Melbourne Recital Centre launches bold new classical season

Melbourne Recital Centre (MRC) has unveiled its 2026 International Classical Season, promising audiences a program that pushes the boundaries of tradition while celebrating the art form’s rich heritage.

Titled Heritage to Horizon, the season will bring world-class artists to Southbank in a program that fuses masterworks with contemporary innovation.

The announcement follows the appointment of Iain Grandage AM as MRC’s new director of programming, alongside guest curator Matthew Hoy, building on the legacy of former programming director Marshall McGuire.

Mr Grandage said the season represented a chance to reimagine what classical music can be.

Audiences can expect performances that reflect classical music’s evolving global story. In February, the Brodsky Quartet will join forces with yidaki virtuoso William Barton for a cross-cultural performance responding to Australia’s bushfire crisis. In March, Scottish composer and electronic innovator Anna Meredith brings her acclaimed reimagining of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons into the 21st century with ANNO, weaving electronica into a familiar orchestral canvas.

Other highlights include Bryce Dessner of indie-rock band The National collaborating with musicians from the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in September, blurring the lines between pop culture and chamber music, and British pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason, who will make her long-awaited MRC debut in October.

MRC CEO Sandra Willis said the season was about more than programming concerts: it was about charting the evolution of classical music for today’s audiences.

“We’re not simply programming a season at Melbourne Recital Centre – we’re charting classical music’s evolution with our audiences,” Ms Willis said. “Heritage to Horizon embodies our belief that the future belongs to artists who honour tradition while speaking to today’s world. This is how we create lasting impact: by making space for voices that matter.”

The full season spans continents and centuries, with performances from Roomful of Teeth, violinist James Ehnes with pianist Orion Weiss, the Attaca Quartet, pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, and many more. Each artist has been chosen for their ability to bridge tradition and modernity, showing that “the future is classical.”

Located at 31 Sturt St, Southbank, Melbourne Recital Centre continues to champion both international artists and Australian voices across its celebrated performance spaces: Elisabeth Murdoch Hall and Primrose Potter Salon. The 2026 season builds on MRC’s reputation as one of the country’s most adventurous and acoustically acclaimed music destinations.

Subscriptions for Heritage to Horizon went on sale on 26 August, with discounts of up to 25 per cent for multi-event bookings. Single tickets will be available from 6 October.

For more information and bookings, visit melbournerecital.com.au •