Philharmonia Orchestra
The Philharmonia creates thrilling experiences in music for a global audience
Every member of the 80-strong Philharmonia Orchestra is dedicated to bringing orchestral music of the very highest quality to the widest possible audience.
From LPs back in the 1940s to interactive installations and virtual reality today, the Philharmonia embraces cutting-edge technology to share the experience of orchestral music around the world and beyond – their recording of Beethoven’s Symphony No.5 is travelling through interstellar space on board the Voyager spacecraft.
But there’s nothing quite the same as hearing the renowned ‘Philharmonia Sound’ live – and here at the Southbank Centre they perform with some of the world’s greatest conductors and soloists, on Thursdays and Sundays from September to June.
Santtu-Matias Rouvali has been Principal Conductor of the Philharmonia since 2021. This summer you can hear him conduct music by Wagner, Brahms, Shostakovich and Elgar. Trailblazer Marin Alsop is their Principal Guest Conductor. In October she conducts Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No.5 alongside songs by Alma Mahler.
Sarod virtuoso Soumik Datta is the Philharmonia’s Artist in Residence this season. He’s collaborating with members of the Philharmonia and migrant musicians to create a multimedia performance in May. Next season charismatic violinist Nemanja Radulović is their Featured Artist. You can hear him play Khachaturian’s Violin Concerto in October.
In the autumn, the Philharmonia presents Nordic Soundscapes, a series of concerts and discussions about the relationship between music, nature and the climate emergency, from a Nordic perspective. Enjoy masterpieces by Sibelius, Grieg and Nielsen, discover new works by composers making their mark on the present and the future of orchestral music, and join in the debate on the role of the arts in addressing environmental issues.
Look out for performances with pianists Alexandre Kantorow, Sir Stephen Hough and Sir András Schiff, violinists Isabelle Faust, María Dueñas and Leonidas Kavakos, saxophonist Jess Gillam and conductors Esa-Pekka Salonen and Herbert Blomstedt too.
You can also enjoy free performances by members of the orchestra in the Philharmonia Chamber Players and Music of Today series.
‘The Philharmonia players, total pros, pitched in with 100 per cent verve.’
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