Royal Albert Hall and RPO extend partnership

The Royal Albert Hall (RAH) and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) have announced an extension of their music partnership. Having been the Hall’s associate orchestra since 2019, the RPO will continue its alliance with RAH until 2029 to ‘build on their shared mission to broaden artistic programmes and the audiences for orchestral music at the Hall’.

The announcement follows the extension of Vasily Petrenko’s contract as music director of the RPO until 2030, and the appointment of Joe Hisaishi as the orchestra’s composer-in-association. The partnership’s vision also comes as a new report by the RPO found that one in four people (25%) are interested in discovering or learning more about orchestral music, with an interest in diverse concert formats.

The RAH’s director of programming Matthew Todd said: ‘We are immensely pleased to be continuing our relationship with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. With 750,000 people experiencing the thrill of listening to a live orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall in 2023, our partnership will help us in our ambition to share orchestral music with as wide an audience as possible.’

The extended contract period will see the RAH host major concerts as part of the RPO’s 2024/5 season including Let's Face the Music, Symphonic Soul: A Celebration of Motown and More, ABBAphonic and American Classics.

RPO managing director James Williams said: ‘Over the past few weeks alone, the RPO and Vasily Petrenko have performed Wagner’s Grand Festival and Verdi’s dramatic Requiem; we’ve performed to a packed house with the Croatian cellist Hauser, and our much-loved Film Music Gala returned to the Royal Albert Hall for two performances last weekend. This exciting and diverse programming presents the inclusive face of orchestral music for today’s world – and we are delighted to be continuing our partnership at the Royal Albert Hall, and to be working with colleagues who share our passion for inclusivity, innovation and excellence.’