Classical Music Agenda: concerts in the Netherlands and Flanders

Prelude to the Belgian National Day

Mon, 20 Jul 2026 18:00:00 GMT

NOVUM (St Michel Theatre)

Like every year, on July 20 at 8 pm, we celebrate the National Day with a free concert. This concert is organized by the Queen Elisabeth Competition, in collaboration with the Belgian National Orchestra, with the support of the FPS Chancellery of the Prime Minister and the National Lottery. The event will take place in the presence of the King and Queen, and exceptionally this year, in the magnificent Art Deco hall of NOVUM. The soloist is violinist Elli Choi, Third Prize at the 2024 Queen Elisabeth Competition. She will perform alongside the Belgian National Orchestra conducted by Hankyeol Yoon. The concert opens with The Hebrides (“ Fingal’s Cave ”) by Felix Mendelssohn. Elli Choi will then perform Max Bruch ’s Violin Concerto No.1. The orchestra will also perform The Noon Witch by Antonín Dvořák before closing the evening with the famous Waltz from Masquerade by Aram Khachaturian. Bookings (up to two seats per request) will open on this page from Thursday 25 June at 10.00 am. Thank you to the players of the National Lottery. Produced with the support of the FPS Chancellery of the Prime Minister and the Tax Shelter of the Federal Government of Belgium through Casa Kafka Pictures.

Festival Midis-Minimes 2026

Mon, 17 Aug 2026 10:15:00 GMT

Tickets

Hall M

Belgian National Orchestra, Halls & Vinnitskaya

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 18:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €24 – €58

Henry Le Boeuf Hall

The season begins in pure imagination with Aeriality by Anna Thorvaldsdottir, our new composer-in-residence. Music that hovers, drifts and opens up spaces for stillness and reflection. In Schumann’s Piano Concerto, the soloist does not confront the orchestra but joins it at the heart of the conversation. Anna Vinnitskaya, winner of the 2007 Queen Elisabeth Competition, brings this intimate dialogue to life with clarity and a natural, compelling strength. After this captivating prelude, Gustav Mahler unfolds his First Symphony, “Titan” — a work in which nature awakens, irony cuts through the surface, and visionary energy gradually rises. Conductor Matthew Halls leads an untameable season opening: sweeping, monumental and rich with promise. Meet Anna Vinnitskaya at Bozar! During the interval or after the concert, she will be present for a signing session. As part of the Piano Legends subscription series, and subject to the artist's availability. Thanks to the players of the National Lottery. Created with the support of the Tax Shelter of the Belgian Federal Government through Casa Kafka Pictures.

Silent Stories: A Grain of Light — Jeanine de Bique

Sat, 12 Sep 2026 18:00:00 GMT

Tickets

Fioccozaal (Ateliers van de Munt)

Recital In public and private spaces where their voices are silenced, composers and librettists find ways to persist and resist. Soprano Jeanine De Bique, who opens La Monnaie's opera season in the female title role of Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette, captures and decodes their journeys in a recital that celebrates the power of expression. Evoking the painful history of slavery as well as her contemporary perspective on Black identity, the Trinidadian soprano moves between Caribbean traditionals, African American spirituals, gospel songs by H.T. Burleigh and the poetry of Toni Morrison set to music by André Previn. With a Songs season ticket, invite someone for free to your three favourite Song nights at La Monnaie this season.

La Monnaie Symphony Orchestra, Altinoglu & Cho

Sun, 13 Sep 2026 13:00:00 GMT

Tickets

Henry Le Boeuf Hall

G G G, E flat … This short motif, among the most memorable in the history of music, opens Ludwig van Beethoven ’s Symphony No. 5. Often associated, apocryphally, with the image of ‘fate knocking at the door’, these four notes became, for the composer, the driving force behind countless dramatic effects, by turns tempestuous, lyrical, playful or triumphant. Written around the same time, the Piano Concerto No. 4 is often described as one of Beethoven’s most poetic works. Besides several ingenious touches that lend the instrument a refreshing spontaneity, and the evocation of Orpheus taming the Erinyes at the gates to the Underworld in the second movement, the concerto is distinguished by an exhilarating combination of grandeur and intimacy. Accompanied by the La Monnaie Symphony Orchestra and virtuoso pianist Seong-Jin Cho – named Musician of the Year 2025 by Opus Klassik – Alain Altinoglu kicks off, a little ahead of time, the commemorations of the bicentenary of Ludwig van Beethoven’s death with a programme exploring two of his most cherished themes: the power of fate and the aspiration for freedom.

Beethoven: Freedom & Fate — Symphony No. 5

Sun, 13 Sep 2026 13:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €12 – €50

Bozar

Concert Ludwig van Beethoven reigns supreme over the first concert of the season G G G, E flat … This short motif, among the most memorable in the history of music, opens Ludwig van Beethoven ’s Symphony No. 5. Often associated, apocryphally, with the image of ‘fate knocking at the door’, these four notes became, for the composer, the driving force behind countless dramatic effects, by turns tempestuous, lyrical, playful or triumphant. Written around the same time, the Piano Concerto No. 4 is often described as one of Beethoven’s most poetic works. Besides several ingenious touches that lend the instrument a refreshing spontaneity, and the evocation of Orpheus taming the Erinyes at the gates to the Underworld in the second movement, the concerto is distinguished by an exhilarating combination of grandeur and intimacy. Contrasts abound in the Coriolan Overture too, which illustrates with no less acuity both Coriolanus’s determination to invade Rome and his mother’s tenderness as she pleads with him to abstain … Accompanied by the La Monnaie Symphony Orchestra and virtuoso pianist Seong-Jin Cho – named Musician of the Year 2025 by Opus Klassik – Alain Altinoglu kicks off, a little ahead of time, the commemorations of the bicentenary of Ludwig van Beethoven’s death with a programme exploring two of his most cherished themes: the power of fate and the aspiration for freedom. Create your own flexible concert subscription with your four favourite symphonic productions (or more) and you enjoy a 25% discount as well as a wide range of benefits.

Belgian National Orchestra, Aadland & Gatto - William Kentridge

Fri, 18 Sep 2026 18:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €24 – €58

Henry Le Boeuf Hall

In Distant Light, Pēteris Vasks writes music as an act of fragile faith. For solo violin and strings, a slowly unfolding space emerges, one in which hope becomes tangible without offering certainty. Lorenzo Gatto sustains this stillness with a tone that captures shimmering light while holding onto tension. In stark contrast stands Dmitri Shostakovich ’s Tenth Symphony: an uncompromising confrontation with power, fear and inner rage. Under the baton of Eivind Aadland, the evening becomes an intense journey between fragility and resistance. Music as a moral compass: sharp, searching and profoundly human. After creating opera productions as original as they are bold — such as The Nose by Shostakovich — William Kentridge returns to the world of this composer with a 50-minute film conceived as a dynamic visual counterpart to the Symphony No. 10. Through a mix of collage, performance, and a highly distinctive visual style, the film looks back at the decades from the 1920s to the 1950s, seen from the perspective of 1953, the year of Stalin’s death and the symphony’s premiere. William Kentridge is Bozar's Grand Invité this season. Enhance your experience beyond the concert with an introduction! The introduction starts at 7 pm and is free upon presentation of your concert ticket.

Camila Mandillo - ECHO Rising Star

Sun, 20 Sep 2026 09:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €16

Henry Le Boeuf Hall

“… And now for something slightly different.” This Monty Python phrase is emblazoned across ECHO Rising Star Camila Mandillo ’s programme. The Portuguese soprano takes to the stage with a smile. Over four centuries of music, composers have turned to humour, irony and wit. Not to distract from seriousness, but as a way of confronting life’s complexities. From sly parody to theatrical exaggeration, from playful mischief to biting absurdity: laughter has always had a place on the concert stage. Surprises, transformations and contrasts guide the listener through a kaleidoscope of styles, from Monteverdi and Rossini to Berio, Satie, Ligeti and more. Bushra El-Turk has written a new work, especially for Mandillo, based on poetry by the Palestinian poet Asmaa Azaizeh (on 4 November at Bozar). Camila Mandillo has been named a ‘Rising Star’ for the 2026–2027 season by the Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon, Casa da Música in Porto and Bozar as part of the European Concert Hall Organisation (ECHO) network. During her European tour, the artist has been invited to perform at Bozar and to give a private concert for the residents of the Petit-Château (Refugee Reception Centre), in collaboration with the organisations Fedasil and Orfeo.

Belgian National Orchestra & Yoon

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 17:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €22 – €42

Henry Le Boeuf Hall

With Sheherazade, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov crafts an orchestral tale brimming with colour, tension and fantasy. Each motif becomes a story, each turn reveals a new perspective. Under the baton of Hankyeol Yoon, the BNO makes these One Thousand and One Nights shimmer in sound and colour beneath the immaculate ceiling of the Henry Le Bœuf Hall. As a passionate music lover, Thomas Vanderveken guides you through the score with clarity, curiosity and humour. A Symphonic Date where listening becomes an invitation to explore and savour. Thanks to the players of the National Lottery. Created with the support of the Tax Shelter of the Belgian Federal Government through Casa Kafka Pictures.

