You’ve got great taste.
Sign in to follow your favorite artists, save events, & more.
Sign In
Free admission
Event websiteAbout this concert
BMW Classics, the London Symphony Orchestra’s free outdoor summer concert in Trafalgar Square, will next take place on Sunday 15 June 2025 – conducted for the first time by LSO Chief Conductor Sir Antonio Pappano. Join us in the Square or watch online.
The Music
The programme celebrates Sir Antonio Pappano’s Italian heritage with the prerequisite passion and soaring melodies from some of the great Italian composers for opera and orchestra.
The concert opens with the spirited overture to Rossini’s final Italian opera Semiramide, before Puccini’s dramatic early orchestral work Capriccio sinfonico, filled with familiar themes that the composer would go on to revisit for some of his biggest operas.
At the centre of the concert, the LSO gives the world premiere of Isabella Gellis’ new work Opera for Orchestra, which has been specially commissioned for this occasion. Her piece, written for a mixed-ability orchestra, brings together LSO and Guildhall School musicians with 55 young musicians from east London as part of the LSO Discovery programmes.
To finish, the Orchestra performs the rousing Triumphal March from Verdi’s opera Aida, and the final flourish of Victor de Sabata’s luscious symphonic hymn to youth, Juventus.
Trafalgar Square
Join us in-person in the heart of London, for free. No ticket is required and gates will open from 3.45pm for a 5pm start. You can find further practical information about attending the event below.
Gioachino Rossini
Overture: Semiramide
Giacomo Puccini
Capriccio sinfonico
Isabella Gellis
Opera for Orchestra (world premiere) *
Giuseppe Verdi
Triumphal March & Dance from ‘Aida’
Victor de Sabata
Juventus
Sir Antonio Pappano conductor
LSO Discovery Young Musicians *
Guildhall School Musicians *
London Symphony Orchestra
Show More
Event Lineup
London Symphony Orchestra merch
Ravel: Daphnis Et Chloe
$20.98
Kurt Weill: The Seven Deadly Sins
$20.78
Rozsa: Violin Concerto; Bartok: Violi...
$20.98
Mendelssohn: Elijah
$17.98
Dvorak: Symphonies Nos 6-9
$30.28
Meyerbeer: Le Prophete
$25.88
Britten: Spring Symphony, Sinfonia Da...
$15.98
Janacek: Katya Kabanova
$18.99
Elgar: Symphonies Nos.1-3, Enigma Var...
$22.62
Ocean Floor
$17.98
Classic Rock Renaissance [3 CD]
$13.98
Complete Symphonies
$15.98
View All
What fans are saying
Yolanda
March 21st 2025
Fantastic performance. Barbara Brannigan was great as always, and Golfam Khayam’s music was a wonderful discovery.
London, United Kingdom@Barbican Centre
Easily follow your favorite artists by syncing your music
Sync Music
Share Event
London Symphony Orchestra Biography
The LSO was founded in 1904 as an independent, self governing organization, the first such orchestra in the UK. It played its first concert on 9 June of that year, with Hans Richter conducting. He remained principal conductor until 1911, when Edward Elgar took over for a year, leading six concerts as principal conductor.
More recently, its principal conductors have included Pierre Monteux (1961–64), Istvan Kertesz (1965–68), André Previn (1968–79) and Claudio Abbado (1979–88). From 1988-1995, the American Michael Tilson-Thomas took over, and in 1995, became principal guest conductor. Sir Colin Davis served as the LSO's Principal Conductor from 1995-2006, and in 2007 took the post of President of the orchestra. On 1 January 2007, Valery Gergiev became the LSO's Principal Conductor. Previn holds the title of Conductor Laureate. In 2006, Daniel Harding became the co-principal guest conductor alongside Tilson Thomas. Richard Hickox is the Associate Guest Conductor of the LSO.
The LSO became the first British orchestra to play overseas when it went to Paris in 1906. The LSO was due to sail on the RMS Titanic for a concert in New York in April 1912 but fortunately had to change the booking at the last minute. It was also the first to play in the United States, in 1912, and in 1973 it was the first to be invited to take part in the Salzburg Festival. It continues to make tours around the world.
