From the Australian Open and the Formula 1 Grand Prix to RISING festival, 2026 will bring significant events for Melbourne. And classical music doesn’t fall behind, either. This year, the superb MSO is celebrating its 120th-anniversary with glitzy performances, the Australian Chamber Orchestra will continue to enchant audiences with new arrangements, and there are dozens of classical concerts by candlelight waiting to be discovered at some of the city’s best live music venues. Continue reading to see the most anticipated classical concerts in Melbourne.
Table Of Contents
Confirmed classical concerts
1. Signature Choir x MSO
One of New Zealand’s leading vocal ensembles is coming to the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in a choral and orchestral production of Mana Moana. 90 spectacular voices meet the skilled musicians of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra for an enchanting evening of gospel, classical, modern and traditional Pasifika music. The concert will be conducted by Carlo Antonioli and hosted by actor and comedian Tofiga Fepulea’i.
📍 Sidney Myer Music Bowl
📆 31 January 2026
🎟️ Tickets start at $49
2. Candlelight: Vivaldi’s Four Seasons
The popular series is reimagining Vivaldi’s most famous composition in an atmospheric setting. As they’re surrounded by a sea of LED candles, the talented musicians of Eclective Strings are taking over two popular venues in Melbourne for a 60-minute recreation of one of the greatest examples of programme music.
📍 Athenaeum Theatre (2) & Collingwood Town Hall
📆 Jan – Jun 2026
🎟️ Tickets start at $29.50
3. Ludovico Einaudi – The Summer Portraits
Another intimate experience, this concert sees Italian maestro and minimalist composer Ludovico Einaudi perform under the stars. He is bringing a six-piece ensemble to the Music Bowl, featuring tracks from his new album inspired by summer memories, alongside his popular repertoire.
📍 Sidney Myer Music Bowl
📆 4 February 2026
🎟️ Tickets start at $99
4. Dejan Lazić – Piano Recital
Having appeared with some of the world’s greatest orchestras, Croatian pianist and composer Dejan Lazić is treating audiences to a new arrangement for piano and strings of Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, accompanied by the Australian Chamber Orchestra.
He’s been described by The Guardian as “a powerhouse performer whose playing combines strength with beauty”, and this season he’ll perform works by Stravinsky, Šerkšnytė, with a world premiere of Horizon by American composer John Luther Adams.
📍 Melbourne Recital Centre & Hamer Hall
📆 7 – 9 February 2026
🎟️ Tickets start at $59
5. Candlelight: Timeless Composers
Candlelight has another string quartet performance in store for music lovers in Melbourne. With a curated setlist comprising Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G Major, Mozart’s Requiem in D Minor, and more masterpieces by Beethoven, Debussy and Ravel, it’s a glowing celebration of the classics amidst flickering candles.
📍 The Athenaeum Theatre
📆 21 Feb – Jun 2026
🎟️ Tickets start at $59
6. Barton & Brodski
What happens when chamber music and First Nations wisdom come together? You’ll find out at this incredible concert where Brodsky Quartet and yidaki artist William Barton masterfully play a selection of works by Stravinsky, Janáček, as well as Salina Fisher and William Barton himself.
📍Elisabeth Murdoch Hall
📆 25 February 2026
🎟️ Tickets start at $79
7. The Devil’s Violin
The highly esteemed violinist Ilya Gringolts returns for his third tour with the Australian Chamber Orchestra. These performances are a nod to the Renaissance-era urban myth of virtuoso violinists who would sell their souls to the devil in exchange of immense talent, and Tartini’s best known composition Devil’s Trill Sonata. Additionally, at the heart of these performances lies a captivating programme featuring Geminiani and Vivaldi, alongside contemporary works, where Gringolts will be joined by ACO Principal Violin Satu Vänskä.
📍 Melbourne Recital Centre & Hamer Hall
📆 14 – 16 March 2026
🎟️ Tickets start at $81
8. Candlelight: Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake & More
Another Candlelight show but this time around, featuring ballet. From Swan Lake to The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker, Invictus Quartet will take on some of Tchaikovsky’s greatest works, who will also be joined on stage for select tracks by ballerinas Sarah Peters and Charlotte O’Donnell-Barber.
📍 Collingwood Town Hall
📆 2 May 2026
🎟️ Tickets start at $29.50
See also: Discover Collingwood Town Hall, one of Australia’s finest historic town halls.
