The Metropolitan Opera has announced a European festival tour for its orchestra, led by its Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin, taking place from August 26 to September 2, 2026. The tour marks the orchestra’s debut at the BBC Proms, alongside return appearances at the Lucerne Festival and the Philharmonie de Paris.
Concerts are scheduled at London’s Royal Albert Hall (August 26–27), the KKL Luzern (August 30), and the Philharmonie de Paris (September 1–2). The orchestra will be joined by soprano Elza van den Heever and mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato.
Programmes linking core repertoire and recent Met projects
The programmes pair works by Richard Strauss and Gustav Mahler with music by Kaija Saariaho and Missy Mazzoli, reflecting both the central orchestral repertoire and recent productions at the Met.
Saariaho’s presence follows the company’s recent staging of Innocence, while Mazzoli’s Lincoln in the Bardo is set for its world premiere at the house this autumn.
At the Proms, the opening concert—An Evening of Strauss from the Met—includes the Suite from Der Rosenkavalier, the final scene from Salome with van den Heever, and Ein Heldenleben. The second programme features Saariaho’s Lumière et Pesanteur alongside Mahler’s Rückert-Lieder and Symphony No. 4, with DiDonato.
The Lucerne concert centres on Mazzoli’s Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres) paired with Mahler’s Fourth Symphony, while the Paris performances alternate between the Strauss and Mahler–Saariaho programmes.
Broadcasts and context
The August 26 Proms concert will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3, with a delayed television broadcast on BBC Four and BBC iPlayer. The August 27 performance will also be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3.
In a statement, Met General Manager Peter Gelb described the tour as a rare opportunity for the orchestra to perform abroad, noting both its first appearance at the Proms and its return to Lucerne after nearly 25 years.
Nézet-Séguin said the programmes were conceived to explore “a wide emotional and sonic landscape,” bringing together established repertoire and contemporary voices, in collaboration with van den Heever and DiDonato.
The tour follows the Met Orchestra’s recent international activity, including a European tour in 2023 and its first tour to Asia in 2024.
This article was produced by the Moto Perpetuo editorial team.
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