Music Director Gustavo Gimeno will lead the Toronto Symphony Orchestra on a European tour from January 27 to February 9, 2026. It will be the ninth European tour for the orchestra, who will be taking Canadian artists and repertoire to eight cities in six countries.
It will be Music Director Gustavo Gimeno’s first intercontinental tour with the orchestra.
“The Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s 2026 European tour is a proud moment for our city, our country, and our musicians, as we represent Toronto on the global stage in some of Europe’s most storied concert halls,” says TSO Beck Family CEO Mark Williams in a statement.
“Performing a dynamic mix of new Canadian music and orchestral classics alongside today’s most extraordinary soloists is truly exhilarating. This tour is a testament to the artistry of Gustavo Gimeno and the musicians of the TSO, allowing us to share Toronto’s symphony orchestra with European audiences. As we continue a century of artistic excellence, we look forward to strengthening our connections, and forging new ones, with music lovers all over the world.”
Guest artists that will accompany the TSO on various dates of the tour include: Austrian-British soprano Anna Prohaska, (current TSO Spotlight Artist,) German soprano Christina Landshamer, Canadian pianist Bruce Liu (upcoming 2025/26 TSO Spotlight Artist), and Moldovan-Austrian-Swiss violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja.
Many of the locations on the tour have a personal connection to Gimeno.
“When I first encountered the incredible musicians of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, they were all so eager to welcome me, both to their home city and to Roy Thomson Hall,” says Gustavo Gimeno.
“Now, at long last, it’s my turn to welcome my TSO colleagues to my various homes away from Toronto, in many important European cities and venues, along with our friends Anna, Christina, Bruce, and Patricia. I am excited to play guest and host at the same time. This tour will be the longest the orchestra and I have ever travelled together, so it provides us with an extended occasion to grow even closer, socially, emotionally, and artistically. When we work together with a common purpose and toward a common goal, the music-making just becomes deeper — so there’s no better time to show the world who we are and what we do.”
The first leg of the tour sees the ensemble perform in Spain, a first for the TSO. It is, of course, Gimeno’s home country, and on March 20, he will officially be appointed as a Commander of the Order of Civil Merit (Encomienda de la Orden del Mérito Civil), bestowed by His Majesty King Felipe VI. The recognition comes as acknowledgement of both his artistic achievements, and his role in spreading Spanish culture worldwide.
The orchestra kicks off the tour with two different programs over two nights at the Auditorio Nacional de Música in Madrid (Jan 27 and 28).
Jan 27, 2026
Gustavo Gimeno, conductor
Bruce Liu, piano
Jan 28, 2026
Gustavo Gimeno, conductor
Anna Prohaska, soprano
The venue, as it happens, is located a few kilometres from the Teatro Real. That’s where Maestro Gimeno begins his inaugural season as Music Director in 2025/26.
Auditorio—Palacio de Congresos de Zaragoza, Zaragoza (Jan 29)
Gustavo Gimeno, conductor
Bruce Liu, piano
Artists such as Zubin Mehta have praised the Auditorio—Palacio de Congresos de Zaragoza’s acoustic quality.
Palau de la Música Catalana, Barcelona (Jan 30)
Gustavo Gimeno, conductor
Bruce Liu, piano
Anna Prohaska, soprano
The gorgeous Palau de la Música Catalana has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
After a short rest, the TSO heads north for another first: Luxembourg, where the second leg of the tour Begins.
Philharmonie Luxembourg, Luxembourg City (February 2)
Gustavo Gimeno, conductor
Patricia Kopatchinskaja, violin
The venue is home to the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, an ensemble that Gimeno formerly led as Music Director for a ten year tenure.
Then, the Orchestra will make their way to Amsterdam for a return visit to one of the classical music world’s most hallowed halls.
Het Concertgebouw, Amsterdam (February 3)
Gustavo Gimeno, conductor
Patricia Kopatchinskaja, violin
Christina Landshamer, soprano
Fun fact: Gustavo Gimeno began his professional music career working as a percussionist with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra back in 2001.
Maestro Gimeno and the TSO will then travel to Hamburg, the second-largest city in Germany.
Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg (February 5)
Gustavo Gimeno, conductor
Patricia Kopatchinskaja, violin
Christina Landshamer, soprano
While it’s not the first time the TSO will perform in Hamburg, it marks their début at the acclaimed ultramodern Elbphilharmonie.
Next stop sees the orchestra travel to Antwerp, Belgium.
deSingel Arts Centre, Antwerp (February 6)
Gustavo Gimeno, conductor
Patricia Kopatchinskaja, violin
Known for its modernist exterior, the Arts Centre concert hall was recently renovated.
The tour closes (where else?) in Vienna, Austria on one of the world’s most highly regarded stages.
Wiener Konzerthaus, Vienna (February 9)
Gustavo Gimeno, conductor
Patricia Kopatchinskaja, violin
Anna Prohaska, soprano
Prior to hitting the road, and in a show of appreciation to their Toronto audience and supporters, the TSO will perform a concert at Roy Thomson Hall on January 22 and 23, 2026.
Toronto music lovers will have the chance to experience three of the pieces that will be performed for Western European audiences on the tour. The concerts are titled Bruce Liu Plays Rachmaninoff 2, and will showcase the award-winning pianist, along with Kelly-Marie Murphy’s Curiosity, Genius, and the Search for Petula Clark, inspired by Glenn Gould, and Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5.
The Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s very first tour took place in January 1937, when the orchestra and conductor Igor Stravinsky performed in Detroit. Since that time, the TSO has completed 80 tours on four continents.
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