CSO chief conductor and artistic director Jessica Cottis: unexpected discoveries. Photo: Kaupo Kikkas.
Tickets have gone on sale for Canberra Symphony Orchestra’s 2026 season, which highlights Verdi’s monumental Requiem, the cinematic music of Hans Zimmer and a CSO-first simultaneous performance and screening of a classic Hitchcock film and score.
Titled Life Force: In the Stream of Life, the program created by CSO chief conductor and artistic director Jessica Cottis was inspired by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s poem Stream of Life.
Cottis says the 2026 season explores the life force that runs through music, the interconnectedness between nature and humanity, and the stream of life as a continuous, rhythmic force.
“Each concert offers familiar favourites alongside unexpected discoveries. That’s what makes a CSO season so distinctive,” she says.
The flagship Llewellyn Series features four major concerts:
- Verdi’s Requiem with the CSO Chorus
- Elgar’s Enigma Variations featuring cellist James Morley
- Sea and Stars with pianist Tamara-Anna Cislowska
- Psycho — A Symphonic Night at the Movies, a CSO first in which the orchestra performs Bernard Herrmann’s famous score live as Hitchcock’s cinematic masterpiece plays on screen.
The award-winning Australian Series will return to the National Museum of Australia and deliver two exciting contemporary programs.
The first, Spark Bloom!, will feature South Korean jazz vocalist Sunny Kim and percussionist Claire Edwardes, inspired by the museum’s upcoming Hallyu! The Korean Wave exhibition, which celebrates the global phenomenon of K-pop with glittering costumes, film props and interactive displays.
The second, To Be Human — Authentic Creation in the Age of AI, by singer-songwriter Lior, contemplates the nature of creativity in a digital world.
“Is AI a tool or a threat? What happens when history and context are removed?” Lior asks, with questions that drive this exploration of art, authenticity and technology.
Following this year’s sellout concerts, Art of the Score returns as the 2026 Special Event with a tribute to the movie music of Hans Zimmer, known for scores from Interstellar, Inception, The Dark Knight trilogy, The Lion King, Kung Fu Panda, Pirates of the Caribbean and Gladiator.
Following their sold-out Music of John Williams concerts, hosts Andrew Pogson, Dan Golding and Nicholas Buc will return for another spectacular event that brings the emotion, intensity and scale of the movies to Llewellyn Hall.
Next year, the Chamber Series will move from historic Albert Hall to the contemporary Gandel Hall at the National Gallery of Australia for four concerts featuring the CSO Wind Quartet, pianist Edward Neeman, CSO Piano Trio, accordion maestro James Crabb and the CSO String Quartet.
Explore the Orchestra: Meet the Endangered Instruments will introduce Canberra’s youngest music lovers to some of the orchestra’s rare and fascinating instruments.
CSO chief executive officer Rachel Thomas says the program is a brilliant reflection of what makes the CSO unique.
“Jessica has created a season that honours the great orchestral tradition our long-term, loyal audiences love while opening new doors for people discovering the orchestra for the first time,” she says.
“From Verdi’s Requiem and Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue to AI and film, it’s a season that captures the vitality of modern orchestral music.
“After selling out seven concerts this year, we expect to see similar demand in 2026 with a season that invites everyone to experience the power and beauty of live music.”
For full program details and bookings, visit the CSO website.
Original Article published by Ian Bushnell on Region Canberra.
