Tournée

The first European tour of the new Music Director of Santa Cecilia, Daniel Harding, begins on December 2 at the Philharmonie in Paris. Conducting his Orchestra, Harding will perform alongside violinist Lisa Batiashvili in five concerts, taking center stage in concert halls in Luxembourg, Antwerp, and Vienna, as well as the French capital.

Leading the Santa Cecilia Orchestra on tour for the first time, Harding will have the opportunity to introduce himself to European audiences in his new role, while also inaugurating a musical season marked by significant international milestones.

The tour includes five concerts in four European cities, running from December 2 to December 7. The first stop is on December 2 at the Philharmonie in Paris, a recently constructed auditorium designed by Jean Nouvel and located in Parc de la Villette. A standout feature of the venue is its acoustics: following the model of the Berlin Philharmonie, the audience seating surrounds the stage, fostering a closer connection between the public and the music.

The following day, December 3, the musicians will perform in one of Europe’s most prestigious concert halls, the Philharmonie in Luxembourg, where the Orchestra has previously appeared on multiple occasions.

The third stop on the European tour is the Koningin Elisabethzaal, a historic concert hall in Antwerp. Rebuilt and expanded in the mid-20th century after suffering significant damage during World War II, this venue will host the Orchestra on December 4, marking Santa Cecilia’s debut in the Belgian city.

The final stop of the tour is Vienna, where two concerts will be held on December 6 and 7 at the Konzerthaus, a vibrant hub of the city’s musical life. The program on the first evening will feature works by Debussy, Prokofiev, and Brahms, while the concluding concert on December 7 will present Giuseppe Verdi’s Messa da Requiem.

For this special occasion, the Santa Cecilia Orchestra will be exceptionally joined by the Wiener Singakademie, Vienna’s first mixed-voice choir, founded in 1858 and currently comprising around one hundred members.