The Singapore Symphony Orchestra has unveiled its 2025–26 season, a programme that reflects both transition and celebration. As the SSO prepares to bid farewell to Hans Graf and Rodolfo Barráez, it also welcomes Hannu Lintu as Music Director-designate. The season includes appearances by international guest artists such as Yo-Yo Ma, Joe Hisaishi, and Pierre-Laurent Aimard, as well as a strong focus on Singaporean talent in celebration of the country’s 60th year of independence.
A season of transition
Hans Graf will conclude his tenure as Music Director after leading eight weeks of concerts during the season, including performances of An Alpine Symphony, The Planets, and symphonies by Bruckner and Shostakovich. His final appearances will take place in May 2026 with a farewell series featuring Scheherazade and works by Mozart and Salieri.
Rodolfo Barráez, the orchestra’s Associate Conductor, will also complete his time with the SSO. His programmes include Mendelssohn’s Italian Symphony, Nielsen’s Springtime in Funen, and Saint-Saëns’s Organ Symphony, along with family and community concerts.
Hannu Lintu’s first steps in Singapore
Ahead of his official start in 2026–27, Hannu Lintu will conduct two programmes this season. In November, he leads Haydn’s Nelson Mass and Mahler’s Fourth Symphony, followed in April by an all-Shostakovich programme with violinist Leonidas Kavakos, performing the First Violin Concerto and the Leningrad Symphony.
Guest artists and premieres
A number of major artists will appear with the SSO this season:
- Yo-Yo Ma returns to Singapore for a gala concert, performing Dvořák’s Cello Concerto and giving a recital.
- Pianist Stephen Hough presents the Asian premiere of his own Piano Concerto: The World of Yesterday.
- Violinists Leila Josefowicz, Daniel Lozakovich, Sayaka Shoji, and Leticia Moreno (in her Singapore debut) feature in various programmes.
- Pianists Bertrand Chamayou, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Rudolf Buchbinder, Eric Lu, and Yeol Eum Son also take part in the season.
Joe Hisaishi returns to conduct the world premiere of his Symphonic Suite from The Boy and the Heron, and his Harp Concerto will be performed by Emmanuel Ceysson in July 2025. Other premieres include:
- A saxophone quartet concerto by Anders Koppel, with the Raschèr Saxophone Quartet
- A new work by Wang Chenwei
Local focus: SG60 and Singaporean talent
To mark Singapore’s 60th year of independence, the National Day Concert in August 2025 will feature works by Kam Kee Yong, Tan Chan Boon, and Tan Yuting, as well as commissions by Izharul Haq and Chok Kerong. Performers include Jonathan Ong (violin), Lin Chien-Kwan (saxophone), and vocalists Charlie Lim and Syakirah Noble, conducted by Joshua Tan.
Violinist Chloe Chua returns in August to perform Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto. Other highlights featuring Singaporean artists include:
- Churen Li, performing the premiere of Jonathan Shin’s Piano Concerto
- Samuel Phua in Milhaud’s Scaramouche
- A new piece by Joyce Koh, titled Earth, performed alongside The Planets
In January 2026, the SSO partners with Ding Yi Music Company for Elements, a programme exploring Chinese, Asian, and Western traditions. Composer Chen Zhangyi will be featured in a March 2026 string quartet concert at the Esplanade’s new Black Room.
Choruses and youth ensembles celebrate milestones
The Singapore Symphony Chorus marks its 45th anniversary in 2025, and the Children’s and Youth Choirs celebrate their 20th and 10th anniversaries in 2026. Their performances include Springtime in Funen, Nelson Mass, and a special choral concert in May 2026 featuring two world premieres.
The Singapore National Youth Orchestra also celebrates its 45th anniversary, with a gala concert in December 2025 and a joint performance of Rutter’s Mass of the Children with the Singapore Symphony Choruses in March 2026.
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