(Credit: Evan Zimmerman / Met Opera)

The Metropolitan Opera has announced the Met Orchestra’s 2026 European Festival Tour, led by Music Director, Yannick Nézet-Séguin.

The tour will see the orchestra joined by soprano Elza van den Heever and mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato.

Concerts will take place at London’s Royal Albert Hall on August 26 and 27 as part of the BBC Proms, Lucerne’s KKL Luzern on August 30 as part of the Lucerne Festival, and the Philharmonie de Paris on September 1 and 2 as part of Les Prem’s, the symphonic festival of the Philharmonie de Paris.

In a statement general manager Peter Gelb said, “Although the Met is widely regarded as one of the world’s greatest orchestras with one of the world’s greatest conductors, we rarely have the time to perform concerts other than at Carnegie Hall. But our rarity also makes this tour historic, with our first performances ever at the Proms and our return to Lucerne after nearly 25 years.”

Nézet-Séguin said, “It is always a joy to bring the Met Orchestra to European audiences, and returning for our second tour—while making our debut together as a team at the BBC Proms, one of the world’s most storied summer festivals—is exciting for all of us. The programs we have created for this tour are meaningful to me, because they reflect both the heart of the orchestral repertoire and the living, evolving voice of opera today. Pairing Strauss and Mahler with the music of Kaija Saariaho and Missy Mazzoli allows us to explore a wide emotional and sonic landscape. To do this in collaboration with my dear friends, the extraordinary Elza van den Heever and Joyce DiDonato, makes it all the more special. This is what defines the Met Orchestra for me: Everything we create, we create together.”

Here is the schedule of performances:

Wednesday, August 26, 2026, 7PM
Royal Albert Hall, London
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor
Elza van den Heever, soprano
Strauss: Suite from Der Rosenkavalier

Final scene from “Salome”

Ein Heldenleben, Op. 40

Thursday, August 27, 2026, 6PM
Royal Albert Hall, London
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor
Joyce DiDonato, mezzo-soprano
Saariaho: Lumière et Pesanteur
Mahler: Rückert-Lieder

Symphony No. 4 in G Major, featuring Joyce DiDonato

Sunday, August 30, 2026, 6:30PM
KKL Luzern (Lucerne Culture and Congress Centre), Lucerne
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor
Joyce DiDonato, mezzo-soprano
Mazzoli:
Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres)
Mahler:
Rückert-Lieder, featuring Joyce DiDonato

Symphony No. 4 in G Major, featuring Joyce DiDonato

Tuesday, September 1, 2026, 8PM
Philharmonie de Paris, Paris
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor
Elza van den Heever, soprano
Strauss: Suite from Der Rosenkavalier

Final scene from “Salome”

Ein Heldenleben, Op. 40

Wednesday, September 2, 2026, 8PM
Philharmonie de Paris, Paris
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor
Joyce DiDonato, mezzo-soprano
Saariaho: Lumière et Pesanteur
Mahler: Rückert-Lieder

Symphony No. 4 in G Major, featuring Joyce DiDonato