Vienna Philharmonic to Feature Works by Two Female Composers in 2026 New Year’s Concert

The Vienna Philharmonic has announced that its 2026 New Year’s Concert will, for the first time, include works by two female composers. The decision was confirmed by orchestra chairman Daniel Froschauer and conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin, who will lead the high-profile event.

Earlier this year, the orchestra performed a work by Constanze Geiger in the New Year’s Concert for the first time in its history.

The new subscription season, unveiled during the Salzburg Festival, will open on 20 September under Tugan Sokhiev with works by Prokofiev and Stravinsky. Other conductors in the ten-concert series include Christian Thielemann, Jakub Hrůša, Franz Welser-Möst, and Zubin Mehta — who will mark his 90th birthday in April 2026. Riccardo Muti, a fixture with the orchestra for 55 years, will return in May to perform Haydn’s final three symphonies.

The programme will also feature rarely heard works such as Dvořák’s symphonic poem The Wood Dove, last performed by the orchestra in 1899, and Bartók’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with Lang Lang under Andris Nelsons, which will receive its first Philharmonic subscription performance. Alexander Zemlinsky’s The Mermaid will also be heard in a subscription concert for the first time, conducted by Lorenzo Viotti.

Froschauer used the occasion to criticise Austria’s cultural policy, saying it was “not ideally structured” and often treated as a bargaining chip in political negotiations. He argued that cultural policy should be shaped by people “who are at home in the field” and warned that the country risks undervaluing its cultural assets.

The orchestra’s managing director, Michael Bladerer, noted that all conductors in the coming subscription season have previously worked with the Philharmonic, following four debuts last year. “We want long-term collaborations, not one-hit wonders,” he said.