London Symphony Orchestra gives first U.S. tour with new Chief Conductor, Antonio Pappano (Feb 18–March 6); after dates in California & Florida, tour concludes with LSO’s first Carnegie Hall concerts in 20 years

(December 2024) — Early next year, the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) embarks on its first U.S. tour with Sir Antonio Pappano, the two-time Grammy winner who inaugurated his tenure as the ensemble’s Chief Conductor earlier this fall. Joined by soloists Janine Jansen and Yunchan Lim, Pappano and the orchestra perform in ten cities across California (Feb 18–23) and Florida (Feb 26–March 2), before completing their tour with back-to-back programs at New York’s Carnegie Hall (March 5 & 6). The New York concerts mark not only Pappano’s first Carnegie Hall appearances with the orchestra, but also the LSO’s first return to the venue in 20 years.

Pappano comes to the LSO after concluding an illustrious 22-year tenure as Music Director of London’s Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. He explains:

“I’ve been conducting the LSO since 1996, and we’re embarking on a new chapter together – and it’s a gift from heaven. The LSO has an innate energy, and ambition, and a desire to conquer any challenge. Each musician on their own represents excellence, but together, through the combined efforts of each musician, their emotional intelligence is extraordinary. This U.S. tour is a first for me, and it is a great honor to be sharing the stages across the country with the musicians of the LSO and our wonderful soloists Jane Jansen and Yunchan Lim.”

The conductor enjoys strong ties to the United States, for he lived in Connecticut in his teens, began his career at New York City Opera, and is now married to an American. LSO Managing Director Kathryn McDowell comments:

“The LSO is delighted to be returning to the USA for such an extensive tour, with our new Chief Conductor, who has such strong American roots. We look forward to renewing many old acquaintances and making friends with new audiences across the States. We are thrilled to bring programs that include some of the great British composers who themselves had a close association with the LSO in the earlier part of the 20th century, titans of British symphonic music William Walton and Edward Elgar, as well as Mahler, Rachmaninoff, Mendelssohn, and America’s own masters George Walker and, of course, former LSO president Leonard Bernstein.”

The upcoming tour comprises 13 concerts in eleven different cities: Santa Barbara, Palm Desert, Costa Mesa, San Diego, Davis, and Stanford in California, and Orlando, Naples, West Palm Beach, and Miami in Florida – all representing debuts for Pappano – and New York City. Figuring prominently in the orchestra’s programming are the first symphonies of Gustav Mahler, whose Symphony No. 1, “Titan,” has been called “one of the most game-changing (and mind-blowing) first symphonies by any composer” (NPR), and William Walton, whose First Symphony was written for the LSO, which made the work’s premiere recording. Another English composer with close LSO ties is Edward Elgar, its one-time conductor-in-chief, who is represented by his “Enigma” Variations. The tour also showcases two major American works. Sinfonia No. 5, “Visions,” is the final composition by Pulitzer Prize laureate George Walker, who wrote the work at the age of 96, in outraged response to the 2015 Charleston church massacre. Serenade, after Plato’s Symposium, one of the most lyrical works by former LSO president Leonard Bernstein, will feature Dutch violinist Janine Jansen. Long recognized as one of “the world’s star soloists” (The New York Times), Jansen rejoins the orchestra for Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto, while Korean pianist Yunchan Lim, the youngest winner of the Van Cliburn Competition, performs Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto at venues including Carnegie Hall, where he recently made his sold-out recital debut. (See full tour details below.)

Out now: Elijah and My Life in Music

For Pappano and the LSO, the U.S. tour follows both a major album release and the publication of the conductor’s new memoir. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of LSO Live, the orchestra’s dedicated recording label, October 4 brought the physical and digital release of Mendelssohn’s Elijah, recorded live in concert this past January, with Gerald Finley in the title role under Pappano’s leadership. Praising their “superbly detailed and rousing performance,” The Guardian advised: “Think of it as Mendelssohn in HD.” “Pappano and LSO deliver thrilling Mendelssohn … spectacular,” agreed The Times of London. As Musical America put it, “The performance was sublime in its own right, with musical heroes at every turn and leadership from the podium whose depth and acuity transcended normal expectations.”

Pappano’s memoir, My Life in Music, reflects his deep-seated belief in the power of classical music to inspire, enlighten, and reach new and wider audiences. Published by Faber & Faber this past June, the memoir received a similarly warm welcome. Daniel Barenboim admired the conductor’s “mesmerizing insight”; Gramophone magazine pronounced the work “unaffected and direct, with an easy, non-technical style that conveys – nonetheless – a huge depth of insight and musical experience”; and The Observer counseled: “Read it and gasp.”

About Sir Antonio Pappano

Acclaimed for his charismatic leadership and inspiring performances in both symphonic and operatic repertoire, Sir Antonio Pappano is one of today’s most sought-after conductors. In September 2024, he inaugurated his tenure as Chief Conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra. He was Music Director of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden from 2002 until 2024 and is Music Director Emeritus of Rome’s Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, of which he was Music Director from 2005 to 2023. Other past positions include Music Director of Oslo’s Den Norske Opera, Music Director of Brussels’s Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, and Principal Guest Conductor of the Israel Philharmonic.

