2025 Round Up from our Arts Partnerships & Tours Team
5/12/2025
In 2025, our Arts Partnerships & Tours team continued to build on an inspiring journey, delivering a diverse range of projects. Our primary focus is creating opportunities and sharing extraordinary artistic experiences, from meaningful collaborations to unforgettable performances.
Gallery
Expansive Touring in Asia
The Philharmonia returned to Japan for the first time since 2015. Principal Conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali was joined by two Japanese musicians, pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii and violinist Fumiaki Miura, for seven concerts across the country.
The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra returned to Beijing under the baton of Paavo Järvi, joined by violinist Bomsori Kim.
In April in Macao, Bach Collegium Japan choir joined Masato Suzuki and the Macao Orchestra for a unique performance of Johann Sebastian Bach’s St Matthew Passion in the arrangement by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy.
In May Bamberger Symphoniker, conducted by Chief Conductor Jakub Hrůša, embarked on a nine-concert tour across Asia, performing in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. The tour featured soloists Fumiaki Miura, Hayato Sumino, Bomsori Kim and Lukáš Vondráček.
This June, Orchestre de Paris embarked on a twelve-concert tour across Asia, performing in South Korea, Japan and Taiwan under the direction of Music Director Klaus Mäkelä. The tour featured pianist Yunchan Lim and violinist Daniel Lozakovich.
Camerata RCO embarked on a five concert tour in South Korea in July. The 10 musicians travelled from the Seoul area to Tongyeong, where the tour concluded.
In July Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg embarked on an eight-date concert tour across China and Taiwan, performing alongside their General Music Director Kent Nagano. and soloists Rafał Blechacz and Jan Lisiecki.
In July, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra performed a series of seven concerts in Japan and South Korea in collaboration with composer and conductor Joe Hisaishi, the RPO’s Composer-in-Association. The tour included performances at the 55,000-seater stadium Tokyo Dome, including one concert featuring live filming and streaming in partnership with Nippon TV.
In September The Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra of Katowice (NOSPR) arrived in Japan to begin a 13-concert tour across the country, under the baton of Marin Alsop. The tour featured acclaimed Japanese pianists Hayato Sumino and Masaya Kamei and opened with a special programme at Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall. This marked the orchestra’s sixth visit to Japan, first one in 1991, continuing its legacy as a cultural ambassador for Poland.
As part of our ongoing collaboration with Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under the baton of their Chief Conductor designate Klaus Mäkelä, the orchestra embarked on a tour to South Korea and Japan in November, where they performed ten concerts.
Japan Focus in UAE
As part of a Japan focus at the Abu Dhabi Festival, the New Japan Philharmonic, conducted by Yutaka Sado and joined by pianist Kyohei Sorita and tenor Jonathan Tetelman, presented two concerts with different programmes in February at Emirates Palace. This marked the orchestra’s first visit to the Gulf region and its debut performance in the UAE, as well as the highly anticipated opening of the 2025 Abu Dhabi Festival.
KODO, made their debut in Abu Dhabi in April with performances at The Red Theatre as part of the Abu Dhabi Festival. The visit included educational activities with local groups organised by the Festival.
Expansive European Touring
Bach Collegium Japan, under the baton of Masato Suzuki and Masaaki Suzuki , embarked on a seven-concert tour across Europe at the start of the year. Soloists included soprano Carolyn Sampson, alto Marianne Beate Kielland, tenor Shimon Yoshida, and bass Dominik Wörner, with Christian Immler taking the bass role for the last three concerts.
On 23 January Ensemble Resonanz and violinist Leila Josefowicz performed at Antwerp’s De Singel as part of their Playful Shadows festival.
As part of our ongoing collaboration the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, under the direction of Klaus Mäkelä, embarked on six European tours that took place across Spain, Austria, Germany, Belgium and Switzerland.
In March Australian Chamber Orchestra, led by Richard Tognetti and joined by pianist Alexander Melnikov, performed in Amsterdam’s Muziekgebouw aan‘t IJ and Stuttgart’s Liederhalle as part of their European tour celebrating their 50th anniversary.
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich toured Germany and France with pianist Víkingur Ólafsson and their Chief Conductor and Music Director, Paavo Järvi. The orchestra performed two programmes across five concerts, including John Adams’ Piano Concerto After the Fall written for Víkingur Ólafsson.
Later in the year Paavo Järvi and the orchestra performed at Kölner Philharmonie, and Philharmonie de Paris as part of their European tour, alongside soprano Mari Eriksmoen, and the Zürcher Sing-Akademie.
