Singapore Symphony Orchestra • Concert Season 26/27

The Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) has announced its 2026/27 season, featuring Finnish conductor Hannu Lintu as the Quantedge Music Director. Joining him are Nathanaël Iselin as Associate Conductor and Andrew Beer as GK Goh Concertmaster. This new artistic phase promises exciting musical collaborations along with the return of world-class talents. Under Hannu Lintu's guidance, the SSO will undertake a major tour of China with soloists Chloe Chua and He Ziyu, expanding the orchestra’s international presence. 

Bold new beginnings with Hannu Lintu 

The season begins with the Hannu Lintu Inaugural Series. On 17 and 18 July, Lintu leads the SSO in Mahler’s Fifth Symphony and Mason Bates’s Nomad Concerto, featuring master violinist Gil Shaham. The following week, on 24 July, he conducts a program including Richard Strauss’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra and Bartók’s Duke Bluebeard’s Castle, with acclaimed vocalists Shenyang and Jennifer Johnston. 

Highlights include Verdi’s Messa da Requiem with the Singapore Symphony Chorus and Youth Choir; contemporary pieces by Lera Auerbach, Donghoon Shin, and John Adams, alongside classics from Brahms, Schumann, Schubert, and more; and collaborations with various international artists throughout the season. 

Hannu shared his perspective that "Romantic composers" driving the unique movements of today, and members always perform something that they enjoy doing, and this drives the inspiration and motivation behind their participation.

In May 2027, Hannu Lintu will conduct the SSO Mother’s Day Concert in the Singapore Botanic Gardens, featuring a Nordic-themed program. 

Nathanaël Iselin appointed as Associate Conductor 

Following an international search, the SSO is pleased to appoint Associate Conductor Nathanaël Iselin for the 2026/27 and 2027/28 seasons. Born in France and based in Scandinavia, Iselin is a First Prize and Special Prize winner at the 8th International Jorma Panula Conducting Competition. 

This season, he will conduct several free performances at the Victoria Concert Hall and Singapore Botanic Gardens, as well as the SSO Concerts for Children series. He will also collaborate with the Singapore Symphony Choruses, Choral Director Eudenice Palaruan, and Choirmaster Wong Lai Foon for the annual SSO Christmas Concert. 

Taking the stage abroad: SSO heads on a China Tour across seven cities 

The SSO will return to China for the first time since 2011, touring seven cities from 13 to 25 October: Shanghai (in partnership with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra), Wuhan (Wuhan Qintai Festival), Beijing (Beijing Music Festival), Changsha, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Xiamen. 

Hannu Lintu will lead the orchestra, joined by soloists Singapore violinist Chloe Chua and fellow Menuhin Competition alumnus He Ziyu, who will perform on the viola in Wuhan and Beijing. 

Before the tour, the SSO will hold two Pre-Tour Concerts at the University Cultural Centre, National University of Singapore, featuring works from the tour program. On 8 October, Chloe Chua will perform Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto. The next evening, she will be joined by He Ziyu for Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante. The program also includes Singaporean composer Wang Chenwei’s The Sisters’ Islands (8 October only) and Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 (both days). 

Global stars debut with the SSO 

The 2026/27 season showcases a remarkable lineup of internationally acclaimed artists making their SSO debuts. These include conductors Marin Alsop, Dinis Sousa, François Leleux, Lio Kuokman, Markus Stenz, Pietari Inkinen, Sebastian Weigle, and Umberto Clerici; violinists Clara Jumi Kang, Inmo Yang, Paul Huang, and Simone Lamsma; pianists Nobuyuki Tsujii and Vadym Kholodenko; violist Máté Szücs; and vocalists Iwona Sobotka, Jennifer Johnston, Johanna Rusanen, and Joshua Guerrero. 

Pianist Frank Dupree makes his Singapore debut alongside drummer Obi Jenne in an SSO Pops concert, and conductor Ivan Meylemans will debut in the SSO Chamber Series with the Winds and Percussion of the SSO. 