Duo Kiasma

Fri, 25 Sep 2026 10:30:00 GMT

Tickets: €16

Flagey (Studio 1)

What could be more unexpected than the meeting of a cello and an accordion? A duo born in Namur that has gone on to conquer Venice, Luxembourg, Shanghai and Taipei. Through their creativity, modernity and virtuosity, Pierre Fontenelle and Frin Wolter have been surprising audiences for the past decade, exploring a borderless musical world where repertoires intersect, transform and reinvent themselves. Winners of First Prize at the Concours International Accordé’Opale and named Coup de Cœur at the Royal Juillet Musical de Saint-Hubert, Duo Kiasma stands out for the freedom and boldness of its arrangements that are neither faithful transcriptions nor simple adaptations. POLARIS marks a decisive milestone in this nomadic journey. Like the star from which it takes its name, the album serves as a guiding point within an ever-expanding aesthetic universe. The programme offers a captivating dialogue between the Baroque era and the modern music it inspired. Discover how a famous Bach cantata can be transformed into a Beatles hit, or how Villa-Lobos’s lyrical Cantilena can burst into more rock-inspired sonorities, alongside arrangements from Rameau’s operas.

Salzburger Marionettentheater & Ensemble Isabelle Faust

Sun, 27 Sep 2026 13:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €38

Hall M

A fairytale about a deserter, the devil, a violin and a princess. We know that things rarely end well when the devil gets involved – and the Russian musical story L’Histoire du Soldat is no exception to the rule. Igor Stravinsky wrote this work ‘to read, play and sing’ in the war-torn year 1918, intending it for performance by a small theatre company or even in the open air. The original stage setting, inspired both aesthetically and practically by travelling fairs and troupes of actors, evokes images of street musicians. The Salzburger Marionettentheater and director Matthias Bundschuh make the puppets – designed by the German artist Georg Baselitz (!) – dance to Stravinsky’s jazz-inspired score. The aptly named Isabelle Faust picks up her violin to unleash the devil.

Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Albrecht & Lehmkuhl

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 18:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €30 – €50

Henry Le Boeuf Hall

During his first series of concerts as chief conductor of the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra (ASO), Marc Albrecht makes a major statement. Together with Opera Ballet Flanders ’ adult and youth choirs, he performs Mahler ’s Symphony No. 3, a monumental masterpiece that begins with the tragic chaos of creation and ends with God’s eternal light. Along the way, Mahler explores the profound questions surrounding the destiny of humankind and the primal forces of nature – themes that are also close to Albrecht’s heart. With this performance, he invites the audience to fully immerse themselves in this monumental work.

La Tempête

Fri, 02 Oct 2026 18:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €30 – €50

Henry Le Boeuf Hall

The last time the French ensemble La Tempête visited Bozar, our concert hall was bathed in a golden glow and Stravinsky sparkled alongside De Machaut. This time, Simon-Pierre Bestion has his singers and musicians tackle Claudio Monteverdi’s colossal Vespro della Beata Vergine. Subtle scenography transforms the Vespers into a unique concert experience. When he composed the piece in 1613, Monteverdi had his heart set on the job of maestro di cappella in Venice. This application letter for the post reads like the culmination of the church music of his time, written under the spell of the marble and mosaics of St Mark’s Basilica.

A Vagabond’s daydream — Simon Keenlyside

Fri, 02 Oct 2026 18:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €12 – €45

De Munt

Recital In turn a symbol of freedom, imagination, escape and independence, the vagabond has haunted the imagination of artists and poets as well as philosophers. In the work of Robert Schumann, he takes the form of a lonely minstrel who asks his king for a simple cup of wine; in that of Gustav Mahler, that of a saint who speaks to animals. And while Richard Strauss takes you on nocturnal wanderings, Francis Poulenc gives you a taste of a painter’s Parisian ‘vie de bohème’. Each of their songs is an invitation to wander and dream. Who knows where the journey will take us, but in the company of Sir Simon Keenlyside and pianist Malcolm Martineau, we can trust that the music will naturally show us the way. With a Songs season ticket, invite someone for free to your three favourite Song evenings at La Monnaie this season.

Emile Souvagie & Alexander Declercq

Sun, 04 Oct 2026 09:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €16

Henry Le Boeuf Hall

Two young musical trailblazers cross swords in a programme that embraces all styles and periods. Emile Souvagie, principal clarinettist with the Brussels Philharmonic, and pianist Alexander Declercq, one half of Duo Altiler, rise early for the second Concert Croissant of the season. Sonatas for clarinet and piano are the obvious choice for their combination, but with Francis Poulenc and Leonard Bernstein they have nevertheless assembled an original programme. The shifting moods of Robert Schumann’s Fantasiestücke Op. 73 [Fantasy Pieces Op. 73] transport us straight into the heart of Romanticism. Finally, they seek out small moments of pure joy in the miniature works of Alban Berg (Four Pieces) and Claude Debussy (Petite Pièce).

Beatrice Rana

Sun, 04 Oct 2026 17:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €30 – €50

Henry Le Boeuf Hall

Only a versatile artist like Beatrice Rana is unafraid to link Bach’s baroque clarity with Frédéric Chopin’s poetic character pieces. In his nocturnes, ballades and scherzos, Chopin evokes profound emotions through short forms. Bach, for his part, places greater emphasis on structure and brings together his favourite dances in one of his French Suites. Finally, the Italian pianist remains on French soil with a selection of Études by Claude Debussy, true ‘study pieces’ behind which no performer can hide. An authentic revelation of Beatrice Rana’s (many!) talents.

The Cleveland Orchestra, Welser-Möst & Schultz

Thu, 08 Oct 2026 18:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €56 – €138

Henry Le Boeuf Hall

For more than a century, the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra has counted itself among the Big Five of American orchestras. The Austrian conductor Franz Welser-Möst is bringing the orchestra back to Bozar ten years after its last visit. This time, it will perform the symphonic poem Orpheus by Franz Liszt, a symbol of the immense power of music. In Brahms ’ view, you should not be misled by the pastoral feel of his Second Symphony, because it detracts from the melancholy undertone of this work from 1877. Weltschmerz seeps through to us in the trombones and timpani. The South African soprano Golda Schultz also feels the sombreness lurking in Richard Strauss ’ Vier Letzte Lieder, one of his last compositions. Death overshadows the piece: “Ist dies etwa der Tod?”.

Concertini

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 10:30:00 GMT

Tickets

Fioccozaal (Ateliers van de Munt)

Chamber music The best chamber music has to offer, nearly every Friday at 12.30 pm 9.10.2026 - THE 2026–2027 SEASON AT A GLANCE - FioccO Room NIKOLAY RIMSKY-KORSAKOV (1844-1908) Procession of the Nobles (1889-1890) MAURICE RAVEL (1875-1937) Pavane pour une infante défunte (1899) NINO ROTA (1911-1979) Concerto per archi (1964-1965) KURT WEILL (1900-1950) Kleine Dreigroschenmusik (1929) RICHARD BISSILL (°1962) Gershwin Selection (1990) La Monnaie Brass Ensemble Tickets 16.10.2026 - FOR THOSE DEPARTED In tribute to the victims of the Brussels attacks AVIYA KOPELMAN (°1978) Elegy – The Answer SOFIA GUBAIDULINA (1931-2025) Sonata for double bass and piano (1975) THOMAS ADES (°1971) Darknesse Visible (1992) KAIJA SAARIAHO (1952-2023) Terra memoria, “for those departed” (2007) Tickets 23.10.2026 - SCHÖNBERG ARNOLD SCHÖNBERG (1874-1951) Quintett für Flöte, Oboe, Klarinette, Horn und Fagott, op.26 Tickets --- DISCOVER ALL OUR 2026-27 CONCERTINI

Logan Lopez Gonzalez

Sun, 11 Oct 2026 09:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €16

Henry Le Boeuf Hall

A close affinity exists between the English Baroque repertoire and twentieth-century British art songs. Dowland continues to haunt Britten. Purcell permeates the work of Ireland and Warlock like an ancient light filtered through the frosted glass of time. This is the starting point for Songs in the Mirror: not a chronological journey, but a dialogue between two eras. Countertenor Logan Lopez Gonzalez joins I Solisti at Bozar in January for an immersive concert, but for this Concert Croissant, he shares the stage with lutenist and guitarist Léa Masson for a more intimate gathering.

Belgian National Orchestra, Petrenko & Kobekina

Sun, 11 Oct 2026 13:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €22 – €50

Henry Le Boeuf Hall

“No instrument sounds as human as the cello,” wrote Dvořák. It is this warm, deeply human voice that leads his famous Cello Concerto, where joy, tension and lyricism intertwine. Star cellist Anastasia Kobekina lights up the stage with a tone that both whirls and settles, blending exuberance with serenity. Vasily Petrenko then unleashes Rachmaninov’s Second Symphony: a vast, monumental romantic breath in which melancholy and hope endlessly seek one another. Music that does not merely sound, but moves intensely and carries you along without letting go. Enhance your experience beyond the concert with an introduction! The introduction starts at 2 pm and is free upon presentation of your concert ticket. Thanks to the players of the National Lottery. Created with the support of the Tax Shelter of the Belgian Federal Government through Casa Kafka Pictures.

