Berlin Philharmonic opens New York tour before returning to South America after 26 years

Kirill Petrenko leads four Carnegie Hall concerts before visits to Bogotá, São Paulo and Buenos Aires, with Jonas Kaufmann and Víkingur Ólafsson joining the tour.

The Berliner Philharmoniker begins a tour of New York and South America on 8 October 2026, led by chief conductor Kirill Petrenko. Running until 23 October, the itinerary includes four concerts at Carnegie Hall before visits to Bogotá, São Paulo and Buenos Aires.

The journey marks the orchestra’s second South American tour, following its visit under Claudio Abbado in May 2000, and its first appearance in Colombia. For Petrenko, it will also be his first time performing in South America.

Víkingur Ólafsson joins the tour as soloist in Brahms’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, replacing Daniil Trifonov, who withdrew because of an injury. The orchestra announced the substitution on 14 September, confirming that the programme would remain unchanged.

Four concerts in New York

The tour opens with Carnegie Hall’s season-opening gala on 8 October. Tenor Jonas Kaufmann joins Petrenko and the orchestra for selections from Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci, Cilea’s L’Arlesiana and Giordano’s Fedora. The Italian programme also includes Verdi’s overture to La forza del destino and Respighi’s Fountains of Rome and Pines of Rome.

On 9 and 11 October, Ólafsson performs Brahms’s First Piano Concerto, paired with Richard Strauss’s Also sprach Zarathustra. The concert on 10 October brings together Elgar’s Enigma Variations and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 in F minor. These two programmes form the core of the South American itinerary.

A Colombian debut and two return visits

The South American leg begins at Bogotá’s Teatro Mayor Julio Mario Santo Domingo, with Elgar and Tchaikovsky on 14 October and Brahms and Strauss on 15 October. A separate appearance by the 12 Cellists of the Berliner Philharmoniker is scheduled for 13 October.

The orchestra then travels to Brazil for concerts at Sala São Paulo on 18 October, with Ólafsson in the Brahms–Strauss programme, and 19 October, with Elgar and Tchaikovsky.

The final stop is Buenos Aires. At the Teatro Colón, Petrenko conducts Brahms and Strauss on 21 and 23 October, with Ólafsson as soloist, and Elgar and Tchaikovsky on 22 October.

Petrenko has described the repertoire as personally significant: “Each, in its own way, holds a special place in my heart.”

Working with young musicians

Alongside the concerts, 40 members of the orchestra will take part in educational activities across the four cities. These include work with students at New York’s LaGuardia High School, the Orquesta Filarmónica Prejuvenil de Bogotá and the orchestra of the Teatro Colón’s academy. In São Paulo, activities include masterclasses and access to general rehearsals.

The Berliner Philharmoniker is also publishing a dedicated tour blog, featuring interviews, repertoire features and insights into the journey.

Follow the journey on the Berliner Philharmoniker’s official tour blog.