Australian Chamber Orchestra
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR: RICHARD TOGNETTI AO
2026 Season
Unflagging energy and maverick imagination
The Times UK
Welcome to the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s 2026 Season
The Australian Chamber Orchestra is one of the most acclaimed chamber orchestras in the world. Led by their pioneering Artistic Director Richard Tognetti, the Orchestra is defined by its exceptional virtuosity and an irrepressible sense of adventure and curiosity.
Their 2026 National Concert Season features majestic symphonies of the 18th and 19th centuries through to Romantic masterworks and trailblazing new music from the most captivating composers of today. It’s a season where you’ll discover, and rediscover, some of the greatest music ever written.
As a touring orchestra, they bring this extraordinary world of music to concert halls around the country, with an unflagging commitment to their craft, to one another, and most importantly, to their audience.
The Australian Chamber Orchestra invites you to join them on the adventure. These performances are currently available as a part of an Australian Chamber Orchestra 2026 Subscription.
Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody
Tue 10 February - Sat 14 February
John Luther Adams is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American composer whose music is a profound response to the natural world. In the world premiere of his expansive Horizon, you’ll explore the extremes of the Australian landscape.
The Devil’s Violin
Sat 21 March - Wed 25 March
The devil played the violin for Tartini in a dream. The music was charismatic, electrifying, fiendishly difficult and utterly transfixing. Tartini awoke and transcribed the melody, penning the Devil’s Trill sonata. It can only be played by someone astounding.
Schubert’s Fantasy & Octet
Tue 26 May - Sat 30 May
Richard Tognetti’s affinity for Schubert is evident in every note he plays. Here, he directs an ACO ensemble featuring a handpicked selection of Australia’s top wind players in two exquisite works that showcase Schubert as a master of chamber music.
Isles of Light
Tue 16 June - Sat 20 June
A genre-defying voyage from the pastoral majesty of Vaughan Williams to the experimental universe of Kate Bush, directed by British virtuoso Lawrence Power.
From Winter's Stillness
Sat 1 August - Fri 7 August
Trio Mediæval and Arve Henriksen join Richard Tognetti and the Australian Chamber Orchestra for a soul-stirring evocation of ancient landscapes and Northern light.
Pekka Kuusisto: Legends & Luminaries
Sat 3 October - Wed 7 October
Pekka Kuusisto returns to the Australian Chamber Orchestra after nearly a decade to direct music from four prodigious talents. Kuusisto is an artist unbound by convention, who embodies an artistic freedom that is unexpected and thrilling
Beethoven's Pastoral
Sat 14 November - Wed 18 November
To see Richard Tognetti and the Australian Chamber Orchestra perform Beethoven is to experience a ‘magnificent unanimity’* of vision, drama and expressive force.
Bach's Christmas Oratorio
Tue 8 December - Wed 9 December
A performance of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio is a transformative experience. Sublime choral and orchestral magic culminate in a feast for the senses.