In 1966 the London Symphony Chorus (LSC) was formed to complement the work of the LSO. with more that two hundred amateur singers, the LSC maintains a close association with the LSO; however it has developed an independent life, which allows it to partner other leading orchestras.
The LSO has long been considered the most extraverted of the London orchestras. For most of its life it refused to allow women to become members, ostensibly on the grounds that women would affect the sound of the orchestra (there has been a similar controversy at the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra). There is an air of youthful high spirits to much of its music-making that is shown off in performances of such composers as Berlioz and Prokofiev. The LSO has often had internationally-known players as wind soloists, including such artists as James Galway (flute), Gervase de Peyer (clarinet), Roger Lord (oboe), Osian Ellis (harp), John Georgiadis (violin) and Barry Tuckwell (horn). Like most ensembles, the orchestra has a great ability to vary its sound, producing very different tone colours under such diverse conductors as Stokowski (with whom it made a series of memorable recordings), Adrian Boult, Jascha Horenstein, Georg Solti, André Previn, George Szell, Claudio Abbado, Leonard Bernstein, John Barbirolli, and Karl Böhm, who developed a close relationship with the orchestra late in his life. Böhm and Bernstein each held the title of LSO President in their later years.
Clive Gillinson, a former cellist with the orchestra, served as the LSO's Managing Director from 1984 to 2005, and is widely credited with bringing great stability to the LSO's organization after severe fiscal troubles.[1] Since 2005, Kathryn McDowell is the Managing Director of the LSO.[2]
Read MoreMore recently, its principal conductors have included Pierre Monteux (1961–64), Istvan Kertesz (1965–68), André Previn (1968–79) and Claudio Abbado (1979–88). From 1988-1995, the American Michael Tilson-Thomas took over, and in 1995, became principal guest conductor. Sir Colin Davis served as the LSO's Principal Conductor from 1995-2006, and in 2007 took the post of President of the orchestra. On 1 January 2007, Valery Gergiev became the LSO's Principal Conductor. Previn holds the title of Conductor Laureate. In 2006, Daniel Harding became the co-principal guest conductor alongside Tilson Thomas. Richard Hickox is the Associate Guest Conductor of the LSO.
The LSO became the first British orchestra to play overseas when it went to Paris in 1906. The LSO was due to sail on the RMS Titanic for a concert in New York in April 1912 but fortunately had to change the booking at the last minute. It was also the first to play in the United States, in 1912, and in 1973 it was the first to be invited to take part in the Salzburg Festival. It continues to make tours around the world.
In 1966 the London Symphony Chorus (LSC) was formed to complement the work of the LSO. with more that two hundred amateur singers, the LSC maintains a close association with the LSO; however it has developed an independent life, which allows it to partner other leading orchestras.
The LSO has long been considered the most extraverted of the London orchestras. For most of its life it refused to allow women to become members, ostensibly on the grounds that women would affect the sound of the orchestra (there has been a similar controversy at the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra). There is an air of youthful high spirits to much of its music-making that is shown off in performances of such composers as Berlioz and Prokofiev. The LSO has often had internationally-known players as wind soloists, including such artists as James Galway (flute), Gervase de Peyer (clarinet), Roger Lord (oboe), Osian Ellis (harp), John Georgiadis (violin) and Barry Tuckwell (horn). Like most ensembles, the orchestra has a great ability to vary its sound, producing very different tone colours under such diverse conductors as Stokowski (with whom it made a series of memorable recordings), Adrian Boult, Jascha Horenstein, Georg Solti, André Previn, George Szell, Claudio Abbado, Leonard Bernstein, John Barbirolli, and Karl Böhm, who developed a close relationship with the orchestra late in his life. Böhm and Bernstein each held the title of LSO President in their later years.
Clive Gillinson, a former cellist with the orchestra, served as the LSO's Managing Director from 1984 to 2005, and is widely credited with bringing great stability to the LSO's organization after severe fiscal troubles.[1] Since 2005, Kathryn McDowell is the Managing Director of the LSO.[2]
Classical
Follow artist