Concertini

Fri, 16 Oct 2026 10:30:00 GMT

Tickets

Grote Foyer van de Munt

TrioFenix

Fri, 16 Oct 2026 10:30:00 GMT

Tickets: €16

Flagey (Studio 1)

Three hundred years after the birth of the first performer of Bach’s Goldberg Variations, the Belgian TrioFenix presents this masterpiece in a crystal-clear arrangement for string trio.

Belgian National Orchestra & Stockhammer

Sat, 17 Oct 2026 18:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €22 – €50

Henry Le Boeuf Hall

This is not a standard concert, but a total experience in which music and image merge to fully immerse the audience. Sound becomes space; time becomes tangible. And at the heart of this multisensory performance lies an essential question: what challenges does nuclear waste pose today, tomorrow and beyond? For this project, acclaimed young Belgian filmmaker Dimitri Sterkens creates a new film in which image and music do not illustrate one another, but intensify each other. In collaboration with NIRAS/ONDRAF (the National Agency for Radioactive Waste and Enriched Fissile Materials), this unique project addresses issues of temporality, vulnerability and legacy for future generations. From the pulsing drive of Jessie Montgomery ’s Starburst to the hushed tension of Philip Glass ' String Quartet, each composition opens a new dimension of listening. Penderecki ’s searing Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima cuts to the core, while Max Richter ’s November expose an almost unbearable vulnerability. Between motion and stillness, between threat and contemplation, a sonic landscape unfolds — one that resonates with our time, our world, and the one we will leave to the next generations.

GoYa Quartet

Sun, 18 Oct 2026 15:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €28

Hall M

The sixteen strings of the four instruments in the GoYa Quartet became perfectly attuned to each other in Amsterdam’s prestigious Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest. The first violinist Sylvia Huang, a laureate of the Queen Elisabeth Competition, has since moved on from her position in Amsterdam to become the leader of the orchestra at La Monnaie. Fortunately, the musicians still celebrate their shared pleasure in music as a quartet. They will open the evening with two colourful and elegant works by Imogen Holst (the daughter of Gustav) and Maurice Ravel. The refined world of sound in these works, without a single superfluous note, stands in sharp contrast to the dramatic emotions of Leoš Janáček’s String Quartet no. 2, known as Intimate Letters. This impressive quartet expresses Janáček’s unrequited feelings for his young muse Kamila Stösslová.

Janine Jansen & Denis Kozhukhin

Tue, 20 Oct 2026 18:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €30 – €50

Henry Le Boeuf Hall

From his very earliest violin sonatas, Beethoven intentionally composed chamber music for the violin and piano. That is clear from his Piano and Violin Sonata No. 3, dedicated to his teacher Salieri in 1798, and confirmed by the Piano and Violin Sonata No. 10 fourteen years later. He doesn’t simply let the violin take over: the piano has an equal, sometimes even surprisingly prominent role. This equality between the two instruments is also clearly heard in Prokofiev’s Sonata No. 2, right from its first, mysterious opening movement. Established recital partners Janine Jansen and Denis Kozhukhin have paid many visits to Bozar, proving every time how closely attuned they are, and how well they support each other’s music. A widely acclaimed violinist and the winner of the Queen Elisabeth Competition 2010? Sparks are sure to fly.

Thibaut Garcia & Antoine Morinière

Tue, 20 Oct 2026 18:15:00 GMT

Tickets: €28

Flagey (Studio 4)

The Goldberg Variations as you have never heard them before: two exceptional guitarists present their own arrangement of Bach’s masterpiece.

Concertini

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 10:30:00 GMT

Tickets

Grote Foyer van de Munt

Vienna A New Era

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 18:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €12 – €50

Bozar

Concert Vienna, early twentieth century. Under pressure from industrialization, the rise of psychoanalysis and growing social tensions, familiar world views are losing their footing and the refined styles of the fin de siècle their lustre. In music, literature and the visual arts, the boundaries of expression are being radically pushed back. Composers such as Arnold Schoenberg, Anton Webern and Alexander von Zemlinsky each sought, in their own way, a new sound idiom, rooted in late Romanticism but unmistakably turned towards the future. During this concert, Alain Altinoglu will showcase three of their masterpieces, all written at this turning point in European cultural history. Desire, anticipation, fulfilment, liberation, departure – Alexander von Zemlinsky’s masterful and all too rarely performed Lyric Symphony takes you through all the stages of tragic love. Based on the poetry of Nobel Prize winner Rabindranath Tagore, this key work of twentieth-century music ultimately paved the way for spiritual acceptance: ‘Wir werden einander in die Augen schauen / Und jeder seines Weges ziehn’ (We will look each other in the eye / And each go our own way). In Verklärte Nacht, Arnold Schoenberg stages a poignant meeting in a moonlit forest. Full of despair, a young woman confesses to her lover that she is expecting another man’s child. He forgives her and promises to raise the child as his own. Through subtle motivic development and rich orchestration, Schoenberg closely follows all of the characters’ inner emotional conflicts, up until the final transfiguration. ‘To surrender completely to the listening experience. To experience sounds through the senses’: that is what Anton Webern demands of his listeners. This concert opens with his Opus 1, the Passacaglia, which he composed at the end of his studies. Intended to demonstrate his mastery of counterpoint, the work also heralds the bold artistic paths he would later take. Create your own flexible concert subscription with your four favourite symphonic productions (or more) and you enjoy a 25% discount as well as a wide range of benefits.

Brussels Philharmonic & Michel Tabachnik

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 18:15:00 GMT

Tickets: €31 – €41

Flagey (Studio 4)

In Don Juan, Richard Strauss portrays the ultimate seducer in all his glory and tragedy: restless, yearning, and ultimately — inevitably — confronted by his own limitations. A vibrant symphonic poem full of youthful energy and reckless seduction, ending in a pregnant silence. This stillness is broken by the massive soundworld of Iannis Xenakis: in Empreintes, he makes the orchestra sound like an overwhelming force of nature, creating a fascinating listening experience that pushes known musical boundaries. Then, Ludwig van Beethoven dots the i's, bringing the essence of the symphony back to the fore — albeit with a mischievous wink. His Eighth Symphony is an ode to vitality and is packed with musical wit. Although Beethoven was struggling with personal setbacks during this period, he delivered a compact, energetic, and upbeat symphony. A powerful shot of energy to close the evening.

Vienna A New Era

Sun, 25 Oct 2026 15:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €12 – €50

Bozar

Vlaams Radiokoor & I Solisti

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 18:15:00 GMT

Tickets: €20

Flagey (Studio 4)

“Ma musique est mon portrait." In 1943, an aircraft dropped thousands of copies of Paul Éluard's poem Liberté over occupied France. In secret, Francis Poulenc composed his cantata Figure Humaine, a powerful ode to liberation. In 1946, the choir of the public broadcaster NIR — the predecessor of the Vlaams Radiokoor — premiered this cantata during a special broadcast on ‘Sender Brüssel,’ which had just been liberated from Nazi control. Exactly 80 years later, the Vlaams Radiokoor performs the work once again in the very place it was created: the former broadcasting house, Flagey. The audience is invited to join the performers on the stage of the iconic Studio 4 for a unique and intimate musical portrait of Francis Poulenc — ‘Poupoule’ to his friends. Together with I SOLISTI, the Radiokoor introduces you to the man himself: his kaleidoscopic oeuvre, his colorful personality, and his many unexpected musical ties to Belgium. All of this topped off with his wonderfully surrealist Le Bal Masqué.

Les Muffatti & Anthony Romaniuk | Bozar Brussels

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 18:30:00 GMT

Tickets

Bozar Brussel

The concert series Echoes of Brussels hops back and forth along the capital’s timeline, highlighting memorable creations and residents. The ensemble Les Muffatti, for example, takes us back to the eighteenth century. Pieter van Maldere’s association Le Concert Bourgeois, inspired by the Parisian Concert Spirituel, played an important role in spreading music in Brussels, then the capital of the Austrian Netherlands. During its heyday, the association witnessed a veritable musical evolution, from the late Baroque of Henri-Jacques de Croes to Joseph Haydn’s classicism, by way of the pre-classical composers Pieter van Maldere and Ignaz Vitzthumb and the tempestuous Sturm und Drang of Johann Stamitz.

