Adelaide Symphony Orchestra Reveals 2027 Season

It's that time of year again when Adelaide Symphony Orchestra (ASO) unveils its 2027 Season, and once again, ASO delivers an eclectic program featuring international artists, world premieres and classic symphonies alongside film and gaming-inspired performances.

Major highlights include a Beethoven symphony cycle, Ben Folds performing with the ASO, a musical celebration of Vienna, film concerts featuring Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, How to Train Your Dragon 2, The Music of The Lord of the Rings, and a gaming-inspired concert with music from Hollow Knight.

The ASO's flagship Symphony Series will expand in 2027, showcasing international artists, world and Australian premieres and new commissions across nine programs at Adelaide Town Hall.

Soloists include Pavel Kolesnikov, Lawrence Power, Anthony Marwood, Alexander Gavrylyuk, Morgan Pearse and Beatrice Colombis alongside ASO musicians taking centre stage as soloists. Conductors include Ludovic Morlot, Anna Sulkowska-Migoń, Andrew Manze and Katharina Wincor, alongside Mark Wigglesworth.

"Our 2027 Season strives to give every South Australian the opportunity to experience the ASO performing great music with world-class artists in Adelaide. From Beethoven to Ben Folds and performances across South Australia, the ASO’s impact continues to grow,” ASO Chief Executive Colin Cornish AM said when discussing the program.

Speaking on the importance of the human experience of live music and how that ties into the 2027 program, ASO Chief Conductor Mark Wigglesworth added, "It is only in the act of hearing music that music becomes alive. Just like love, or hate, or fear, music is the result of the feelings people have when engaged by it. You are as much part of the music as the notes themselves. It is the listeners that make music human."

Audiences will be among the first in the world to experience new works and commissions from Australian composers including Paul Dean, Jack Symonds, Belinda Gehlert and Elena Kats-Chernin, alongside the Australian premiere of Anna Clyne's Viola Concerto, performed by Lawrence Power.

In an Australian Premiere, the ASO will reimagine Elgar's Enigma Variations in a special narrated performance by actor Walter van Dyk, created and led by Mark Wigglesworth, who will also oversee a Beethoven symphony cycle, honouring the composer's legacy 200 years after his death.

"More than any other composer, Beethoven reminds us of what it means to be human," said Wigglesworth. "The music expresses empathy and compassion, heroism and hedonistic joy, triumph and adversity, and, above all, the need for us to reach out to one another and celebrate a sense of community that allows us to be more than the sum of our parts."

The ASO is hitting the road again in 2027, taking a select number of concerts to regional areas including Whyalla, Port Pirie, Gawler and Noarlunga. Wigglesworth will also present the World Premiere of his own orchestration of Shostakovich's Symphony No.15 at Mount Barker’s UKARIA Cultural Centre.

READ MORE: The Australian Ballet's Cinderella To Premiere in Adelaide 2027

The 2027 season features major events such as Ben Folds performing with the ASO in February, Mark Wigglesworth celebrating Vienna's great symphonies and ASO Concertmaster Kate Suthers leading a reimagining of Vivaldi's The Four Seasons at St Peter's Cathedral.

Cinema is also a big part of next year's program, with the orchestra performing the scores to How to Train Your Dragon 2 and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back live to screen at Adelaide Entertainment Centre and a concert celebrating the music of The Lord of the Rings. Video game lovers also get to experience the ASO tackling the music of Adelaide-based composer Christopher Larkin from the locally made video game Hollow Knight.

There will be family-friendly concerts, including Move to the Music, The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra by Benjamin Britten with acclaimed comedian Sammy J, Circus of Instruments at DreamBig, school excursions, library performances, Big Rehearsals and Compose with ASO.

"The 2027 Season is about creating opportunities for everyone to experience the ASO," said ASO Concertmaster Kate Suthers. "Whether that’s through film, gaming or family concerts, immersing yourself in Beethoven or hearing something for the very first time, the season has something for every audience member that is unique to South Australia."

Packages for Season 2027 are now on sale, with single tickets on sale in November. Head to the ASO's website to explore the full program at aso.com.au.