Welcome to the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s 2026 Season

“Unflagging energy and maverick imagination” – The Times UK

The ACO is one of the most acclaimed chamber orchestras in the world. Led by our pioneering Artistic Director Richard Tognetti, the Orchestra is defined by its exceptional virtuosity and an irrepressible sense of adventure and curiosity.

Our 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.

Across seven national tours and two special events, we’ll bring this extraordinary world of music to concert halls around the country with an unflagging commitment to our craft, to one another, and most importantly, to you, our audience.

We invite you to join us on the adventure.

Subscribe to the ACO 2026 Season to save up to 35% on the cost of individual performances. Sign up to our eNews and create an ACO online account to access the Single Tickets presale on Wed 15 Oct.

Download Brochure

Renew Subscription

Buy Subscription

From the Richards

“There comes a point – somewhere past the age of 23 – when you stop trying to outrun time. Instead,you start listening to it, noticing how it bends and blurs in memory, how it sharpens in stillness.

“Music has always been a way to hold onto time, or at least to touch it differently. This season, we travel through music that doesn’t simply mark time, it questions it. Pieces that remind us of what music has always done best: to hold a moment just long enough to feel outside of time.

“From the fierce, spiritual urgency of Sofia Gubaidulina, to the elemental vastness of John Luther Adams, to Bach’s Christmas Oratorio where time feels both eternal and newly born, these works are invitations to step outside the ticking of the clock, to feel how music can stretch a moment, suspend it, let it linger long enough to alter memory. Because sometimes, a phrase, a silence, a single note, can make time feel like it’s listening back.

“So welcome to a season where time bends, breath holds, and music remembers what the clock forgets.

“We’ll meet you in the hall.”

– Richard Tognetti AO, Artistic Director

“In 2026, the ACO brings you a Season that spans a millennium of music, from the ancient hymns of the frozen North to the majestic symphonies of the 18th- and 19th-century masters, right through to trailblazing new works. This traversing of music across cultures and centuries is a calling card for Richard and the ACO and, accompanied by their exceptional standard of playing, has come to define the group and the unique place it holds as one of the world’s great chamber orchestras.

“Life within the ACO isn’t for the faint of heart. As Australia’s most travelled orchestra, both nationally and internationally, the hours are long. Life is often lived out of a suitcase and the standard of performance is ever higher, year on year. But, for the musicians, their role within the Orchestra is not just a job; it’s a vocation, a calling that can only be met with full-throttle enthusiasm and indefatigable commitment – to their craft, to one another and, most importantly, to you, our audience.

“Accordingly, I urge you to explore our Season and consider making a commitment of your own to what will be an extraordinary season of music, brought to you by Richard and his truly one-of-a-kind ensemble.”

– Richard Evans AM, Managing Director 

Subscribe Now

Win a 5-star Luxury Escapes holiday in Phuket.

Subscribe by 17 October to go in the draw to win six nights at the Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket and $1,500 towards your flights. Total package valued at $5,000. Click here to find out more. T&Cs apply.

Subscribe Now