Concertini

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 10:30:00 GMT

Tickets

Grote Foyer van de Munt

Amelio Trio - ECHO Rising Star

Sun, 01 Nov 2026 09:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €16

Henry Le Boeuf Hall

Johanna Schubert (violin), Merle Geißler (cello) and Philipp Kirchner (piano) were barely thirteen when they formed the Amelio Trio. The musical friendship between the three German musicians has since taken them to international stages, and their second album is due for release in autumn 2026. A glance at the programme has already whetted our appetite for the recording. From Haydn’s forty-five trios, Amelio chose the Piano Trio in F major from 1767, composed with meticulous attention to intimate musical enjoyment. Composer and violinist Helena Winkelman has written a new work, especially for the Amelio Trio as part of their inclusion in the ECHO Rising Stars programme. Robert Schumann’s Piano Trio No. 3 brings the morning to a close with expressive dialogues between piano, violin and cello. The Amelio Trio has been named a ‘Rising Star’ for the 2026–27 season by the Kölner Philharmonie, the Barbican Centre, the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg and the Philharmonie du Luxembourg as part of the European Concert Hall Organisation (ECHO) network. During its European tour, the ensemble has been invited to perform at Bozar and to give a private concert for the residents of the Petit-Château (Refugee Reception Centre), in collaboration with the organisations Fedasil and Orfeo.

Concertini

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 10:30:00 GMT

Tickets

Fioccozaal (Ateliers van de Munt)

Grouper - Marina Herlop | Bozar Brussels

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 18:00:00 GMT

Tickets

Bozar Brussel

Pavel Kolesnikov

Sat, 07 Nov 2026 18:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €30 – €50

Henry Le Boeuf Hall

Frédéric Chopin’s most defining works might well be the 21 Nocturnes he composed between 1827 and 1846. Chopin took this genre, introduced by the Irish composer John Field, to unparallelled heights. In these contemplative piano pieces inspired by the nocturnal poetry of Novalis and Tieck, Chopin explores the night without words. Beneath a sweetly flowing melodic line in the right hand, the left hand unfurls a refined and technically challenging accompaniment. With his delicate touch and subtle musicality, our portrait artist Pavel Kolesnikov draws the night from a grand piano as no other pianist can.

Concertini

Fri, 13 Nov 2026 10:30:00 GMT

Tickets

Grote Foyer van de Munt

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra & Chorus

Sat, 14 Nov 2026 18:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €42 – €100

Henry Le Boeuf Hall

30 May 1962 was a special day in the annals of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. The première of Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem symbolised peace and marked the consecration of Coventry Cathedral, which replaced the building destroyed by the Germans. But don’t expect a universal message of everlasting calm. Britten was both a pacifist and an atheist, and he uses Wilfred Owen’s war poetry to condemn the role of the church in times of war. 64 years after the première, conductor Kazuki Yamada has invited the baritone Christian Gerhaher, tenor Andrew Staples and soprano Irina Lungu to give voice to Britten’s message of insightful peace. The orchestra is joined by two choirs and an organ.

Echoes Across the Atlantic — Apollo’s Fire & Jeanine de Bique

Wed, 18 Nov 2026 18:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €30 – €50

Bozar

Recital Jeanine De Bique, artist in residence in Brussels this season, joins the Grammy-winning ensemble Apollo’s Fire and conductor Jeannette Sorrell to explore the historical connections between Europe and the Caribbean colonies in the eighteenth century. Across the waters, tales of love, despair and resilience emerge – with surprising resonance for today. A suite from Handel ’s masterful Agrippina (1709) leads to a Caribbean funeral oration of the same year, lamenting the murder of an enslaved man by the plantation owner. A thrilling orchestral suite by Rameau and his flirtatious ‘Air de la Folie – Aux langueurs d’Apollon’ from Platée explodes into a joyous Creole wedding. And the virtuoso music of Vivaldi, Purcell and Lully meets the soulful voices of Caribbean poets in this celebration of our shared humanity.

Concertini

Fri, 27 Nov 2026 10:30:00 GMT

Tickets

Grote Foyer van de Munt

Hispanic Waves

Sat, 28 Nov 2026 18:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €12 – €50

Flagey | Studio 4

Concert Set sail across the Atlantic with Diego Matheuz and the La Monnaie Symphony Orchestra for a concert with Hispanic tinges. On the programme is the Glosa Sinfónica Margariteña, Venezuelan composer Inocente Carreño ’s tribute to his homeland. Drawing inspiration from several traditional songs such as Margarita es una Lágrima, the Canto Del Pilón, the Canto de Velorio and Los Tiguitiguitos this impressionist work ranks among the musical masterpieces of Latin America. More than 7,000 kilometres away, the Madrid sun moved Manuel de Falla to compose some of his most fiery pieces, such as the Danza ritual del fuego from his ballet El amor brujo and the Spanish dances from El sombrero de tres picos. Between the two composers, there is but a short step – or rather, La Mer sketched in all its vividness, danger and mystery by Claude Debussy. Create your own flexible concert season ticket with your four favourite symphonic productions (or more) and you enjoy a 25% discount as well as a wide range of benefits.

Concertini

Fri, 04 Dec 2026 10:30:00 GMT

Tickets

Grote Foyer van de Munt

Belgian National Orchestra, Ollikainen & Falk Winland

Fri, 04 Dec 2026 18:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €30 – €50

Henry Le Boeuf Hall

As part of the Ars Musica festival, this programme (made up of four Belgian premieres) explores contemporary Nordic music in its most honest form: calm, focused and stripped of ornament. In Catamorphosis, Anna Thorvaldsdottir, our composer-in-residence, allows music to emerge from slow shifts and irreversible change. Sound becomes substance, shaped by tension and time. In Anders Hillborg’ s The Strand Settings, the human voice takes centre stage. Soprano Ida Falk Winland moves through a hushed sound world where text, sound and silence carefully probe one another. Kristine Tjøgersen ’s Between Trees draws music from perception itself, weaving subtle natural sounds that blur the boundary between inner self and outer world. Hans Abrahamsen closes the programme with Vers le Silence, a work in constant motion, moving from intense sound to fading and stillness. Conductor Eva Ollikainen masterfully leads this evening in which imaginative listening lies at the core and deeply human emotions rise to the surface. Enhance your experience beyond the concert with an introduction! The introduction starts at 7 pm and is free upon presentation of your concert ticket.

Extended Music Collective

Sun, 06 Dec 2026 09:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €16

Henry Le Boeuf Hall

With an impressive track record of world premieres and commissions to their name, Extended Music Collective (EMC) gives new composers a well-deserved place in its programmes. This Concert Croissant is no exception, although most of the names will already ring a bell. Philip Glass is, of course, no stranger, but fortunately, we are also hearing more and more music by Nico Muhly and Anna Clyne on our concert stages. Their contemporary and Pulitzer Prize finalist Leilehua Lanzilotti wrote Translating myself and others in 2014, especially for EMC. Our featured artist Jlin is also represented with an arrangement of her string quartet Little Black Book. Finally, Stef Van Vynckt (harp), Nina Vanhoenacker (cello) and Sara Di Costanzo (flute) from EMC will present recent works by the American composer Jason Eckhardt.

ClubMediéval - Dionysos Now!

Sun, 06 Dec 2026 15:30:00 GMT

Tickets: €32

St-Jacques sur Coudenberg / St Jacob op Koudenberg

The concert series Echoes of Brussels jumps back and forth along the capital’s timeline, focusing on memorable creations and residents. From the fifteenth century onwards, the Coudenberg Palace was a hotbed of stories, art and ambition. Almost 300 years after the fire that reduced the Burgundian court to ashes, music can once again rise from the ruins. In the sixteenth century, the building was the beating heart of Emperor Charles V’s global empire. He often resided in Brussels before his abdication in 1555. ClubMediéval performs music in the ruins of the Coudenberg that Charles himself may well have heard, while Dionysos Now! presents a broader tribute to the vibrant musical life surrounding the court in the Coudenberg Church, featuring polyphony by composers such as Johannes Ghiselin, Pedro Ruimonte and Thomas Cecquillon. Together, the two concerts paint a vivid portrait of the Coudenberg: from a modest court chapel to an international musical nexus. One ticket is valid for both concerts. There will be enough time to move between venues. When booking, please select either concert series 1 (concerts at 5.30 pm & 7 pm) or concert series 2 (concerts at 7 pm & 8.30 pm). ClubMediéval in the ruins of the Coudenberg Palace: Karolus, The soul on which the moon never sets Music by Jonás Bisquert, Pierre de la Rue, Tielman Susato, anonima from cancioneros de Palacio y Elvas Jonatan Alvarado, tenor Ariel Abramovich, luth & vihuela Thomas Baeté, viola Isaline Claeys, dramaturgy Dionysos Now! in the Coudenberg Church: Fortunae meae, non mihi Music by Crispinus van Stappen, Johannes Ghiselin, Pedro Ruimonte, Adriaan Willaert, Peter Philips, Thomas Crecquillon

Cecilia Bartoli & Les Musiciens du Prince - Monaco

Wed, 09 Dec 2026 18:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €62 – €152

Henry Le Boeuf Hall

The mere mention of Cecilia Bartoli ’s name evokes her impressive stage presence, exquisite coloratura and controlled intensity. The Italian mezzo-soprano has explored Baroque, bel canto and classical masterpieces for over forty years. At Bozar, she performs alongside Les Musiciens du Prince – Monaco, the ensemble she co-founded, and the choir Il Canto di Orfeo. They present Celestial Harmonies – Music from Heaven and Earth, a musical journey between the spiritual and terrestrial.

