London Symphony Orchestra
Resident Orchestra
The London Symphony Orchestra is built on the belief that extraordinary music should be available to everyone, everywhere. It was established in 1904 and today is among the world’s top orchestras
As Resident Orchestra at the Barbican since the Centre opened, it performs some 50 concerts here every year, under the batons of a family of conductors that includes Chief Conductor Designate Sir Antonio Pappano, Conductor Emeritus Sir Simon Rattle, Principal Guest Conductors Gianandrea Noseda and François-Xavier Roth, Conductor Laureate Michael Tilson Thomas and Associate Artists Barbara Hannigan and André J Thomas.
Events
London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Antonio Pappano
Dreams and fantasies from enigmatic Szymanowski to Berlioz’s most rock’n’roll work, the Symphonie fantastique.
London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Antonio Pappano
Two portraits from a magician of orchestral colour, Richard Strauss – plus a young Mozart dances on the violin
London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Antonio Pappano
–
Sir Antonio Pappano conducts a concert performance of Strauss’ scandalous opera Salome, with the brilliant soprano Asmik Grigorian in the title role.
London Symphony Orchestra/Duncan Ward with Abel Selaocoe
South African and European traditions meet in the transformative music of Abel Selaocoe alongside folk and jazz-flecked music from Gary Carpenter and Bartók.
London Symphony Orchestra/André J Thomas: Gospel Explosion
Experience the power of American gospel music, combined with the symphonic sound of the LSO and a chorus of over 250 voices from across the London community, curated and conducted by André J Thomas.
London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Antonio Pappano: Beethoven 7
Beethoven’s triumphantly brilliant symphony and an instantly popular 21st-century concerto with soloist Kirill Gerstein in the spotlight.
London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Antonio Pappano: Rachmaninov
Spellbinding storytellers, dancing ghosts and melodies that will stay with you forever in music from Ravel, Fazil Say and Rachmaninov.
London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Antonio Pappano: Strauss
–
Pop culture’s most famous fanfare sets the mood – this is music that tells you: wake up! Sir Antonio Pappano and Alice Sara Ott present a programme of Liszt, Strauss and a premiere by Hannah Kendall.
London Symphony Orchestra/Barbara Hannigan: Stravinsky
The composer of the future in the early 20th century, Stravinsky still sounds new every time you hear him. LSO Associate Artist Barbara Hannigan presents two essential works.
London Symphony Orchestra: Half Six Fix – Pulcinella
Grab a drink and savour the perfect balance of sweet and bitter in Stravinsky’s time-warp drama for three voices.
London Symphony Orchestra/Barbara Hannigan: Season Opening
–
To open our 2023/24 Barbican season, Barbara Hannigan sings and conducts music that searches for light in dark times.
London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Simon Rattle
–
Sir Simon Rattle ends his final concert as LSO Music Director with Messiaen’s mind-blowing Turangalîla-Symphonie – an explosion of passionate emotion and ear-tingling sound.
London Symphony Orchestra/François-Xavier Roth
François-Xavier Roth conducts Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, plus a modern classic with master-violinist Christian Tetzlaff
London Symphony Orchestra/LSO Panufnik Composers Workshop
In these free public workshops, witness a pivotal point in the process of writing a new three-minute orchestral piece, as the LSO play works by the latest cohort of Panufnik composers.
London Symphony Orchestra/LSO Futures
François -Xavier Roth makes musical history, with world premieres fresh from the imaginations of some of the boldest and brightest living composers.
London Symphony Orchestra/François-Xavier Roth
Yuja Wang gives the UK premiere of Magnus Lindberg’s flamboyant new Piano Concerto: outsized inspiration, for a pianist who knows no limits.
London Symphony Orchestra/Michael Tilson Thomas
As part of his Artist Portrait series, violinist Christian Tetzlaff joins Michael Tilson Thomas to explore the sunlit world of Brahms’ Violin Concerto.
London Symphony Orchestra/Michael Tilson Thomas
LSO Conductor Laureate Michael Tilson Thomas joins Korean piano superstar Sunwook Kim in Brahms’ explosive First Piano Concerto.
London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Simon Rattle
Sir Simon Rattle and the LSO dive headlong into the dream-world of Gustav Mahler’s Seventh Symphony, and welcome the BBC Singers for a special performance of an intricate work by Poulenc.
Discover
Profile: London Symphony Orchestra
Listen to our selection of LSO recordings from across the years in our Spotify playlist.
Barbican Sessions: Peter Moore
London Symphony Orchestra’s young trombonist, Peter Moore, performs 'Doolallynastics – a brief torture for solo trombone’ by Brian Lynn in our latest Barbican Session, filmed in one of our Frobisher Auditoriums.