Celebrated artists make their highly anticipated return 

SSO Conductors Laureate Lan Shui and Hans Graf return in January and March 2027, respectively. Throughout the season, other distinguished guest conductors Gábor Takács-Nagy, Mark Wigglesworth, Pierre Bleuse, and Vasily Petrenko will also perform with the SSO. 

Concertgoers can look forward to the return of violin stars Augustin Hadelich, Benjamin Schmid, and James Ehnes; cellists Gautier Capuçon, Qin Li-Wei, and Steven Isserlis; and pianists Haochen Zhang, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, and Marc-Andre Hamelin. Berlin Philharmonic principal horn Stefan Dohr, along with vocalists Alexander Vinogradov, Liao Chang Yong, Olesya Petrova, and Shenyang, will also grace the Singapore stage again. 

In anticipation of Beethoven's 200th anniversary in 2027, the renowned duo of violinist Gil Shaham and pianist Akira Eguchi will perform all ten of the composer’s violin sonatas from 10 to 12 July. Shaham will also join Hannu Lintu in the Season Opening Concerts the following week.

Exciting artistic collaborations 

One of the world’s most influential musical voices in the digital age, TwoSet Violin collaborates with the SSO for their Sacrilegious Games Tour in July. 

The SSO also partners with Apsaras Dance Company and Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay for a groundbreaking production Agápe – The Human Connection, led by Artistic Director and Cultural Medallion recipient Aravinth Kumarasamy and conductor Joshua Tan. This production unites artists from Singapore and India in a cross-cultural celebration of music and classical Indian dance. 

Spotlighting Singaporean and SSO talents 

Singaporean and SSO talents continue to shine this season, with new commissions by Germaine Goh, Sulwyn Lok, Tan Chan Boon, and Zechariah Goh premiering. Wang Chenwei’s The Sisters’ Islands will be featured on tour, while the SSO National Day Concert (NDC) will highlight Kelly Tang’s Three Symphonic Movements, Tsao Chieh’s Finale (The Republic) from Singapore – his symphonic suite for large orchestra, and the winning work(s) from the NDC’s 2026 Call for Compositions. 

The SSO NDC will also feature guitarist Kevin Loh, ruan player Jonathan Ngeow, vocalist Linying, deaf artist-performer Lily Goh, and conductor Lien Boon Hua. The annual President’s Young Performers Concert continues to nurture young Singaporean talents, spotlighting bassoonist Shi Jia Ao, soprano Natasha Da Costa, and violinist Kaelyn Soh this year under the direction of Jason Lai. Conductor Leonard Tan returns to lead the popular SSO Babies’ Proms, while Joshua Tan conducts the SSO Pops series. Additionally, songstress Nathania Ong, who made history as the first Singaporean to win coveted roles in Les Misérables and Hamilton, makes her SSO debut with two evenings of musical theatre, Broadway, and Disney favorites. 

Members of the Singapore Symphony are also prominently featured, with GK Goh Concertmaster Andrew Beer and cellist Jamshid Saydikarimov appearing as soloists for the SSO Chamber Series in August. Principal Violist Manchin Zhang reprises her role in Richard Strauss’s Don Quixote, and Principal Harp Gulnara Mashurova joins the Singapore Symphony Youth and Children’s Choir in concert in March 2027. 

The Singapore National Youth Orchestra and Singapore Symphony Choruses 

The Singapore National Youth Orchestra (SNYO) presents Jurassic Park in Concert in August. Under the baton of SNYO Music Director Joshua Tan and playing alongside musicians of the SSO, they bring John Williams’s iconic score to life, set to a projection of the film on screen. Next March, they will also collaborate with the Australian Youth Orchestra Symphonists for a concert at the Esplanade Concert Hall. 

In addition to playing key roles in various SSO concerts, the Singapore Symphony Youth and Children’s Choirs will present a standalone concert in May 2027 under the baton of renowned choral conductor Stephen Layton, in a compelling program anchored by Rutter’s Missa Brevis. 

Tickets sales for the Singapore Symphony’s 2026/27 season begin on 20 April 2026 at sso.org.sg