Die Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Järvi & Mørk

Thu, 10 Dec 2026 18:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €30 – €80

Henry Le Boeuf Hall

In the winter of 1816-17, Vienna was struck by sheer ‘Rossini mania’. Music by the young Rossini dominated concert programmes, and audiences fell head over heels for his Italian flair. The 20 year-old Franz Schubert was among his admirers. Inspired by Rossini, he composed his Italian Overture in that same year of 1817. The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen conducted by Paavo Järvi continue their foray into Schubert’s early work with the Second Symphony. The acclaimed cellist Truls Mørk ends the programme with Robert Schumann’s idiosyncratic Cello Concerto, a work full of intense lyricism and emotional depth.

Concertini

Fri, 11 Dec 2026 10:30:00 GMT

Tickets

Grote Foyer van de Munt

Belgian National Orchestra, Chauhan & Brimberg

Fri, 11 Dec 2026 18:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €22 – €50

Henry Le Boeuf Hall

The concert series Echoes of Brussels jumps back and forth along the capital’s timeline, focusing on memorable creations and residents. What happens when music doesn’t aim to impress, but dares to feel? The great traditions fracture, making room for something rawer and deeply personal. In Erwartung, for which Jean Brusselmans designed the decors in the Palace of Fine Arts, Arnold Schönberg abandons all form. A woman alone at night encounters the lifeless body of her beloved. What follows is an uninterrupted stream of emotions: confusion, fear, grief, and rage. Schönberg stretches this single moment into a miniature novel of pure tension. Sung by soprano Ingela Brimberg, this monologue gives a voice to a profoundly unsettled inner world. By contrast, Richard Wagner’s Siegfried Idyll is an intimate love gift, written for Cosima and their newborn. The notes bathe in tenderness and domestic bliss, a rare moment of warmth. With the Adagio from his Tenth Symphony, Gustav Mahler reaches a fragile conclusion. Farewell, doubt, and stillness unfold here without compromise. Conductor Alpesh Chauhan adds subtle visual touches, giving the evening an extra layer of depth. Enhance your experience beyond the concert with an introduction! The introduction starts at 7 pm and is free upon presentation of your concert ticket. Visit the exhibition Jean Brusselmans. Painter by Nature at Bozar. Thanks to the players of the National Lottery. Created with the support of the Tax Shelter of the Belgian Federal Government through Casa Kafka Pictures.

Erwartung

Fri, 11 Dec 2026 18:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €22 – €50

Bozar

Concert What happens when music doesn’t aim to impress but dares to feel? The great traditions fracture, making room for something rawer and deeply personal. In Erwartung, Arnold Schoenberg abandons all form. A woman alone at night in a forest stumbles across the lifeless body of her beloved. What follows is an uninterrupted stream of emotions: confusion, fear, grief and rage. Sung by soprano Ingela Brimberg, who recently caused a sensation at La Monnaie as Brünnhilde in the Ring, this monologue gives a voice to a profoundly unsettled inner world. By contrast, Richard Wagner ’s Siegfried Idyll is an intimate gift of love, written for Cosima and their newborn. The notes are bathed in tenderness and domestic bliss, a rare moment of warmth. With the Adagio from his Tenth Symphony, Gustav Mahler reaches a fragile conclusion. Farewell, doubt and stillness unfold here uncompromisingly. Conductor Alpesh Chauhan adds subtle visual touches, giving the evening an extra layer of depth.

Concertini

Fri, 18 Dec 2026 10:30:00 GMT

Tickets

Grote Foyer van de Munt

Cappella Mediterranea & Nederlands Kamerkoor

Fri, 18 Dec 2026 18:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €28 – €66

Henry Le Boeuf Hall

There are certain traditional features of the holiday season: presents to open, glasses to raise and Mariah Carey. The Christmas Oratorio (BWV 248) by Johann Sebastian Bach is another firm tradition. Bach wrote the six parts of the oratorio when he was cantor in Leipzig, to be performed between Christmas 1734 and Epiphany 1735. True to form, he recycled older compositional material, and as in the Ascension Oratorio, we hear a narrator (Andreas Wolf) and an evangelist (Valerio Contaldo). The soprano Sophie Junker brings extra light in her arias. Expect a Christmas atmosphere with all the trimmings, including jubilant choirs, exuberant trumpets and even an emotional lullaby (sung by the countertenor Christopher Lowrey). Leonardo García-Alarcón conducts the Nederlands Kamerkoor with the acclaimed Cappella Mediterranea.

Christmas Carols

Fri, 18 Dec 2026 18:00:00 GMT

Tickets

Fioccozaal (Ateliers van de Munt)

Recital Get into the holiday spirit with a Christmas carols concert! As December draws to an end, with days growing shorter and trees shedding their leaves, winter sets in with the first chills and furtive sunlight. To ease into the season gently, let yourself be transported by the Women’s Choir of La Monnaie who, under the direction of Emmanuel Trenque, present a programme of Christmas carols that is as rich as it is eclectic. From traditional airs to a Broadway medley, from the sublime sacred works of Massenet and Gounod to the jazz standards of Kirby Shaw, not forgetting Irving Berlin ’s unmissable ‘White Christmas’, all the ingredients are there for an end-of-year concert that is guaranteed to soften even the most hardened Scrooge. With a Songs season ticket, invite someone for free to your three favourite Song evenings at La Monnaie this season.

Christmas Carols

Sat, 19 Dec 2026 16:00:00 GMT

Tickets

Fioccozaal (Ateliers van de Munt)

New Year’s Concert — Paris, Paris

Sat, 09 Jan 2027 18:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €12 – €50

Bozar

Concert New Year’s in Paris with the La Monnaie Orchestra and Alain Altinoglu In 1926 the 28-year-old George Gershwin travelled to the French capital, determined to study under Maurice Ravel. Their meeting was warm, but lessons were out of the question – ‘Why should you be a second-rate Ravel when you can be a first-rate Gershwin?’ And so Gershwin crossed the pond again, taking the sound of a few Parisian taxi horns home as a souvenir. Two years later, he incorporated them into the orchestration of An American in Paris, a vibrant ode to life in the City of Light. The bustling boulevards, the tourist hotspots along the banks of the Seine, the cafés and Parisian nightlife: he translated all the impressions of his stay into a colourful and rhythmically irresistible rhapsody with a jazzy touch. More than a decade later, Manuel Rosenthal, who did study under Ravel, was commissioned by the Ballet Russe de Monte-Carlo to compose new ballet music. During an American tour of the company, the ‘Parisian in Boston’ drew on Jacques Offenbach ’s operetta La Vie parisienne to create a score that perfectly captures the light-hearted charm of the French capital by night. Swinging rhythms, graceful waltzes, fleeting romances and champagne flowing freely until the early hours: 2027 opens with a New Year’s concert full of joie de vivre! Create your own flexible concert subscription with your four favourite symphonic productions (or more) and you enjoy a 25% discount as well as a wide range of benefits.

Freiburger Barockorchester & Jeanine De Bique

Sun, 10 Jan 2027 17:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €28 – €66

Henry Le Boeuf Hall

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote his last three symphonies in a great tidal wave of creative energy in 1788. The foaming crests of that wave are not just an encapsulation of his talent, but also of the history of symphonic music until that time. Sorrow and sensuality are intertwined throughout Symphony no. 40 – in the dramatic key of G minor – whereas the fundamental key of C major predicts the epic nature of Symphony no. 41. The Freiburger Barockorchester, which has made the authentic performance of 18th century music its speciality, is certain to rise to the occasion. Portrait artist Jeanine De Bique joins them with a selection of arias from Mozart’s timeless operas, a repertoire that holds few secrets for the Trinidadian soprano.

Mozart

Sun, 10 Jan 2027 17:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €28 – €66

Bozar

Concert Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote his last three symphonies in a great tidal wave of creative energy in 1788. The foaming crests of that wave encapsulate not only his talent, but also the history of symphonic music until that time. Sorrow and sensuality are intertwined throughout Symphony No. 40 – in the dramatic key of G minor – whereas the fundamental key of C major predicts the epic nature of his final ‘Jupiter’ Symphony. The Freiburger Barockorchester, which has made the authentic performance of eighteenth-century music its speciality, is certain to rise to the occasion. Jeanine De Bique, artist in residence in Brussels this season, joins them with a selection of arias from Mozart’s timeless operas, a repertoire that holds few secrets for the Trinidadian soprano.

London Philharmonic Orchestra & Bihlmaier

Thu, 14 Jan 2027 18:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €42 – €100

Henry Le Boeuf Hall

Edvard Grieg was just 24 years old when he wrote his much-loved Piano Concerto. He drew inspiration from Norwegian folk music: in the finale, you hear echoes of the enchanting Hardanger fiddle, and he incorporates a ‘halling’, a lively Norwegian dance, into the music. The British pianist Benjamin Grosvenor, called a “sensational meteorite” by Le Soir, relishes this challenging concerto. Conducted by the enthusiastic Anja Bihlmaier, the London Philharmonic Orchestra pairs Grieg with a colourful piece by Andrea Tarrodi and Jean Sibelius’ First Symphony, a monumental composition that rises slowly out of a mysterious clarinet solo.

