The National Orchestra and Choir of Spain present a new season with Kent Nagano as principal conductor and 119 concerts

The National Orchestra and Choir of Spain has presented its new 2026/27 season, which will have Kent Nagano as main and artistic director in the 119 concerts that will be held in Spain.

Thus, this new season welcomes Nagano, who has worked four previous times with the OCNE, between 2014 and 2024, which has allowed him, in his own words, “to observe the constant evolution of this institution with so much history,” he explained this Monday.

“I have a lot to learn and discover from the great Spanish culture and, in the same way, there are also experiences and contributions that I hope to be able to offer in return.“said the Californian director. “Spain is an unparalleled mosaic, where the different traditions preserve their identity and, when they come together, They make up a rich palette together. The impact of Spanish culture on the world is deep and far-reaching“, he added.

The OCNE starts this season with five programmatic lines from the and all of them radiate from Gustav Mahler’s ‘Symphony No. 2’, ‘Resurrection’ as its core. In addition, a total of 119 concerts – symphonic, chamber and choral – will be held in Madrid and other Spanish cities, as well as performances at the country’s main festivals and auditoriums.

These five thematic lines will focus on the links between works, stories and musical traditions from different periods, with Mahler’s Symphony as one of its main axes. The music of Manuel de Falla, on the 150th anniversary of his birth, will also have a prominent presence.

On the other hand, the OCNE will have the absolute premieres of works commissioned by Mikel Urquiza, José Luis Turina, Rodolphe Bruneau-Boulmier and Helga Arias in the Symphonic Cycle; by Hannah Eisendle at the Focus Festival; by Laura Vega in Discover; and by Héctor Eliel Márquez, Amparo Edo Biol and Iluminada Pérez Frutos in the Satélites Cycle.

Besides, Nagano will conduct seven programs of the Symphonic Cycle: the first with Mahler’s ‘Symphony No. 2’, ‘Resurrection’ and the last with Beethoven’s ‘Missa solemnis’ as the closing of the season in June.

Alongside him, there will be directors such as David Afkham, Josep Pons, Anna Rakitina, Vasily Petrenko, Leonidas Kavakos, Santtu-Matias Rouvali, Giovanni Antonini, Eun Sun Kim, Kristiina Poska, Lucas Macias Navarro, Anja Bihlmaier, Antonio Mendez and Pierre Bleuse.