Fantasia Orchestra today announces its full summer 2026 programme, culminating in a return to the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in its landmark tenth anniversary year. Founded in 2016 by conductor Tom Fetherstonhaugh, Fantasia has gained a reputation as one of the country’s most distinctive and forward-thinking orchestral ensembles, known for its collaborative spirit and boundary-crossing programming. The Proms performances mark a significant milestone in Fantasia’s evolution over the past decade, from a self-starting collective of young musicians to one of the UK’s fastest-rising orchestras, now performing on its most prominent stages.
The orchestra will return to the BBC Proms in August 2026, following its acclaimed debut at the festival in 2024. Two performances are scheduled at the Royal Albert Hall: a Relaxed Prom on Sunday 9 August and a Late Night Prom on Tuesday 11 August, marking a major moment for the orchestra and a continuation of its relationship with one of the world’s most renowned classical music platforms.
Across the two Proms performances, Fantasia Orchestra presents typically wide-ranging and imaginative programmes, bringing together classical repertoire, contemporary composition and genre-crossing influences. The Relaxed Prom includes music by Dvořák, Vaughan Williams and Caroline Shaw, alongside arrangements of Radiohead (Pyramid Song from 2001’s Amnesiac album) and Duke Ellington, performed with the BBC Singers.
The Late Night Prom features percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie and will include a brand-new BBC commission; the world premiere of Wood Pigeon, a collaboration with the French-born soprano-composer and multi-instrumentalist Héloïse Werner. Currently an Associate Artist at Wigmore Hall, Werner is emerging as one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary music, known for work that blurs the boundaries between composition and vocal performance. In this context, Wood Pigeon sits naturally alongside music by Meredith Monk, Morton Feldman and John Coltrane, placing the new commission within a lineage of experimental and boundary-pushing work. 2026 marks both Coltrane and Feldman’s 100th anniversaries, hence their inclusion in the programme.
The Proms return places Fantasia among a new generation of orchestras reshaping how classical music is presented and experienced. Founded in 2016 while many of its musicians were still at school, Fantasia began as an ambitious, self-starting collective. Ten years on, the orchestra has performed on some of the UK’s most prestigious stages, including multiple appearances at the BBC Proms, reflecting a decade of rapid artistic growth and a commitment to building a new kind of orchestral identity.
Fantasia’s summer programme also sees the continuation of its inaugural residency at Smith Square Hall in London, with two further concerts completing the four-date series. On Friday 29 May, the orchestra collaborates with pianist Steven Osborne for Bold Moves, followed by From Mahler to Manhattan on Friday 3 July with mezzo-soprano Niamh O’Sullivan, a programme that moves fluidly between late-Romantic repertoire and the golden age of American song.
Alongside its London performances, Fantasia Orchestra will appear at a number of leading UK festivals across the summer, including Proms at St Jude’s (27 June) with pianist Junyan Chen, Cheltenham Music Festival (7 July) with sitar virtuoso Jasdeep Singh Degun, and performances at Guiting Music Festival (1 August) and Snape Festival (2 August), further building on its reputation for imaginative programming and dynamic collaborations.
Under the direction of Tom Fetherstonhaugh, Fantasia has established a distinctive artistic voice built on collaboration, curiosity and a refusal to be constrained by traditional boundaries. The collective continues to champion the next generation of orchestral talent, bringing together exceptional young musicians and working with a wide range of collaborators to create the kind of unexpected musical dialogues that define its identity.
Tom Fetherstonhaugh, Artistic Director, commented:
“Fantasia’s tenth anniversary feels like a moment to reflect on just how far we’ve come, from a group of school friends making music together to performing on some of the UK’s biggest stages and approaching classical music with a fresh perspective. At the same time, it’s about looking forward – continuing to push boundaries, work with artists we admire, and create programmes that feel fresh, collaborative and alive. Returning to the BBC Proms is incredibly special for us, and a real highlight of this anniversary year.”
Michael Garvey, Executive Director, added:
“What defines Fantasia Orchestra is the way each project is built from the ground up. Every concert is shaped by the artists involved and the music they want to explore, rather than following a set formula. As we reach our tenth year, Tom is now increasingly recognised as one of the UK’s leading young conductors and that sense of freedom and ambition continues to drive everything we do, and this summer reflects that in the breadth and diversity of the programme.”