Concertini

Fri, 15 Jan 2027 10:30:00 GMT

Tickets

Grote Foyer van de Munt

Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Vänskä & Skride

Sat, 16 Jan 2027 18:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €30 – €50

Henry Le Boeuf Hall

Since winning the Queen Elisabeth Competition in 2001, Baiba Skride has become a fixture among the world’s leading violinists. Having previously performed with the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra (ASO), she is returning with Dmitri Shostakovich ’s powerful Violin Concerto No. 2. It is also a welcome reunion with conductor Osmo Vänskä. With Sergei Prokofiev ’s Symphony No. 5, he has chosen a work replete with hope. The Russian composer wrote this piece during the darkest days of the Second World War, yet the music speaks of resistance and optimism. The Antwerp Symphony Orchestra opens the evening with Metacosmos by Icelandic composer Anna Thorvaldsdottir, Bozar’s portrait artist this season. Drawing on the orchestra’s full range of colours and textures, she evokes the majesty of the cosmos. A night of primal symphonic power and hope.

Petar Pejčić - ECHO Rising Star

Sun, 17 Jan 2027 09:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €16

Henry Le Boeuf Hall

In Prayer to Ecstasy, young Serbian cellist Petar Pejčić embarks on a musical exploration of spiritual experience: from quiet introspection to physical intensity and ecstatic transcendence. The meditative lines of Bach and Ernest Bloch flow into Ligeti’s gripping sonata and the visceral eruptions of Giovanni Sollima. At the centre of the programme stands a new work by Đuro Živković. Following an earlier collaboration on the composer’s concerto Unceasing Prayers, a profound artistic connection emerged between composer and performer. In the hands of Pejčić – “a wonderful musician with a compelling sense of storytelling,” according to Le Soir – the cello becomes an extension of the voice, expressing the universal and deeply human longing for connection with something beyond oneself. Petar Pejčić was named a Rising Star for the 2026-2027 season by Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, Konzerthaus Dortmund and Palau de la Música Catalana within the ECHO network. During his European tour, the artist will perform at Bozar and give a private concert for the residents of Petit-Château, Brussels’ refugee arrival centre, in collaboration with Fedasil and Orfeo.

Cuarteto Casals

Sun, 17 Jan 2027 15:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €34

Hall M

The subtitle of Schubert’s String Quartet No. 14 refers to the song Der Tod und das Mädchen that he had composed earlier, in 1817. Schubert uses the same ‘Death and the Maiden’ melody in the slow second movement, in which Death seems to make itself heard in the slow, deep chords. The maiden tries to resist, but Death appears to reassure her with the words, “Give me your hand... sleep softly in my arms.” The entire work hints that the composer himself was staring death in the face: from the tumultuous first movement to the demonic tarantella in the finale. Cuarteto Casals, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this season, adds works by the contemporary composer Raquel García-Tomás Raque and an early quartet by Haydn.

Les Talens Lyriques & Christophe Rousset

Thu, 21 Jan 2027 18:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €34 – €58

Henry Le Boeuf Hall

Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater is a work that still effortlessly moves audiences. The Neapolitan composer completed the piece shortly before his death at the age of 26. It is an unusually poignant evocation of Mary’s suffering as she mourns her son Jesus. Pergolesi alternates flagrant dissonances and peaceful harmonies with consummate skill. Led by the renowned conductor and harpsichord player Christophe Rousset, Les Talens Lyriques also breathes new life into moving compositions by Leonardo Leo and Giovanni Battista Ferrandini. In this gorgeous music, the countertenor Key’mon W. Murrah and mezzo-soprano Irina Sherazadishvili reveal themselves as rising stars.

Concertini

Fri, 22 Jan 2027 10:30:00 GMT

Tickets

Fioccozaal (Ateliers van de Munt)

Asmik Grigorian & Edgaras Montvidas

Fri, 22 Jan 2027 18:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €30 – €80

Bozar

Concert To mark Lithuania’s presidency of the European Council, a Lithuanian star cast is heading to Brussels, with tenor Edgaras Montvidas and soprano Asmik Grigorian, voted Female Singer of the Year (at the 2025 International Opera Awards). The programme will be tinted yellow, green and red as well, with music by Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis, another cultural pride of Lithuania. In addition, you can enjoy some of the most beautiful arias from operas including Lohengrin (Richard Wagner), Madama Butterfly (Giacomo Puccini) and I Lituani (Amilcare Ponchielli), which might have been written specially for these soloists. In a nod to the Brussels audiences, the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra will also perform a home-grown piece, Fantasia Op. 12 by Joseph Jongen.

Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, Grigorian & Montvidas

Fri, 22 Jan 2027 18:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €30 – €80

Henry Le Boeuf Hall

To mark Lithuania’s presidency of the European Council, a Lithuanian star cast is heading for Brussels, with the conductor Giedre Slekyte, tenor Edgaras Montvidas and soprano Asmik Grigorian, voted Female Singer of the Year (International Opera Awards 2025). The programme will be tinted yellow, green and red as well, with music by Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis, Lithuania’s cultural pride. The loveliest arias from operas including Lohengrin (Wagner), Madame Butterfly (Puccini) and I Lituani (Ponchielli) might have been written especially for these soloists. In a nod to Bozar, the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra will also perform a home-grown piece: Fantasia op.12 by Joseph Jongen babbles like a brook in the Ardennes, but swells like a Lithuanian lake. This concert is part of the Cultural Programme of the Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2027.

Belgian National Orchestra, Hermus & Meeuwsen

Sun, 24 Jan 2027 13:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €24 – €58

Henry Le Boeuf Hall

Contrast is the key to this afternoon. In his Third Piano Concerto, Beethoven places tension at the center: dark energy, sharp oppositions, and a piano part that does not embellish but speaks with urgency. Nikola Meeuwsen, winner of the 2025 Queen Elisabeth Competition, brings this work to life with striking clarity, a strong sense of drama, and a hauntingly beautiful Largo at its core. A completely different world unfolds with Anton Bruckner’s Sixth Symphony, one of his most intriguing yet seldom-performed masterpieces. Layered rhythms, harmonic expansion, and an organic architectural flow shape a work that continually surprises. Monumental themes alternate with moments of inward reflection, as the music rises like a vast cathedral of sound. Under the baton of Antony Hermus, this symphonic Sunday becomes an intense listening experience, where physical presence and pure musicality merge into a focused yet richly rewarding journey. Meet Nikola Meeuwsen at Bozar! During the interval or after the concert, he will be present for a signing session. As part of the Piano Legends subscription series, and subject to the artist's availability. Thanks to the players of the National Lottery. Created with the support of the Tax Shelter of the Belgian Federal Government through Casa Kafka Pictures.

Behind the Lines — Anna Prohaska

Mon, 25 Jan 2027 18:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €12 – €45

De Munt

Recital ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ – An exceptional set of songs about war (The Guardian) War affects everyone. Together with pianist Eric Schneider, soprano Anna Prohaska gives voice to those who leave and those who stay behind, those who flee and those who die. Intimate lieder by Franz Schubert and Hugo Wolf are interwoven with the trenchant modernism of composers such as Hanns Eisler and Charles Ives: as a born storyteller, Prohaska forges their soldier tales into a many-voiced whole. Performed in five languages, the programme is closely connected to the musical and thematic world of Wozzeck, staged earlier this season, and poses fundamental questions about what war does to us, as a society and as human beings. These are questions that in today’s world unfortunately remain topical. With a Songs season ticket, invite someone for free to your three favourite Song evenings at La Monnaie this season.

Concertini

Fri, 29 Jan 2027 10:30:00 GMT

Tickets

Grote Foyer van de Munt

Collegium Vocale Gent & Herreweghe

Sun, 31 Jan 2027 17:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €28 – €66

Henry Le Boeuf Hall

Johann Sebastian Bach composed, or rather ‘compiled’ his masterly Mass in B Minor at the end of his life. Without question, it is one of his most ambitious compositions, which might well be seen as his musical will and testament: the work is a compendium of many different musical genres and styles, sometimes referring to earlier compositions, the oldest of which date from 1724 and 1733. From the dramatic opening to the moving Kyrie and jubilant Gloria, Bach creates an especially evocative mass. Who better than Philippe Herreweghe and the unsurpassed Collegium Vocale Gent to distil every last drop of depth and intensity from this sublime masterpiece?

Pavel Kolesnikov & Samson Tsoy

Tue, 02 Feb 2027 18:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €22 – €42

Henry Le Boeuf Hall

"Sharing a piano with four hands presupposes thinking together, breathing together. It’s a form of closeness, but on an exceptional level. You can’t reach that level without being incredibly close," says Samson Tsoy. He and our portrait artist Pavel Kolesnikov met in 2007 at the Moscow Conservatory, and they have been inseparable ever since, both on and off stage. As the opening act of the Stravinsky Festival, they perform a unique four-hand version of the Symphony of Psalms, an orchestral composition that premiered in 1930 at the Palais des Beaux-Arts. The duo pairs this neoclassical gem with Sergei Rachmaninoff ’s rousing Symphonic Dances.

