What’s on

The saxophonist, rapper and composer Soweto Kinch presents the final instalment of a trilogy of works in collaboration with the LSO, which began with The Black Peril and White Juju.

Paris in the 1780s was the musical centre of Europe. Academy of Ancient Music plays showpieces by Mozart, Haydn and the Chevalier de Saint-Georges: three geniuses on the edge of a volcano.

An evening celebrating music at the forefront of composition, as we hear three world premieres, alongside Pierre Boulez’s magnetic memoriam to fellow composer Bruno Maderna.

For the final Barbican concert in celebration of Estonian composer Arvo Pärt’s 90th birthday, the London based 12 Ensemble bring a contemporary slant to the 20th century titan’s compositions.

Debussy’s impressionistic colours give way to Ravel’s dazzling concerto and wild, untamed waltz; Lutosławski exhilarates in his Concerto for Orchestra. 

The remarkable Ligeti Quartet traces the shifting contours of memory, nature, and change, through music by Kaija Saariaho, Cassandra Miller, John Luther Adams and many more.

Two leading instrumental groups – period ensemble Consone Quartet and the acclaimed Chiaroscuro Quartet – join forces to present an evening of beloved classical works.

Ermonela Jaho stars in Puccini’s bittersweet romance, his opera La Rondine, incorporating music that has not been heard this century. 

A collaboration between The Hermes Experiment and five international sound artists, this immersive concert-installation responds to the climate emergency.

Tchaikovsky faces his demons in the fate-filled Fourth Symphony, before the ravishing pastoral music of English composer Vaughan Williams with soloist Antoine Tamestit.

Acclaimed choral ensemble Marian Consort pays tribute to flowers and gardens both actual and allegorical, with music from the late Renaissance to the present day.

Kick-start your evening with a 60-minute Half Six Fix concert, showcasing two works by Vaughan Williams. Introduced by the performers, with screens in the hall to bring you closer to the action.

Thea Musgrave paints with radiant colours, Walton gives flight to the viola, and Vaughan Williams dreams of London.

Following the success of their festive 'Live from London' collab in 2024, Adrian Scarborough (History Boys, Gavin and Stacey) joins the BBC Singers on a Christmas journey of carols & literature.

The Russian born master pianist Arcadi Volodos returns to the Barbican for a journey to the heart of the Romantic spirit.

Laurence Cummings and Academy of Ancient Music perform Handel’s Messiah – a Christmas tradition that they’ve made their own.

Relive the golden age of Hollywood with music by some of cinema’s most brilliant and influential composers.

Relive the golden age of Hollywood with music by some of cinema’s most brilliant and influential composers.

Sir James MacMillan conducts a starry performance of his huge, life-affirming Christmas Oratorio – music that speaks to listeners of all faiths and none.

Join us as The National Youth Orchestra takes to the stage for a massive orchestral experience, alongside conductor Alexandre Bloch and cellist Inbal Segev.

A 300-year-old woman confronts mortality, identity and lost love in this concert performance of Janáček’s intense operatic drama.

A 300-year-old woman confronts mortality, identity and lost love in this concert performance of Janáček’s intense operatic drama.

Clemens Schuldt and the BBC Symphony Orchestra perform Shakespearean classics, Strauss at his most sumptuous, and a new British concerto for cellist Guy Johnston.

Two showcases of Bartók’s unbridled passion for Hungarian folk music, plus de Falla’s sun-drenched tale of love and deception. 

Step into a kaleidoscopic world of sound as one of the UK’s leading new-music ensembles, Riot Ensemble, brings an electrifying programme by a new generation of creatives.

US composer Julia Wolfe’s major new work unEarth receives its UK premiere at the Barbican, performed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Singers, National Youth Voices, and Danish soprano Else Torp.

Subtle elegance and introspection infuse Mozart’s late piano concerto, while Brahms brings hope and solace in times of loss. 

The world-renowned duo of violinist Maxim Vengerov and pianist Polina Osetinskaya take to the Barbican stage for an evening that sets the gold standard for contemporary duet performance.