Joined by conductor Nil Venditti and violinist Sayaka Shoji, Stuttgarter Kammerorchester headed to Festspielhaus Bregenz for a concert on 21 March.
Kent Nagano together with Dresden Festspielorchester and Concerto Köln, advanced their groundbreaking exploration of Wagner’s Ring Cycle in 2025 with Siegfried, premiered in Prague on 1 April, followed by four subsequent performances. This project reflects years of artistic and scholarly research, transforming historical insights into performance practice. In 2026, marking the 150th anniversary of the Ring’s world premiere, the cycle concludes with Götterdämmerung at major European venues.
Bamberger Symphoniker, joined by baritone Konstantin Krimmel, performed Mahler and Bruckner with Chief Conductor Jakub Hrůša at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw in April.
Across the year Camerata RCO performed in Riga in Latvia, in Bilbao, Spain and at Wigmore Hall in England.
In May, violinist Isabelle van Keulen performed with Deutsche Kammerakademie Neuss am Rhein under the baton of Christoph Koncz for their return to the Sunday Morning Series in the Grote Zaal of Concertgebouw Amsterdam.
In May Camerata Bern took ‘Time & Eternity’ on tour to Konzerthaus Blaibach and Prague’s Rudolfinium with Artistic Partner Patricia Kopatchinskaja.
Die Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen performed at Rotterdam’s De Doelen on 15 May, with their Artistic Director Paavo Järvi and joined by internationally renowned violin soloist, Janine Jansen.
Gothenburg Symphony, led by Chief Conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali, toured to Stuttgart, Prague and Dresden in May. Pianists Jan Lisiecki and Seong-Jin Cho joined the orchestra.
In October the orchestra made their Swiss debut to Lugano, where they performed two concerts. For the first performance cellist Truls Mørk and conductor Osmo Vänskä joined the orchestra, followed by a second performance with the Avishai Cohen Trio.
Kent Nagano and musicians from Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg joined mezzo-soprano Mihoko Fujimura and the Yamamoto Noh Theatre Group for a special project, Spirit of the Moon for a three concert performance in June. The production combines a Noh piece, based on the Japanese folk tale Moon Rabbit with Arnold Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire.
To celebrate the 25th birthday of the Thessaloniki Concert Hall, Kent Nagano and Dresden Festspielorchester were invited to perform an all-Beethoven concert in November 2025. Joining the orchestra for Beethoven’s Triple concerto were soloists Jan Vogler, Kevin Zhu and Till Fellman.
Under the baton of Lionel Bringuier, Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège presented a summer programme at the Kissinger Sommer Festival, featuring Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in B minor with soloist Johannes Moser on 27 June.
Alongside Music Director Pierre Bleuse, Ensemble intercontemporain played at the Royal Albert Hall for the BBC Proms on 23 July. On 6 September, Ensemble Intercontemporain performed at Bucharest National Museum of Art as part of George Enescu International Festival. On 8 September, they continued their Romanian tour appearances at Filarmonica Banatul Timișoara.
The Norwegian Arctic Philharmonic, the world’s northernmost orchestra, embarked on their European tour this August, bringing music inspired by their unique Arctic home to some of the continent’s most prestigious venues. The orchestra performed at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw on 16 August, Musikkfest Bremen in Papenburg on 19 August, and Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie on 20 August. They were joined by violinist Eldbjørg Hemsing and conductor Nicoló Foron for this series of concerts.
Le Balcon returned to the Salzburg Festival on 19 August. Partnering with IRCAM for cutting-edge electronics, the ensemble performed works by Boulez, Nono, and Stockhausen under the direction of Music Director Maxime Pascal.
On 23 and 24 August, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra made its long-awaited return to the BBC Proms under the direction of conductor and Artistic Partner Klaus Mäkelä. For the second performance violinist Janine Jansen joined the orchestra for Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No 1.
Led by conductor Fabio Luisi, Danish National Symphony Orchestra, performed at BBC Proms in August, presenting a programme that highlighted Danish artistry and celebrated the country’s rich musical heritage.
In September the orchestra, conducted by Nicholas Collon, then took the stage at George Enescu International Festival, where pianists Lucas and Arthur Jussen and violinist Alexandru Tomescu joined the orchestra.
