FANTASIA ORCHESTRA UNVEILS BOLD 2026/27 SEASON AS IT CELEBRATES TEN YEARS OF MUSICAL COLLABORATION

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

A BRITISH ISLES FANTASIA WITH DAME SHEILA HANCOCK AND GUY JOHNSTON (19 FEBRUARY, LONDON & 24 FEBRUARY, BIRMINGHAM)

PERCUSSIVE POWER WITH DAME EVELYN GLENNIE (29 NOVEMBER)

FRENCH CONNECTION WITH JENEBA KANNEH-MASON (2 APRIL)

SUMMER SOUNDS WITH ELENA URIOSTE (18 JUNE)

SEASON ANNOUNCEMENT FOLLOWS TWO APPEARANCES AT THE 2026 BBC PROMS, WHILE FOUNDER AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR TOM FETHERSTONHAUGH HAS BEEN SELECTED AS ONE OF THE PROMS' TEN EXCEPTIONAL ARTISTS AGED 30 AND UNDER

Fantasia Orchestra has announced its 2026/27 Smith Square Hall season, unveiling four concerts shaped by collaboration, musical curiosity and genre-defying programming as the orchestra celebrates its tenth anniversary year.

Running from November 2026 until June 2027, the season brings together an outstanding roster of internationally acclaimed artists, including Dame Evelyn Glennie, Guy Johnston, Dame Sheila Hancock, Jeneba Kanneh-Mason and Elena Urioste, in programmes that explore unexpected connections between classical masterworks, folk traditions, contemporary music, soul and iconic popular repertoire.

The announcement follows a landmark summer for Fantasia Orchestra. In August, the orchestra returned to the BBC Proms for two performances at London's Royal Albert Hall, appearing alongside the BBC Singers in a Relaxed Prom before performing a Late Night Prom with Dame Evelyn Glennie. Earlier this year, Founder, Conductor and Artistic Director Tom Fetherstonhaugh was also selected as one of the BBC Proms' ten exceptional artists aged 30 and under, recognising a new generation of musicians helping to shape the future of classical music.

Founded by Fetherstonhaugh in 2016 while still in Year 13, Fantasia Orchestra has established a reputation over the past decade for imaginative programming, exceptional young musicians and an unusually collaborative artistic culture, building long-standing creative relationships with many of today's leading performers.

The new season opens on Sunday 29 November with Percussive Power, welcoming back Dame Evelyn Glennie for a programme driven by rhythm, movement and invention. Reimagined Vivaldi sits alongside Steve Reich's landmark Different Trains, music by Glennie herself, Albert Schnelzer, Paul Smadbeck and Alexej Gerassimez, together with a striking orchestral reimagining of Kate Bush's Wuthering Heights.

On Friday 19 February, Fantasia is joined by celebrated cellist Guy Johnston and acclaimed actor Dame Sheila Hancock for A British Isles Fantasia, a musical journey through the landscapes, languages and traditions of Britain and Ireland. Blending classical repertoire with folk song and storytelling, the programme moves effortlessly between Dowland, Elgar and James MacMillan, alongside Sandy Denny, George Harrison, Yusuf/Cat Stevens, Enya and traditional melodies from across the British Isles.

Following its London performance, A British Isles Fantasia travels to Birmingham on 24 February, marking Fantasia Orchestra's debut at the Barber Institute's Elgar Concert Hall.

The season continues on Friday 2 April with French Connections, featuring internationally acclaimed pianist Jeneba Kanneh-Mason performing Ravel's Piano Concerto in G major. French masterpieces by Ravel, Debussy and Satie are placed alongside music by Aretha Franklin and Margaret Bonds, revealing unexpected connections between impressionism, jazz, gospel and soul.

Fantasia's 2026/27 Smith Square Hall season concludes on Friday 18 June with Summer Sounds, as violinist Elena Urioste joins the orchestra for Max Richter's acclaimed reimagining of Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, before Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings brings the season to a close with warmth, lyricism and emotional sweep.

Alongside its Smith Square Hall season, Fantasia Orchestra continues to broaden its artistic partnerships and concert programme across the UK. In November, the orchestra returns to Oxford University's Schwarzman Centre for two performances of Orbiting Orbital (6-7 November), a major new multidisciplinary collaboration with composer Nitin Sawhney inspired by Samantha Harvey's Booker Prize-winning novel Orbital. The performances form part of a growing relationship between Fantasia and Oxford University, following the orchestra's involvement in the venue's acoustic testing, composition workshops with the Faculty of Music and its soft launch concert earlier this year.

Tom Fetherstonhaugh, Founder, Conductor and Artistic Director, said: "Fantasia began ten years ago with a group of friends and a belief that music is at its most exciting when brilliant artists come together with curiosity and openness. To announce this season after returning to the BBC Proms feels like a wonderful moment for everyone involved."

"The artists joining us this season are people we've built genuine creative relationships with over many years. That trust allows us to create programmes that are adventurous, surprising and full of unexpected connections, whether that's Steve Reich alongside Kate Bush or Ravel alongside Aretha Franklin. We hope audiences leave every concert having discovered something new."

Michael Garvey, Executive Director, added: "This season reflects everything Fantasia has become over its first decade: ambitious, collaborative and committed to making orchestral music welcoming, imaginative and relevant."

"Alongside our Smith Square Hall season, we're delighted to be deepening partnerships with organisations including Oxford University and taking Fantasia to new audiences across the country. We look forward to welcoming audiences to an exciting year that celebrates everything the orchestra stands for."

Full season details, tickets and further project announcements can be found at fantasiaorchestra.com and via Fantasia Orchestra's social media channels @fantasiaorchestra.