The Grand Chinese New Year Concert in the Year of the Goat | Bozar Brussels

Wed, 03 Feb 2027 18:00:00 GMT

Tickets

Bozar Brussel

Chinese New Year is the most important festival in Chinese culture. People celebrate it annually over several days around the new moon in January or February, with family visits, delicious food and, of course, music! A renowned Chinese orchestra invites you to join them for a grand New Year’s concert marking the Year of the Goat – the perfect start to the festivities. The ensemble introduces audiences to a traditional repertoire spanning no fewer than 3,000 years of musical history. Experience the beautiful music of China and celebrate the country’s rich and vibrant culture.

Pleasantly Haunted — Emily D'Angelo

Thu, 04 Feb 2027 18:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €12 – €45

De Munt

Recital Song, music, tales, and poetry, from the Middle Ages to the present day An invisible thread connects the troubadours and trobairitz of the Middle Ages to today’s singer songwriters: centuries of melodic echoes and a shared tradition of storytelling through music. Named Opera Singer of the Year 2025 at the prestigious Opus Klassik awards, mezzo-soprano Emily D’Angelo draws on this heritage to create an original recital, dedicated in particular to the works of Henry Purcell, John Dowland, the Countess of Dia and Adrian Ira. As she engages in dialogue with a piano and electric guitar, she is bound to leave you … pleasantly haunted. With a Songs season ticket, invite someone for free to your three favourite Song evenings at La Monnaie this season.

Concertini

Fri, 05 Feb 2027 10:30:00 GMT

Tickets

Grote Foyer van de Munt

Belgian National Orchestra & Halls

Fri, 05 Feb 2027 18:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €22 – €50

Henry Le Boeuf Hall

“I haven't understood a bar of music in my life, but I have felt it”. With this striking statement, Igor Stravinsky captures the core of his art. His music is not meant to be analysed, but experienced — rhythmic, colourful, and unmistakably theatrical, deeply rooted in Russian folklore and imagination. The Symphony of Wind Instruments opens as a stern yet hypnotic ritual. There is no romantic lyricism here, but sharply contoured sound blocks and unexpected instrumental combinations that reshape the musical space. With Pulcinella, Stravinsky dons a mask. The past is reinvented as playful music theatre, full of irony, dance, and sudden twists. What seems familiar acquires sharp edges and theatrical sparkle. Then comes The Rite of Spring. At its Paris premiere, the work caused an uproar and immediately made history. Its raw sound layers, jagged rhythms, and fierce contrasts sounded shockingly modern, and remain irresistibly direct today. The Rite pulses and stamps, a pagan celebration of spring where movement and sound collide. Under the baton of Matthew Halls, Stravinsky’s music takes full command of the stage. Understanding is optional. Feeling is inevitable. Enhance your experience beyond the concert with an introduction! The introduction starts at 7 pm and is free upon presentation of your concert ticket. Thanks to the players of the National Lottery. Created with the support of the Tax Shelter of the Belgian Federal Government through Casa Kafka Pictures.

Cine-concert: Modern Times | Bozar Brussels

Sat, 06 Feb 2027 16:00:00 GMT

Tickets

Bozar Brussel

2027 is the 100th anniversary of films with sound! Chaplin wanted Modern Times to be his first talkie in 1936, but it ended up with no dialogue. He only added sound affects and a few songs, including the famous Smile. Convinced that the ‘Little Tramp’ would lose his universality if his voice was heard, Chaplin made this film the character’s last appearance. The result is a subversive masterpiece – a critical perspective on the absurdity of industrialisation – with music composed by Chaplin himself, who was also an excellent violinist. Fifty years after his death, the OPRL pays tribute with a film concert in which his music will be performed live.

Belgian National Orchestra, Halls & Vlaams Radiokoor

Sun, 07 Feb 2027 15:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €22 – €50

Henry Le Boeuf Hall

The concert series Echoes of Brussels hops back and forth along the capital’s timeline, highlighting memorable creations and residents. This concert brings an intense Stravinsky weekend to a ceremonial climax. Chant funèbre, the earliest surviving orchestral work by the composer, is a restrained tribute to his teacher Rimsky-Korsakov. The music unfolds like a shivering funeral procession: dark in colour, spare in gesture, yet charged with emotional intensity. In the Symphony of Psalms, which had its world premiere here at the Centre for Fine Arts in 1930, Stravinsky turns toward the sacred. Not romantic devotion, but a stern, collective expression of faith. Voices and orchestra merge into a mystical presence shaped by repetition, simplicity and archaic power. For the finale, the theatre erupts with Petrushka. What begins as a vibrant folk celebration evolves into a hallucinatory dance of masks, puppets and fractured humanity. Rhythm drives forward, colours flash, irony and tragedy intertwine. For one final time this weekend, Matthew Halls leads the entire procession, joined by the Vlaams Radiokoor. We conclude as Stravinsky intended: sharp, vivid and unmistakably disruptive. Enhance your experience beyond the concert with an introduction! The introduction starts at 2 pm and is free upon presentation of your concert ticket. Thanks to the players of the National Lottery. Created with the support of the Tax Shelter of the Belgian Federal Government through Casa Kafka Pictures.

Brodsky Quartet

Tue, 09 Feb 2027 17:30:00 GMT

Tickets: €34

Hall M

Beethoven’s late quartets are a lasting source of fascination, with the imaginative power of their melodies and rhythms. From String Quartet No. 12 onwards, Beethoven let go of the typical four-part structure and set out into new terrain. For example, the four players pass melodic lines amicably back and forth, leaving you wondering at times which instrument is actually playing. Contrapuntal refinement comes emphatically to the fore, as you can hear in the monumental Grosse Fuge, betraying Beethoven’s fascination with composers such as Palestrina and Bach. In the capable hands of the Brodsky Quartet, his String Quartet No. 15, with the intensely moving Heiliger Dankgesang, is certain to have you on the edge of your seat.

Our People — Freddie Ballentine

Wed, 10 Feb 2027 18:00:00 GMT

Tickets

Fioccozaal (Ateliers van de Munt)

Recital Grammy Award-winning tenor Freddie Ballentine and pianist Kunal Lahiry share a commitment to amplifying Black and queer experiences through song. In collaboration with voguing artists from the Belgian ballroom community, they invite listeners on an intrepid musical journey – moving through isolation, damnation, remembrance and revolution – before arriving at their final destination: hope. The programme is as dazzling as its performers: Nina Simone, Franz Schubert, Ricky Ian Gordon, Margaret Bonds and more. With a Songs season ticket, invite someone for free to your three favourite Song evenings at La Monnaie this season.

Concertini

Fri, 12 Feb 2027 10:30:00 GMT

Tickets

Grote Foyer van de Munt

Orchestre National de Lyon & Szeps-Znaider

Fri, 12 Feb 2027 18:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €28 – €66

Henry Le Boeuf Hall

With his Seventh Symphony, Dmitri Shostakovich composed the first of his three war symphonies. It is a monumental work – an average performance lasts more than 70 minutes – which he completed in 1941 after being evacuated from Leningrad. The so-called “ Leningrad Symphony " is dedicated to the city that was besieged by German troops from 1941 to 1944, where one and a half million inhabitants died from deprivation and famine. “The music is about terror, slavery, and the oppression of the spirit,” the composer stated. The acclaimed Orchestre National de Lyon performs this gripping work, bursting with emotion and hope, under the direction of Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider. Mozart’s magnificent Piano Concerto No. 25 provides an excellent counterpoint and is in perfect hands with the refined soloist Inon Barnatan.

Concertini

Fri, 19 Feb 2027 10:30:00 GMT

Tickets

Grote Foyer van de Munt

Beethoven / Tchaikovsky Glory & Destiny

Sun, 21 Feb 2027 15:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €12 – €50

Bozar

Concert Five soft drumbeats and a restrained orchestral introduction usher in a violin concerto full of timeless lyricism. Three ominous series of brass chords signal the coming symphony will not escape the grip of fate. Ludwig van Beethoven and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, the masters of opening bars? With two of their tours de force, Alain Altinoglu, the La Monnaie Symphony Orchestra and violinist Christian Tetzlaff are sure to keep you spellbound until the very last note as well. Create your own flexible concert subscription with your four favourite symphonic productions (or more) and you enjoy a 25% discount as well as a wide range of benefits.

Concertini

Fri, 26 Feb 2027 10:30:00 GMT

Tickets

Grote Foyer van de Munt

Pygmalion & Raphaël Pichon

Sun, 28 Feb 2027 17:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €34 – €58

Henry Le Boeuf Hall

At the beginning of the 17th century, all the composers in Germany wanted to return to the Italian source: Venice. The sound architecture of the city and the triumph of polyphony cast its light far into Lutheran territory. But the Thirty Years’ War broke that dynamic. German expression became more intimate, as in Schütz ’ Kleine Geistliche Konzerte, the descendants of Italian motets for solo voice and continuo. The Parisian baroque ensemble Pygmalion brings the quintessential German and Italian masters together for a large ensemble, under the banner of VERTIGO: Praetorius, Scheidt, Monteverdi and Cavalli respond to each other in a play of echoes where polyphony culminates in jubilation, exuberance and sensuality. In short, expect a celebration of the fusion that shaped European music.