On 25 August, led by Principal Conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali, Philharmonia Orchestra performed alongside cellist Sol Gabetta, for a concert at Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie, as part of Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival. On 27 and 28 August, Rouvali returned to lead the Philharmonia Orchestra for the George Enescu International Festival at Bucharest’s Grand Palace, joined by cellist Andrei Ioniță and pianist Alexandra Dariescu.
Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, led by violinist and Artistic Director Pekka Kuusisto, performed at the BBC Proms on 31 August. Interspersed throughout the concert were moving performances by Ume Sámi singer and composer Katarina Barruk, a vital voice for the endangered Ume Sámi language, blending traditional joik with contemporary sounds.
Arvo Pärt celebration in New York
The Estonian Festival Orchestra, under the direction of its founder and Music Director Paavo Järvi, travelled to New York for the highly anticipated final stop of its sold-out October tour. Having started the tour in Austria, Switzerland and Germany the orchestra travelled across the Atlantic Ocean for their final performance of the tour where they performed at Carnegie Hall in New York, with the performance broadcast live on WQXR Radio, bringing the orchestra’s distinctive sound to audiences far beyond the concert hall.
At the heart of this tour lied a programme devoted entirely to the music of Arvo Pärt, whose works have become emblematic of Estonia’s cultural voice. Joining Järvi and the orchestra in New York are three soloists: violinists Midori, and Hans Christian Aavik alongside composer-pianist Nico Muhly. Two choirs also feature in this landmark concert: the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and New York-based Trinity Choir.
Opera, Dance and Productions
HarrisonParrott proudly produced the revival of Andreas Homoki’s Carmen for the opening of the 37th Macao International Music Festival at the Macao Cultural Centre in October. Originally a co-production between Opéra-Comique and Opernhaus Zürich, the revival was developed in close collaboration with the festival and the opera’s creative team. Eivind Gullberg Jensen conducted the Macao Orchestra, China National Symphony Orchestra Chorus, and Macao Youth Choir.
Alban Berg’s Wozzeck received its Chinese premiere in concert on 11 October at Shanghai Symphony Hall with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and an international cast. A revival of Opera Ballet Vlaanderen’s production, directed by Johan Simons, followed on 18 October at Beijing Poly Theatre as part of the Beijing Music Festival, marking the opera’s staged Chinese premiere. HarrisonParrott was delighted to serve as International Project Manager for the production.
Scottish Ballet brought its groundbreaking reimagining of Coppélia to Istanbul’s Zorlu PSM on 7 – 8 November 2025, marking the company’s Turkish debut. Directed and choreographed by Morgann Runacre-Temple and Jessica Wright, the production fused classical ballet with theatre, film and digital projections, with Delibes’ score reimagined by Mikael Karlsson and Michael P. Atkinson and performed live under Jean-Claude Picard.
The Stuttgart Ballet, made its highly-anticipated return to Shanghai with 3 captivating performances of John Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet at New Bund 31 Performing Arts Center as part of Shanghai International Arts Festival. Live accompaniment of Prokofiev’s score was provided by the orchestra of Shanghai Opera House.
Marina Abramović returned to Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall on 24 April to co-devise a newly commissioned production of Erik Satie’s Vexations with pianist Igor Levit, featuring set design by David Amar and lighting by Urs Schoenebaum. The work — famously requiring 840 repetitions and lasting up to 20 hours — was performed live and continuously by a single pianist for the first time, offering audiences an intense experience of endurance, silence and contemplation.
HarrisonParrott’s Arts Partnerships and Tours department was delighted to collaborate with Marina Abramović on Balkan Erotic Epic, her most ambitious work to date. Produced by Factory International, the four-hour ritual performance draws on ancient Balkan fertility rites and folk traditions, reimagined through Abramović’s distinctive lens. Across 13 visceral scenes, the work explores eroticism, spirituality and cultural memory, reclaiming the body as a site of power, mystery and transformation.
Sebastião Salgado – In memoriam
On 4 November 2025, the Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne presented Amazônia at the Kölner Philharmonie, an immersive concert celebrating the beauty and fragility of the Amazon rainforest. Conducted by Simone Menezes and featuring soprano Camila Provenzale, the programme combined music by Villa-Lobos, Bachianas Brasileiras and Philip Glass with Sebastião Salgado’s powerful black-and-white photographs.
Presented internationally in partnership with Zurich Insurance, the project has marked exhibition openings across Europe. Having proudly presented Amazônia on five previous occasions, HarrisonParrott pays tribute to Salgado’s enduring legacy and his commitment to uniting art, nature and activism.
Gallery
