Berlin Phil announces 2026/27 programme with Brett Dean residency and historic South American tour

The Berliner Philharmoniker has unveiled its 2026/27 season, headlined by the appointment of Brett Dean as composer in residence and a long-awaited return to South America. The programme balances a deep personal homecoming for Dean with a global touring strategy that reaches territories where the orchestra has not performed in decades.

Brett Dean: from the viola section to composer in residence

Dean’s residency represents a significant full-circle moment for the artist and the ensemble. He was a member of the Berliner Philharmoniker’s viola section for 14 years before departing in 1999 to establish his international career as a composer.

• World premiere: Sakari Oramo will conduct the debut of Dean’s Phantoms – Scenes for Orchestra(s).
• Instrumental performance: Dean will return to his former role as a violist for the world premiere of Cathy Milliken’s In Play during a late-night concert at Musikfest Berlin.
• Conducting debut: for the first time, Dean will take the podium to conduct both the Berliner Philharmoniker and the Karajan Academy during his residency.
• Artistic vision: a wide range of his works will be presented, showcasing an expressive spectrum that maintains a tonal affinity with the orchestral tradition.

A landmark return to South America

Parallel to the season’s artistic residencies, the Berliner Philharmoniker will embark on a series of tours to destinations where the orchestra is rarely heard. The centrepiece of this international activity is a major tour of South America in autumn 2026.

• First in decades: this journey marks the orchestra’s first appearance in South America in more than 25 years.
• Bogotá debut: following a four-concert opening residency at Carnegie Hall in New York, the Berliner Philharmoniker will perform for the first time in Bogotá.
• Major cities: under the baton of chief conductor Kirill Petrenko, the tour will also include performances in São Paulo and Buenos Aires.
• Other tours: the orchestra will also visit Edinburgh for the first time in 20 years and Scandinavia—including Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Copenhagen—for the first time in 15 years.

Petrenko and the “DNA” of the orchestra

Chief conductor Kirill Petrenko will lead 47 symphony concerts this season , focusing on the Austro-German classical and romantic repertoire he identifies as the “DNA” of the Berliner Philharmoniker.

• Wagner’s Ring: the season continues the Ring des Nibelungen cycle with Die Walküre, performed both at the Salzburg Easter Festival and in concert in Berlin.
• Beethoven anniversary: the 200th anniversary of Ludwig van Beethoven’s death will be a central theme throughout the orchestral and chamber music programming.
• Biennale 2027: the “Signs & Wonders” festival in January 2027 will explore themes of faith and spirituality, featuring Petrenko conducting Beethoven’s Missa solemnis.