Schumann Quartett

Tue, 02 Mar 2027 17:30:00 GMT

Tickets: €32

Hall M

Johannes Brahms hesitated for a long time before finally publishing his string quartets in 1873. The music reveals the pride with which he engaged in the tradition of great masters such as Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. For example, the opening motif to his String Quartet No. 2 is a play on the violinist Joseph Joachim’s motto: “ Frei aber einsam ”. Besides this piece by Brahms, the Schumann Quartett will play an early string quartet by Ludwig van Beethoven. The contemporary composer Caroline Shaw was also inspired by this tradition: she has written a new string quartet based on Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 6.

Ettore Pagano

Thu, 04 Mar 2027 17:30:00 GMT

Tickets: €32

Hall M

Technical perfection and deep musicality go hand in hand for the laureate of the Queen Elisabeth Competition. Ettore Pagano, winner of the 2026 cello edition, surprises with musical fireworks, intense lyricism, and moments of stillness in the magnificent Henry Le Boeuf Hall.

Concertini

Fri, 05 Mar 2027 10:30:00 GMT

Tickets

Grote Foyer van de Munt

Belgian National Orchestra, Hermus & Gavrylyuk

Sun, 07 Mar 2027 13:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €22 – €50

Henry Le Boeuf Hall

Some music seems to burst with energy before the first note has even settled. Sergei Prokofiev’s popular Third Piano Concerto is one such work. It sparkles and collides from every angle — sharp-edged yet irresistibly vibrant. Written between Russia, France and the United States, the concerto embodies a spirit of boundless freedom. As André Previn once remarked, it may well be the finest piano concerto of the post-Romantic era: fleet-fingered, unmistakably Russian, and extraordinarily demanding. The piano dances and provokes. The tone is light yet ironic — almost Mozartian in its clarity — but threaded with rhythmic tensions that grip and unsettle. With acclaimed soloist Alexander Gavrylyuk, this masterpiece finds an interpreter who combines power and precision, turning every motif into a surge of pure energy. After the interval, Tchaikovsky unfolds his monumental Manfred Symphony. Above all, Tchaikovsky was a master of melody. His broad, singing lines unfailingly captured the hearts of audiences. In Manfred, that melodic gift is fused with a grand Romantic narrative of longing, inner turmoil and fate, based on the eponymous poem by Lord Byron. The symphony is steeped in sweeping melodrama, inspired, richly orchestrated and emotionally intense. Each climax, expertly shaped by conductor Antony Hermus, rises like a wave that lifts and carries you away; each lyrical passage breathes nostalgia and passion. A Sunday Symphony where youthful energy and Romantic come intensely together. Enhance your experience beyond the concert with an introduction! The introduction starts at 2 pm and is free upon presentation of your concert ticket. Thanks to the players of the National Lottery. Created with the support of the Tax Shelter of the Belgian Federal Government through Casa Kafka Pictures.

Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest & Mäkelä

Thu, 11 Mar 2027 18:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €56 – €138

Henry Le Boeuf Hall

With his masterful Missa Solemnis, Beethoven had no small ambitions: “My chief aim was to awaken and permanently instil religious feelings in the singers as well as in the listeners”. He spent no fewer than four years working on this large-scale mass, which he ultimately regarded as his finest work. Written for orchestra, a huge choir and four soloists, the piece is both imposing and monumental, yet also contains moments of sublime tranquillity, such as the slowly unfolding Sanctus. The ethereal violin solo in the Benedictus powerfully evokes the divine and seems to fulfil Beethoven’s intention. The renowned Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and the Netherlands Radio Choir, together with star conductor Klaus Mäkelä, will bring this masterpiece to life like no others.

Concertini

Fri, 12 Mar 2027 10:30:00 GMT

Tickets

Fioccozaal (Ateliers van de Munt)

Branford Marsalis with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra | Bozar Brussels

Sun, 14 Mar 2027 17:00:00 GMT

Tickets

Bozar Brussel

Following his residency in 2022, Bozar looks forward to a festive reunion with jazz legend Branford Marsalis. In recent years, he has increasingly appeared alongside classical orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He also reveals his most ‘classical’ side when performing with the GRAMMY-winning Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. Duke Ellington’s orchestral works have revived 65 years on, while Jeff Beal has written a Concerto for Saxophone tailor-made for Orpheus and Marsalis, with the ink on the staves still wet. And anyone who mentions jazz and classical music in the same breath is, of course, talking about George Gershwin. With An American in Paris, he looked back on the roaring twenties in Paris, complete with honking taxis!

Ensemble Irini

Tue, 16 Mar 2027 18:30:00 GMT

Tickets: €32

Hall Horta ·Bozar

When Constantinople fell in 1453, Guillaume Dufay and the Byzantine composer Manuel Chrysaphes each composed a poignant lament on opposite sides of the Mediterranean. In Janua, the adventurous Ensemble Irini links these two distinct musical worlds and takes you on a journey through a unique and little-known period: the final attempt to unite East and West in the fifteenth century. Under the direction of Lila Hajosi, the ensemble weaves its way between Dufay’s monumental motets and Byzantine musical treasures by Chrysaphes and Iannis Plousiadenos. Supported by the inspiring sound of medieval trumpets and Baroque trombones, they bring the past vividly to life.

Concertini

Fri, 19 Mar 2027 10:30:00 GMT

Tickets

Grote Foyer van de Munt

Loved / Lost — Joshua Hopkins & Niamh O'Sullivan

Sat, 20 Mar 2027 18:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €12 – €45

De Munt

Recital On 22 September 2015, Renfrew County (Ontario, Canada) was shocked by the murder of three women, all former partners of the perpetrator. The horrific crimes left deep scars on the close-knit rural community of Ottawa Valley, where baritone Joshua Hopkins grew up. His sister, Nathalie Warmerdam, was one of the victims. In collaboration with composer Jake Heggie and author Margaret Atwood (The Handmaid’s Tale), he turned his grief into Songs for Murdered Sisters, a deeply moving indictment of all forms of gender-based violence. During this recital, this cycle will be juxtaposed thematically with Robert Schumann’s Frauenliebe und -leben, performed by mezzo-soprano Niamh O’Sullivan. Conceived as a wedding gift for his childhood sweetheart Clara Wieck, Schumann sketches a portrait of female devotion in eight scenes: from a girl’s quiet admiration for the man she hopes to marry, through engagement, marriage and motherhood, to mourning the loss of her husband. How does this nineteenth-century ideal sound in 2026? With a Songs season ticket, invite someone for free to your three favourite Songs performances at La Monnaie this season.

Concertini

Fri, 26 Mar 2027 10:30:00 GMT

Tickets

Fioccozaal (Ateliers van de Munt)

Sabine Devieilhe & I Giardini | Bozar Brussels

Fri, 02 Apr 2027 18:00:00 GMT

Tickets

Bozar Brussel

At Bozar, she has already performed alongside Pygmalion, the La Monnaie Symphony Orchestra and the Bavarian State Orchestra, but never have we seen Sabine Devieilhe quite like this before. For SMILE, the French soprano transforms the stage into a 1920s cabaret café and, through a blend of chansons, musical numbers and art songs, strikes a balance between ‘serious’ music and entertainment. Eric Satie and Francis Poulenc also dared to explore that same boundary in their compositions. Following her outstanding interpretations of Mozart, Devieilhe now surprises with a tribute to Josephine Baker, Stephen Sondheim and even Édith Piaf. Cellist Pauline Buet and pianist David Violi accompany her in this uplifting soirée, directed under the watchful eye of opera director Laurent Pelly.

Budapest Festival Orchestra & Fischer

Sun, 04 Apr 2027 13:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €42 – €100

Henry Le Boeuf Hall

Alle Menschen werden Brüder: thanks to Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony has these words by Schiller are ingrained in our collective memory. Based on a simple, recognisable melody, Beethoven builds up a masterful series of variations in the final movement that expresses Schiller’s hopeful Ode to Joy. The celebrated conductor Iván Fischer and Budapest Festival Orchestra present the Ninth in all its wealth and power, illustrating how Beethoven dispensed with all conventions. To mark 70 years of the Treaty of Rome and Beethoven’s anniversary year, a mass choir of more than a hundred voices will be descending on Brussels from every country in the EU.

Beethoven Symphony 9

Sun, 04 Apr 2027 13:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €42 – €100

Bozar

Concert „Alle Menschen werden Brüder“: if Friedrich Schiller’s idealistic — and today particularly urgent — motto has been ingrained in our collective memory, then it is largely thanks to the Ninth Symphony. Based on a simple, recognizable melody, Ludwig van Beethoven builds up a masterful series of variations in his final movement that conveys Schiller’s hopeful Ode to Joy. Conductor Iván Fischer and the Budapest Festival Orchestra present the Ninth in all its wealth and power, illustrating how Beethoven dispensed with all conventions. To mark both the 70th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome and Beethoven’s anniversary year, a mass chorus of more than a hundred voices, including several young singers from the MM Academy, will be descending on Brussels from every EU member state.