News Story
Today we announce our 2025-26 Season, a programme of more than 100 concerts that bring together incredible classical performances, diverse collaborations, and community events deeply connected to Birmingham’s vibrant cultural identity.
New research from our regional ‘Listening Project’ – a West-Midlands focused research initiative - reveals that live music in Birmingham is seen to be an integral aspect of life in and around the city; with 60% of Birmingham residents considering attending arts and cultural events to be a vital aspect of their free time.
Emma Stenning, CBSO Chief Executive, said:
Our new season is a magnificent celebration of music that promises to deliver joy filled concerts for everyone, whether you find us at Symphony Hall, across Birmingham and the West Midlands, or on national and international tour led by our incredible Music Director, Kazuki Yamada.
Birmingham is our inspiration. Our home city is fantastically musical, and full of diversity and creative adventure. This new season is drawn from exactly that spirit, and presents us to the world as a truly future facing orchestra, that both celebrates the great classical repertoire, and dares to try something new.
As you delve into what’s on offer, we hope that you will discover music that moves you, uplifts you and offers you moments of celebration and reflection. We very much look forward to welcoming you to a concert soon.
CBSO at a glance: 2025-26 season highlights
- Kazuki enters his second year as Music Director, leading more than 10 concerts in Birmingham, including performances of monumental works such as Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade and Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.
- Black Lives in Music brings a taste of their celebrated classical music festival to Birmingham with the return of award-winning singer-songwriter Laura Mvula to her hometown.
- CBSO in the City returns with a week of free performances right across Birmingham.
- Choral and opera showstoppers include Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius, Puccini’s Tosca (featuring Natalya Romaniw, Gwyn Hughes Jones and Sir Bryn Terfel) and Adams’ Harmonium.
- Star Wars Original Trilogy Weekender, Best of Bond and Symphonic Queen all feature, alongside core symphonic repertoire including; Bartók, Rachmaninoff, Shostakovich, Strauss and Nielsen.
- The season welcomes incredible guests, debuts and guest conductors including Carlo Rizzi, Davóne Tines, Gemma New, Ilan Volkov, Isata Kanneh-Mason, Janai Brugger, Lisa Batiashvili, Nil Venditti, Seong-Jin Cho and Sir Stephen Hough.
- A full Mahler Symphony Cycle begins over the next few years, with Kazuki conducting Symphony No.1 during the 2025-26 season.
- The CBSO & The Orchestral Qawwali Project, a glorious blend of Sufi poetry, Indian Classical dance and symphony orchestra returns to Birmingham. Rushil Ranjan also leads an evening that celebrates the musical and spiritual connections between western and eastern classical music.
- There are concerts for the whole family, with 36 concerts specifically designed for young people as part of the new season, including 4 family concerts featuring music from movies and books, as well as a festive Christmas concert.
- Satnam Rana presents Bringing the Light, an evening dedicated to celebrating light and winter festivals, including new commissions from contemporary voices including Cassie Kinoshi, Joan Armatrading and Roxanna Panufnik.
- Building on our passionate education ethos, talented young musicians from across the UK (CBSO Youth Orchestra) will join Joshua Weilerstein alongside CBSO musicians for an evening of Shostakovich.
- At home in Birmingham, but sharing great music across the UK and around the world. In March 2026, Kazuki Yamada will lead the orchestra on tour, performing 13 concerts right across Europe.
From symphonies to soundtracks, Beethoven to Bernstein, classics to world premieres - our 2025-26 season embodies what a modern orchestra should be – deeply rooted in the classical tradition, while simultaneously being bold in engaging with contemporary culture. This season is a celebration of musical diversity and an invitation for audiences to connect even more deeply with the CBSO. As we tour and perform, we want to showcase why culture and music are essential to us all.
Kazuki Yamada, CBSO Music Director and RPS Conductor of the Year
Our season marries the global with the local. Whilst the variety within our season is informed by understanding our wide-ranging and diverse local audiences, we are also thrilled that so many top international artists will be joining us in Birmingham – Sir Bryn Terfel, Lisa Batiashvili, Osmo Vänskä, Vilde Frang and the Jussen brothers to name but a few. At a time of international geo-political tensions, our concerts celebrate so many different musical voices - and remind us all about music’s power to unite people. Our orchestra is a living, breathing entity, nourished both by the incredible artists we work with and the audiences we perform for. Considering our art form as a dialogue has been key to this season - a season about celebrating home – on the world stage.
Catherine Arlidge, Director of Artistic Planning and former CBSO violinist
