Innovators who reshaped the musical landscape: announcing the Royal College of Music’s Autumn Season

Wednesday 22 July 2026

The Royal College of Music (RCM) launches its year of ‘Musical Innovators’ − celebrating composers who have redefined the musical landscape. With music ranging from Beethoven, Stravinsky and Duke Ellington to Maria Schneider, Joe Hisaishi and Nancy Galbraith, this autumn is filled with innovators both past and present. 

Beethoven runs as a central thread throughout the year, recognising the profound ways in which he redefined artistic possibilities throughout his life. The RCM Symphony Orchestra joins forces with the RCM Chorus to perform Beethoven’s seminal Mass in C and Stravinsky’s Suite from The Firebird (1919 version) on 29 and 30 October, conducted by Naomi Woo, while another of Beethoven’s groundbreaking works is brought to life by the RCM Chamber Orchestra, as conductor Reinhard Goebel leads his Eroica Symphony (19 November). On 8 October, Portuguese conductor Joana Carneiro joins the RCM Philharmonic for Beethoven’s Leonore Overture, an abridged, instrumental version of his only opera, Fidelio.  

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Across the term, a range of genres and styles showcase how music has developed throughout history, shaped by pioneering musicians. The RCM Opera Studio presents a world of magical realism and modernist fantasy with a double-bill of Debussy’s L’enfant prodigue and Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges (23 – 28 November). Big band visionaries are celebrated by the RCM Jazz Orchestra on 14 October, with music from Duke Ellington and Count Basie to influential contemporary bandleaders Maria Schneider and Wynton Marsalis. On 5 November, RCM Brass bring an all-American programme of 20th and 21st-century music, including Bernstein’s dramatic West Side Story Suite. A selection of events celebrate the works of innovative composers Michael Finnissy and Morton Feldman (25 and 26 November), while on 24 September the RCM Wind Orchestra perform excerpts from award-winning film composer Joe Hisaishi’s enchanting Howl’s Moving Castle and Nancy Galbraith’s vivid Danza de los Duendes. 

A programme of electronic music makes use of innovative new technology in the Britten Theatre on 7 October, featuring new works by RCM composers written specially for the theatre’s newly installed immersive d&b Soundscape audio system – used in West End theatres and prestigious concert halls around the world. More original pieces by RCM composers can be heard on 30 November, as striking images of the natural world from the Natural History Museum’s 2026 Wildlife Photographer of the Year are brought to life. 

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This year’s Woodwind Festival offers inspirational performances, masterclasses and family-friendly events for all ages (25 October). Internationally acclaimed musicians Amy Dickson (saxophone), Julian Bliss (clarinet), Lola Descours (bassoon) and RCM International Visiting Artist Philippe Tondre (oboe) deliver insightful masterclasses throughout the day. RCM students perform a breadth of virtuosic music for wind instruments, and for those new to their instruments, come-and-play events and family-friendly concerts allow everyone to get involved. 

On 19 September, the RCM Junior Department launches its 100th anniversary with hourly performances of fanfares written by JD composers, followed by a range of events throughout the season. Alumni from the Junior Department join the RCMJD Symphony and Chamber orchestras for a side-by-side performance of Tippett’s Concerto for Double String Orchestra, in a major celebration of JD students past and present (5 December).  

The RCM’s fantastic masterclass series continues, with world-class musicians visiting to share performance insights, including pianist Kathryn Stott (3 November), cellist Ralph Kirshbaum (13 November), RCM International Visiting Artist and flautist Amy Yule (13 October) and the Brodsky Quartet (5 November), to name but a few. 

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A range of talks offer new perspectives in our RCM Insights series: two talks explore the inspirational nature of folk music, first with Electrofolk musician and producer Frankie Archer (7 October) as part of the RCM Museum’s latest exhibition, Shared Airs: Our Thriving Folk Musics, and later, a pre-concert talk by Michael Finnissy (25 November). On 29 October, RCM Artistic Director Andrew Moore shares his year-long artistic vision for the College in a pre-concert talk, setting the scene for a season of powerful performances celebrating musical innovation. 

Booking for the Royal College of Music’s Autumn Season opens on 5 August (29 July for RCM Friends). Full programme details can be found in the What’s On section of the RCM website, where tickets will be available online when bookings open. Learn more about becoming an RCM Friend.