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Vasily Petrenko introduces our 80th Anniversary Season

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Fri 17 Apr 2026
Vasily Petrenko smiling as he and the Orchestra receive applause at the Royal Albert Hall

Credit: Andy Paradise

We're turning 80 years old in 2026, an you're invited to the party.

In our 2026–27 Season, we're making music that celebrates music, the musicians who make it, and you, our audience – the people who make the music complete.

Watch our Music Director Vasily Petrenko introduce the season below.

Explore the season

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<div class="video__poster-wrapper"> <img src="https://www.rpo.co.uk/uploads/images/Series-pages/2026-27/_landscape_xl/133015/VP-conducting-with-coloured-lines.webp?v=1776786626%2C0.723%2C0.5083" srcset="https://www.rpo.co.uk/uploads/images/Series-pages/2026-27/_landscape_xl/133015/VP-conducting-with-coloured-lines.webp?v=1776786626%2C0.723%2C0.5083 1920w, https://www.rpo.co.uk/uploads/images/Series-pages/2026-27/_landscape_l/133015/VP-conducting-with-coloured-lines.webp?v=1776786629%2C0.723%2C0.5083 1440w, https://www.rpo.co.uk/uploads/images/Series-pages/2026-27/_landscape_m/133015/VP-conducting-with-coloured-lines.webp?v=1776786630%2C0.723%2C0.5083 960w, https://www.rpo.co.uk/uploads/images/Series-pages/2026-27/_landscape_s/133015/VP-conducting-with-coloured-lines.webp?v=1776786632%2C0.723%2C0.5083 720w" sizes="(min-width: 2000px) 1273px, (min-width: 1100px) 66.666vw, (min-width: 650px) 83.333vw, 100vw" width="1920" height="1080" alt="Vasily Petrenko conducting the RPO at the Roya Albert Hall with colourful musical stave lines winding behind him and the orchestra" loading="lazy" > <button class="video__poster-btn" type="button">Play</button> </div> <div class="video__embed video__embed--hidden"> <iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DTq-TPNGj_g?autoplay=0&rel=0" frameborder="0" title="Vasily Petrenko introduces our 2026–27 Season"></iframe> </div>

Read more

Discover the 2026–27 Season

Vasily Petrenko conducting the RPO at the Roya Albert Hall with colourful musical stave lines winding behind him and the orchestra

New 2026–27 London season announced: Diverse programming and new concert…

Discover our Season with Vasily

Concerts coming up

Dark pink artwork depicting the Tree of Life with a swirly musical stave behind it

Strauss, Beethoven and Errollyn Wallen raise the roof as the RPO turns 80 years young

  • Wed 23 Sept 2026
  • Royal Albert Hall
Illustration of a blue hand grabbing a lightning strike over a blue brush stroke background with the RPO logo curving lines.

Get under the skin of Mozart’s last symphony, as the RPO retells the story of a masterwork

  • Thu 1 Oct 2026
  • Cadogan Hall
Artwork of an orange brush stroke and a red-pink phoenix in front of it

Poetry, fairytales and Grieg’s Piano Concerto: melody and wonder from Vasily Petrenko

  • Sat 16 Jan 2027
  • Royal Festival Hall
Illustration of a doorknocker over a blue to purple gradient paint stroke. The illustration is on a purple background with the RPO logo curving lines.

Beethoven’s Fifth: Vasily Petrenko and the RPO play the classic to end all classics

  • Wed 20 Jan 2027
  • Cadogan Hall
Artwork showing the moon, stars, and a blue brushstroke behind it.

Petrenko conducts Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff, plus French delights from pianist Bertrand Chamayou

  • Sun 21 Mar 2027
  • Royal Festival Hall
Fiery orange and yellow artwork featuring feathered wings and swirls

Mahler’s colossal symphony of life, death and resurrection, performed live in the Royal Albert Hall

  • Wed 7 Apr 2027
  • Royal Albert Hall
Artwork of snowy mountains and a purple brushstroke

‘Thus Spake Zarathustra’: epic sounds and titanic emotions from Vasily Petrenko and the RPO

  • Wed 5 May 2027
  • Royal Albert Hall
Artwork of a ballet dancer in purple in front of a pink brush stroke

Gods, lovers and very angry sheep: Vasily Petrenko conducts magical tales by Strauss and Ravel

  • Tue 25 May 2027
  • Royal Festival Hall
Dark pink artwork depicting the Tree of Life with a swirly musical stave behind it

Strauss, Beethoven and Errollyn Wallen raise the roof as the RPO turns 80 years young

  • Wed 23 Sept 2026
  • Royal Albert Hall
Illustration of a blue hand grabbing a lightning strike over a blue brush stroke background with the RPO logo curving lines.

Get under the skin of Mozart’s last symphony, as the RPO retells the story of a masterwork

  • Thu 1 Oct 2026
  • Cadogan Hall
Artwork of an orange brush stroke and a red-pink phoenix in front of it

Poetry, fairytales and Grieg’s Piano Concerto: melody and wonder from Vasily Petrenko

  • Sat 16 Jan 2027
  • Royal Festival Hall
Illustration of a doorknocker over a blue to purple gradient paint stroke. The illustration is on a purple background with the RPO logo curving lines.

Beethoven’s Fifth: Vasily Petrenko and the RPO play the classic to end all classics

  • Wed 20 Jan 2027
  • Cadogan Hall
Artwork showing the moon, stars, and a blue brushstroke behind it.

Petrenko conducts Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff, plus French delights from pianist Bertrand Chamayou

  • Sun 21 Mar 2027
  • Royal Festival Hall
Fiery orange and yellow artwork featuring feathered wings and swirls

Mahler’s colossal symphony of life, death and resurrection, performed live in the Royal Albert Hall

  • Wed 7 Apr 2027
  • Royal Albert Hall
Artwork of snowy mountains and a purple brushstroke

‘Thus Spake Zarathustra’: epic sounds and titanic emotions from Vasily Petrenko and the RPO

  • Wed 5 May 2027
  • Royal Albert Hall
Artwork of a ballet dancer in purple in front of a pink brush stroke

Gods, lovers and very angry sheep: Vasily Petrenko conducts magical tales by Strauss and Ravel

  • Tue 25 May 2027
  • Royal Festival Hall

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