Pappano makes regular guest appearances with such prestigious ensembles as the Berlin, Czech, New York, and Vienna Philharmonics; the Bavarian Radio, Boston, and Chicago Symphonies; the Cleveland, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Philadelphia, and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestras; the Staatskapelle Dresden; the Orchestre de Paris; and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, with which he maintains a particularly strong relationship. Equally in demand in opera, he has led productions at houses including New York’s Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Milan’s La Scala, the Berlin and Vienna State Operas, and the Bayreuth and Salzburg Festivals. It was Pappano who conducted the music at last year’s coronation of King Charles III.

About the London Symphony Orchestra

The London Symphony Orchestra believes that extraordinary music should be available to everyone, everywhere – from orchestral fans in the concert hall to first-time listeners all over the world. The LSO was established in 1904 as one of the first orchestras shaped by its musicians. Since then, generations of remarkable talents have built the LSO’s reputation for quality, ambition, and a commitment to sharing the joy of music with everyone. The LSO performs some 70 concerts every year as Resident Orchestra at the Barbican, with its family of artists: Chief Conductor Sir Antonio Pappano, Conductor Emeritus Sir Simon Rattle, Principal Guest Conductors Gianandrea Noseda and François-Xavier Roth, Conductor Laureate Michael Tilson Thomas, and Associate Artists Barbara Hannigan and André J. Thomas. The LSO has major artistic residencies in Paris, Tokyo, and at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, as well as a growing presence across Australasia.

Through LSO Discovery, the LSO’s learning and community program, 60,000 people each year experience the transformative power of music. The orchestra’s musicians are at the heart of this unique program, leading workshops, mentoring bright young talent, and visiting schools, hospitals, and community spaces. The home of much of this work is LSO St Luke’s, the LSO’s venue on Old Street. In 2025, the LSO will open up the venue’s facilities to more people than ever before, with new state-of-the-art recording facilities and dedicated spaces for LSO Discovery.

The LSO’s record label, LSO Live, is a leader among orchestra-owned labels, bringing to life the excitement of a live performance in a catalog of more than 200 acclaimed recordings, and reaching millions through streaming services and online broadcasts. The LSO has been prolific in the studio since the infancy of orchestral recording, making more recordings than any other orchestra, with more than 2,500 projects to date, including film, video games, and bespoke audio collaborations.

London Symphony Orchestra & Sir Antonio Pappano: U.S. tour

Feb 18
Santa Barbara, CA
Granada Theatre
BERNSTEIN: Serenade (after Plato’s “Symposium”) (with Janine Jansen, violin)
MAHLER: Symphony No. 1 (“Titan”)

Feb 19
Palm Desert, CA
McCallum Theatre
WALKER: Sinfonia No. 5, “Visions” (without narrators)
MENDELSSOHN: Violin Concerto (with Janine Jansen, violin)
MAHLER: Symphony No. 1 (“Titan”)

Feb 20
Costa Mesa, CA
Renée and Henry Segerstrom Hall
RACHMANINOFF: Piano Concerto No. 2 (with Yunchan Lim, piano)
MAHLER: Symphony No. 1 (“Titan”)

Feb 21
San Diego, CA
Jacobs Music Center
RACHMANINOFF: Piano Concerto No. 2 (with Yunchan Lim, piano)
MAHLER: Symphony No. 1 (“Titan”)

Feb 22
Davis, CA
Mondavi Center
WALKER: Sinfonia No. 5, “Visions” (without narrators)
BERNSTEIN: Serenade (after Plato’s “Symposium”) (with Janine Jansen, violin)
MAHLER: Symphony No. 1 (“Titan”)

Feb 23
Stanford, CA
Bing Concert Hall
WALKER: Sinfonia No. 5, “Visions” (without narrators)
MENDELSSOHN: Violin Concerto (with Janine Jansen, violin)
MAHLER: Symphony No. 1 (“Titan”)

Feb 26
Orlando, FL
Steinmetz Hall, Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts
WALKER: Sinfonia No. 5, “Visions” (without narrators)
MENDELSSOHN: Violin Concerto (with Janine Jansen, violin)
ELGAR: Variations on an Original Theme (“Enigma”)

Feb 27 & 28
Naples, FL
Hayes Hall

   Feb 27
WALKER: Sinfonia No. 5, “Visions” (without narrators)
BERNSTEIN: Serenade (after Plato’s “Symposium”) (with Janine Jansen, violin)
WALTON: Symphony No. 1

   Feb 28
ELGAR: Variations on an Original Theme (“Enigma”)
MAHLER: Symphony No. 1 (“Titan”)

March 1
West Palm Beach, FL
Dreyfoos Hall, Kravis Center
WALKER: Sinfonia No. 5, “Visions” (without narrators)
BERNSTEIN: Serenade (after Plato’s “Symposium”) (with Janine Jansen, violin)
WALTON: Symphony No. 1

March 2
Miami, FL
Knight Concert Hall, Arsht Center
WALKER: Sinfonia No. 5, “Visions” (without narrators)
BERNSTEIN: Serenade (after Plato’s “Symposium”) (with Janine Jansen, violin)
ELGAR: Variations on an Original Theme (“Enigma”)

March 5 & 6
New York, NY
Carnegie Hall

   March 5
WALKER: Sinfonia No. 5, “Visions” (without narrators)
BERNSTEIN: Serenade (after Plato’s “Symposium”) (with Janine Jansen, violin)
MAHLER: Symphony No. 1 (“Titan”)

   March 6
RACHMANINOFF: Piano Concerto No. 2 (with Yunchan Lim, piano)
WALTON: Symphony No. 1