Kidjo and Youssou N’Dour return – this time as a duo. The »World Classical Music« series focuses on traditional art music that has evolved over millennia across all continents. Two major festivals also take centre stage: in autumn, audiences can immerse themselves in the diverse contemporary music scene of Lebanon, while the »Reflektor« festival curated by American banjo player and folk singer Rhiannon Giddens promises a rich and varied programme.
Pop & Electronic
Pop and electronica also belong in a 21st-century concert hall. Hot Hamburg artists are given a stage in the »Made in Hamburg« series. Sound magicians, synthesizer gods and modular tinkerers continue to perform in the »ePhil« series at the Elbphilharmonie.
Music for Everyone
The Elbphilharmonie has something to offer everyone – even the young: the »Twinkle Concerts« present imaginative productions from all over Europe. The »Gen Elphi« concerts are aimed at young people aged 14 and over. The »Klangzeit« series is aimed at people with dementia and their families. »This is absolutely normal and nobody is concerned« is a collaborative music theatre experience exploring intimacy, rebellion and fragility. And the Elbphilharmonie also puts on a range of events in cultural centres around the city.
