It's going to be very British!

Chief Conductor Sir Donald Runnicles is British. Our Composer in Residence Sir James MacMillan is British. Palastorganist Anna Lapwood as well as many conductors and soloists from the 25/26 season also live on the island. And there is great music from Great Britain! What could be more natural than to draw these aspects through the season like a common thread? 

From 14 to 26 NOV 2025, we invite you to our ›British Festival‹ at which Sir Donald will conduct ›The Planets‹ by Gustav Holst and works by Ralph Vaughan Williams, William Walton and Sir James MacMillan, among others. Anna Lapwood plays film music adaptations on our large concert hall organ, and the Collenbusch Quartet performs chamber music by Sir James MacMillan. But that's not all! With Spotlights in April and May 2026, we are extending the festival, so to speak, and have invited such outstanding British artists as saxophonist Jess Gillam, cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason and conductor Andrew Manze. And Composer in Residence Sir James MacMillan will even conduct a major choral concert with the Philharmonic Choir, the Philharmonic Children's Choir and over 100 other singers. 

Of course, the music takes centre stage, but ›very British‹ is so much more. From the Union Jack, the distinctive British flag, to the plaid tartan skirt and the legendary five o'clock tea, we have taken inspiration for the supporting programmes, so you can look forward to it!