2026 in classical music

Events

• 1 January
• * At the 2026 Vienna New Year's Concert, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and Yannick Nézet-Séguin perform the "Sirenen Lieder" of Josephine Amann-Weinlich and the "Rainbow Waltz" of Florence Price, in orchestrations by Wolfgang Dörner, the second time that the concert has featured music by female composers and the first time that the concert has featured more than one female composer. The inclusion of the Florence Price selection also marks the first appearance of music by a composer from outside Europe and by a composer of colour. The orchestra and conductor presented these works in the 30 December 2025 and 31 December 2025 performances of the same programme.
• * The Orchestre symphonique de Mulhouse officially takes national status in France, with the new name of the Orchestre national de Mulhouse.
• 6 January – The Opéra national de Paris announces the appointment of Semyon Bychkov as its next music director, effective 1 August 2028, with an initial contract of four years.
• 7 January
• * Aurora Orchestra announces that John Harte is to stand down as its chief executive in July 2026.
• * The London Symphony Orchestra announces the appointment of John Harte as its next managing director, effective in August 2026.
• 9 January – The board of directors of Washington National Opera votes to relocate from the Kennedy Center and to discontinue productions there.
• 12 January – The Orchestra of the Swan announces the appointment of Zoë Curnow as its next executive director, effective 1 April 2026.
• 13 January – The Park Avenue Armory announces the appointment of Deborah Warner as its artistic director, with immediate effect.
• 14 January – The Concertgebouw, Amsterdam announces Liam Nassereddine as the winner of its 'Concertgebouw Young Talent Award'.
• 15 January – An explosion in the city centre of Utrecht causes the evacuation of the Utrechts Conservatorium.
• 16 January – Washington National Opera announces the planned continuation of its spring 2026 season at George Washington University, following its 9 January decision to vacate the Kennedy Center.
• 20 January – The Metropolitan Opera announces cost-reduction plans to include staff redundancies and salary reductions, and the postponement of one new production originally scheduled for the 2026-2027 season.
• 21 January – The Ernst von Siemens Foundation announces its 2026 prizes:
• * 2026 Composer Prizes: Bethan Morgan-Williams, Hovik Sardaryan, Kitty Xiao
• * Ensemble Prizes '26: NO HAY BANDA, Ensemble for New Music Tallinn
• * 2026 Ernst von Siemens Music Prize: Jordi Savall
• 22 January
• * The Cliburn announces the inaugural Cliburn International Competition for Conductors, scheduled for 2028 in Houston.
• * The Allentown Symphony Orchestra announces that Diane Wittry is to retire as its music director at the close of the 2027-2028 season.
• 24 January – Denyce Graves gives the final performance of her career at the Metropolitan Opera, as Maria in Porgy and Bess.

New operas

• Matthias Pintscher and Daniel Arkadij Gerzenberg – ''Das kalte Hertz''

New albums

• Josh Taylor - ''minipiano''

Recordings

• Nadia Boulanger and Raoul Pugno – ''La ville morte''

Deaths

• 2 January
• * Ritva Auvinen, Finnish opera singer, 93
• * Lajos Rovátkay, Hungary-born harpsichordist and musicologist resident in Germany, 92
• 3 January – Mesut İktu, Turkish baritone and pedagogue, 78
• 5 January – Andrew Carter, British choral composer and pedagogue, 86
• 6 January – Rhoda Levine, American opera director, 93
• 7 January – Ihor Blazhkov, Ukrainian conductor, 89
• 11 January
• * Andrew Clements, British music critic, 75
• * John Wallace, British trumpeter, composer and arts educator, 75
• 22 January – Peter Hanser-Strecker, German music publisher, 83

Major awards

2026 Musical America Award Winners

• Artist of the Year: Emanuel Ax
• Composer of the Year: Gabriela Lena Frank
• Conductor of the Year: Jakub Hrůša
• Vocalist of the Year: Gerald Finley
• Impresario of the Year: Martha Gilmer