Here are just some of the highlights to look forward to this summer:
Viola Quartet SIDE-BY-SIDE with Timothy Ridout, Thursday 30 April
The SIDE-BY-SIDE performance series continues to celebrate the collaboration of Academy students and seasoned performers. Academy students will welcome alum and Visiting Professor of Viola Timothy Ridout for a programme of performances exploring the life and works of renowned Viola player Lionel Tertis.
Edward Gardner conducts the Academy Symphony Orchestra, Friday 1 May
Edward Gardner, alum and Principal Conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, will conduct the Academy Symphony Orchestra in two concertos, beginning with Stravinsky’s neoclassical Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments.
Sense of Place Composition Festival, Tuesday 18 April – Monday 11 May
This year’s composition festival Sense of Place explores how powerful connections between music and space can act as a creative springboard for composers. This festival will feature new works by Academy students and music by Morton Feldman and Hans Abrahamsen.
Royal Academy Opera: The Rape of Lucretia, Wednesday 13 – Friday 15 May
Royal Academy Opera presents The Rape of Lucretia, Britten’s first chamber opera which confronts violence and trauma through a score of passionate lyricism. Director Paul Carr offers a contemporary lens through which audiences can embrace the central themes of the opera.
Royal Academy Musical Theatre Company present Little Women (Thursday 11 – Sunday 14 June) and Chess (Thursday 2 – Sunday 5 July)
Royal Academy Musical Theatre Company bring us two new productions of passion, duty and loyalty. Between 11 – 14 June, audiences can follow the adventures of four sisters – Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy – in Little Women, based on Louisa May Alcott’s semi-autobiographical novel of the same name. This new production will be followed by performances of Chess, the iconic musical by Benny Andersson, Tim Rice and Björn Ulvaeus, where power and passion collide.
12th annual Summer Piano Festival, Monday 15 – Wednesday 17 June
Curated by Joanna MacGregor, Dame Myra Hess Chair of Piano, this year’s festival includes music by Alkan and Sorabji, the final edition of Schumann’s complete piano works, film improvisation and music inspired by eastern European folklore.
Ryan Bancroft conducts the Academy Symphony Orchestra, Thursday 25 June
Principal Conductor of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and Chief Conductor of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Ryan Bancroft leads mezzo-soprano Charlotte Clapperton and the Academy Symphony Orchestra in a programme of powerful orchestral works. This concert will then feature as part of the 77th annual Aldeburgh Festival at Snape Maltings Concert Hall in June, with Dame Sarah Connolly as soloist.
Performing is a way of life at the Academy, and in all our disciplines we encourage students to explore their musical horizons to the limit.
Online booking for the Summer 2026 term opens to the public on Wednesday 1 April.