Beyond a hundred: Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra & Joanna MacGregor launch 2025/26 season

Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra & Joanna MacGregor, June 2025 (Photo: Fernando Manoso)

Having celebrated its centenary in May 2025, Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra has announced its lively 2025/26 season under music director Joanna MacGregor, only the fourth Music Director in the history of the orchestra.

Things kick off in September with MacGregor conducting Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3 (with soloist Junyan Chen, winner of the 2024 Leeds International Piano Competition), Bartok's The Miraculous Mandarin Suite and Ravel's La Valse. Then violinist Elena Jurioste is the soloist in Samuel Coleridge Taylor's Violin Concerto paired with Mahler's Symphony No. 5, conductor Ben Gernon.

Joanna MacGregor is both conductor and soloist in an intriguing and ambitious programme that features James MacMillan's Piano Concerto No.2, alongside Britten's Serenade for Tenor, Horn & Strings (with Mark Padmore and Alexei Watkins), MacGregor's Dowland-based work Mr Dowland's Midnight and Britten's Young Apollo.

Christmas sees the orchestra returning to Dicken's A Christmas Carol, as well as exploring fairy tales via Ukrainian music and Tchaikovsky. Then the New Year brings in Michael Nyman with music from Prospero's Books and The Draughtsman's Contract conducted by Joanna MacGregor alongside Wynton Marsalis' Trumpet Concerto with Aaron Azunda Akugbo.

The orchestra's leader Ruth Rogers performs Pēteris Vasks’ meditation for violin and orchestra Lonely Angel plus Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante in E Flat major with Romanian violist Sascha Bata in a concert that also features Bartók’s Romanian Folk Dances and Mozart’s Piano Concerto No 20 in D minor, performed and conducted by Joanna MacGregor.

Cellist Guy Johnston is the soloist in John Tavener's The Protecting Veil alongside music from Max Richter's Vivaldi Recomposed and Vivaldi's original. The final concert of the season sees MacGregor directing the premiere of her own Concerto for Brazilian Percussion and Piano alongside music by Adriano Adewale, Britten and Stravinsky.

In a new collaboration with Brighton College, orchestra principals and soloists will present short masterclasses followed by public recitals for young people, running throughout the season. The first is Joanna MacGregor’s piano recital of Philip Glass, Liszt and Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition in September. Then later in the seasons the orchestra's string players join MacGregor in Haydn, Frank Martin and Dvořák and percussionist Adriano Adewale and cellist Adrian Brendel joining the players for music from Brazil and Argentina. 

Providing opportunities for young players is central to the orchestra’s vision, and this season it formalises its support with Spring Forward, which enables the best players straight out of college to join the orchestra in four major Dome concerts, receiving professional mentoring and training.

The orchestra’s LoveMusic scheme sees the best available seats for only £13, released two days before selected concerts, saving up to £26 per person. Families can bring children under 18 to any Dome concert in the season for only £1. Newly launched this season, Under 30’s can access £10 tickets along with joining our free Under 30’s club for offers, invitations and behind-the-scenes access. There is also offers a saving of 25% for those booking the full season, and a low-income concession of 50%.

Full details from the orchestra's website.