BRISTOL BEACON’S 2026/27 ORCHESTRAL SEASON KICKS OFF WITH WORLD-CLASS PERFORMANCES
- Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and its Chief Conductor, Mark Wigglesworth [1 Oct]
- Scottish Ensemble and Brìghde Chaimbeul [18 Oct]
- London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Antonio Pappano and Sheku Kanneh-Mason [24 Oct]
- Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Mark Wigglesworth and Boris Giltburg [5 Nov]
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Bristol Beacon opens its 2026/27 orchestral season with exceptional concerts by world-class ensembles and solo artists. Programmes comprise core and contemporary repertoire in the critically acclaimed acoustics of Beacon Hall and in Lantern Hall.
Bristol Beacon’s Orchestra in Residence, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, returns with two programmes this autumn. Celebrating the bicentenary of Beethoven in 2027, Chief Conductor Mark Wigglesworth leads a Beethoven Symphony Cycle, starting with Symphony No. 1 in a programme also including Hank de Vlieger’s arrangement of Wagner’s Ring Cycle [1 Oct]. Wigglesworth then conducts Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2 alongside Prokofiev’s ‘Classical’ Symphony and Schumann’s Piano Concerto with soloist and BSO Artist-in-Residence, Boris Giltburg [5 Nov].This November concert will be paired with a special event engaging with Beethoven beyond his music through performance, discussion, and debate [1 Nov]. Hosted by BBC Radio 3 presenter Tom Service, the afternoon will include readings from Beethoven’s letters accompanied by excerpts from his string quartets. Percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie will explore the musical and social implications of deafness in a debate with an audience, chaired by Jonathan Dimbleby.
In the Lantern Hall, Scottish Ensemble and renowned Celtic musician Brìghde Chaimbeul collaborate in a cross-genre performance in which she plays the Scottish smallpipes [18 Oct]. The programme includes two pieces byBrìghde Chaimbeul and one by Philip Glass.
The London Symphony Orchestra returns to Beacon Hall under the baton of its Chief Conductor, Sir Antonio Pappano [24 Oct]. Sheku Kanneh-Mason performs Edmund Finnis’ Cello Concerto with Pappano leading a performance of Bruckner’s Symphony No. 9.