Say Hello to our New Season!

Building on the Hallé’s hugely successful 2025/26 season with record audiences, the orchestra continues to expand on its ambitious programming, with beloved classics alongside exciting contemporary music, a stellar list of international soloists and conductors, and the Hallé’s first ever Bollywood concert.

Kahchun Wong – Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor

Now in his third season, Kahchun Wong continues his Mahler journey with the Hallé, this time embarking on Mahler’s Fifth Symphony. An epic work of vast proportions, offering pure escapism to listeners, Kahchun comments that ‘music can illuminate even the most uncertain times’. He also turns to masterpieces that many of us hold close to our hearts: from Dvořák’s ‘New World’ Symphony to Tchaikovsky’s Fifth – ‘music that made many of us fall in love with the orchestra’ and premieres Symphony No.6 by Sir James MacMillan.

Titled Positions and Featured Artists

• Following a long and critically acclaimed relationship with the Hallé for over 30 years, Thomas Adès will become the orchestra’s Principal Guest Conductor, further deepening his association with the orchestra. Thomas will conduct three concerts, which he has curated including his own works, alongside premieres by Gabriella Smith and Francisco Coll and music by Stravinsky, Elgar, Berg, Chabrier and Gerald Barry.

• Sir James MacMillan becomes the Hallé’s Featured Composer with the world premiere of his Symphony No.6 opening the Halle’s 2026/27 season. Sir James is also at the heart of a new Easter Festival including his deeply moving setting of Seven Last Words from the Cross with the BBC Singers as well as Bach’s St John Passion with the Hallé Choir.

• Sir Mark Elder continues in his role as Conductor Emeritus, with James MacMillan’s Christmas Oratorio, and a concert celebrating his 80^th birthday, featuring the family of Hallé Choirs.

• Featured Artist positions include violinist Leila Josefowicz who will perform Thomas Adès’ Violin Concerto ‘Concentric Paths’ and Ligeti’s Concerto for Violin and Orchestra. Jonny Greenwood continues his position as Featured Artist, with his immersive work, 606 Years of Reverb at Manchester Cathedral and film screening of There Will Be Blood with the Hallé Orchestra in which he will perform the Ondes Martenot.

• The winner of the 2026 Siemens Hallé International Conductors Competition, Aku Sorensen, begins his role as the Hallé’s Assistant Conductor and Music Director of the Hallé Youth Orchestra.

• The 2026 winner of the Terence Judd-Hallé Award, Lukas Sternath, performs Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No.3 with the Hallé and as part of the chamber series at Hallé St Peter’s.

World and UK premieres

The Hallé’s commitment to new and contemporary music invites the world’s finest composers to showcase their works to large and enthusiastic audiences, ensuring classical music continues to evolve and stay relevant in today’s modern world. Throughout the 2026/27 season, the Hallé champions new commissions and contemporary music, with six world premieres by Sir James MacMillan, Ravel orchestrated by Composer Emeritus Colin Matthews, Steve Reich orchestrated by Anna Clyne, Gabriella Smith, John Casken and Priaulx Rainier and two UK premieres by Francisco Coll and Joan Tower.

Popular music

Associate Conductor Stephen Bell and the Hallé continue to programme music for all tastes with a wide range of popular concerts, ranging from Bond to Bollywood, offering a great night out for all audiences – new and returning. Highlights this season include Elvis: Viva Las Vegas (with Lee Memphis King’s shockingly accurate vocals), a John Williams concert with cinematic action on the big screen, A Night at the Oscars, The Best of Motown and The Best of Bollywood. The Hallé’s sell-out Christmas series once again offers a wide range of festive concerts with the ever-popular Carol Concerts, a Christmas Family Concert, a James Bond extravaganza to celebrate the new year and a film screening of ‘How to Train Your Dragon 2’ in concert.

Guest Soloists and Conductors
The Hallé continues to welcome the world’s greatest soloists and conductors to Manchester this season. Soloists include Alena Baeva, Mary Bevan, Gabriel Bianco, Alban Gerhardt, Kirill Gerstein, Sir Stephen Hough, Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Pavel Kolesnikov, Navin Kundra, Pekka Kuusisto, Tianyao Liu, Matilda Lloyd, Reginald Mobley, Akash Parekar, Rekha Paunrana, Lukas Sternath, Christian Tetzlaff, Alexei Volodin, Nardus Williams and Roderick Williams.

Guest Conductors include Alexandre Bloch, Nicholas Collon, Laurence Cummings, Paul Daniel, Michael England, Stefan Geiger, Emilia Hoving, Tess Jackson, Gemma New, Nodoka Okisawa, Kristiina Poska, Elena Schwarz, Michael Seal, Dinis Sousa and Hugo Tieppo-Brunt.

Leaders and Principals

The Hallé’s celebrated leaders, Roberto Ruisi and Emily Davis both take solo spots in addition to leading the orchestra in concerts throughout the season. Roberto performs Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons and Piazzolla’s The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires, both directed by him with no conductor. Emily performs Szymanowski’s lyrical Second Violin Concerto.

Other Principal players taking solo roles include Principal oboe Stéphane Rancourt performing R. Strauss’s Oboe Concerto.  Stéphane said of the challenge, ‘I just adore playing Strauss’s music, it’s like watching a blockbuster movie.’