9. String Spectacular
The title of the event already says it all—this next Melbourne classical concert honours string music through the eras. Featuring violinist Natalie Chee (also concert director), classical music lovers can explore Tchaikovsky’s romantic music, Mozart’s energetic Divertimento, Grieg’s Holberg Suite, and a standout piece by Ella Macens called The Lake.
📍 Melbourne Recital Centre
📆 16 May 2026
🎟️ Tickets start at $57
10. Musica Viva Australia – Leila Josefowicz & John Novacek
One of the most anticipated classical concerts in Melbourne takes place this winter as two formidable Canadian musicians join forces with Musica Viva for a beautiful rendition of Stravinsky, Szymanowski and Debussy works. Virtuoso violinist Leila Josefowicz and pianist John Novacek have been playing together since they were eight and their chemistry is palpable on stage. Hear them perform these classics and a new commission from Ivor Novello Award-winning UK composer Charlotte Bray this July.
📍 Melbourne Recital Centre
📆 7 July 2026
🎟️ Tickets start at 65$
11. NAIDOC Week Celebration
During NAIDOC Week, MSO’s annual celebration of First Nations music honours the history of the oldest music practice on earth. Previous performers include artists such as Electric Fields and Professor Deborah Cheetham Fraillon AO. This year’s programme and featured artists will be confirmed at a later date.
📍 Hamer Hall
📆 10 July 2026
🎟️ Tickets will be available soon
12. Jaime conducts Mahler 6
MSO’s Chief Conductor Jaime Martín will lead the orchestra through Mahler’s Symphony No. 6. Written before WWI, the stirring composition explores themes of fate and existential angst, as it calls images of military marches (with hammer blows) and pastoral alpine scenes. Guests will also enjoy the world premiere of an MSO Commission by James Henry, Cybec First Nations Composer in Residence.
📍 Hamer Hall
📆 13 – 16 August 2026
🎟️ Tickets start at $75
13. Melbourne Chamber Orchestra – A Feast of Music
A Feast of Music is an annual festival/fun-filled weekend of music, fine dining and Narkoojee wines. Featuring the talented musicians of Melbourne Chamber Orchestra with special guest artists, attendees can listen to their favourite classical composers and contemporary works, and unwind in a warm ambiance. Last year’s event sold out in a matter of days so this year, the full-package tickets are already on sale. Concert-only packages will be released at a later date.
📍 Christ Church Daylesford & Hotel Bellinzona Hepburn Springs
📆 11–13 September 2026
🎟️ Full-package tickets cost $495
14. Mozart’s Last Symphonies
Australian Chamber Orchestra are touring this year and they’re also coming to Melbourne. Under the direction of violinist Richard Tognetti, the ACO will be joined by wind and brass players on instruments from Mozart’s time to play the prolific Austrian composer’s last symphonies 39-41. These three works pull together all of Mozart’s powers of invention and classical brilliance.
📍 Hamer Hall
📆 24 September 2026
🎟️ Tickets start at $75
15. Isata Kanneh-Mason
Having received the coveted Leonard Bernstein Award and been artist-in-residence with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in the 2022-23 season, Isata Kanneh-Mason is one of the rising stars of classical music—and she’s only 24! This year, the British pianist will wow audiences with Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, followed by Ravel’s Gaspard de la Nuit, contemporary composer Dobrinka Tabakova’s Nocturne and Halo, only to end with Beethoven’s triumphant Waldstein Sonata.
📍 Elisabeth Murdoch Hall
📆 9 October 2026
🎟️ Tickets start at $79
Free classical music concerts in Melbourne
The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra will return to the Music Bowl for the Sidney Myer Free Concert Series at the Music Bowl. The week-long festival features a selection of brilliant Australian composers, conductors and inspirational voices from 10 – 14 February, including Christian Reif and Andrew Aronowicz.
Melbourne’s 2026 opera scene
Classical music in Melbourne is not just about chamber music and symphonies. This year in particular showcases incredible operas by Opera Australia and Victorian Opera. Some events to look forward to include La Traviata at the Regent Theatre in May, The Coronation of Poppea at Palais Theatre in June, and The Spare Room, a new Australian opera based on Helen Garner’s novel, with music played by Victorian Opera Chamber Orchestra.
Contemporary music with a classical twist
If you like genre-crossing music, don’t miss MSO’s 2026 Season Opening Gala. It highlights music from Star Wars: Suite for Orchestra by John Williams, plus Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F with French musician Jean-Yves Thibaudet on piano. What’s more, Candlelight offers new tributes to contemporary artists every week, from Adele and Fleetwood Mac to Joe Hisaishi.