2026 in motion: cultural projects and perspectives ahead
Press Release -
The year has only just began and already ICONS is headed for a busy season of artistic endeavour with the European Union Baroque Orchestra (EUBO) and Theresia Orchestra, building on the momentum of 2025.
EUBO: from a landmark anniversary to a new season across Europe
EUBO enters 2026 after an exceptional 2025, marked by its 40th anniversary and an extended concert presence across Europe. The year also saw the launch of the EUBO Timeline, a digital platform (available online at www.eubo-orchestra.eu/timeline) that traces the orchestra’s journey since its foundation for the European Year of Music in 1985 and reaffirms its long-standing role as Cultural Ambassador for the European Union. Among the highlights was EUBO’s participation in the European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025, underscoring its capacity to connect emerging musicians with major European cultural venues.
The intensity of 2025 was reflected in the summer season, with four residences and twelve concerts in just three and a half months across Germany, Poland, France and Italy. Overall, 21 musicians from 10 nationalities took part in EUBO’s 2025 projects under the musical direction of Shunske Sato, Dorothee Oberlinger, Dirk Vermeulen and Enrico Onofri. With 2026 now underway, auditions in Frankfurt have already launched the selection process for the new orchestra.
The 2026 calendar continues this trajectory with a series of international projects across spring and summer. In May, a German programme led by Christophe Rousset featuring Rameau (Pygmalion & Castor et Pollux) in collaboration with Deutsche Philharmonie Merck and the Schwetzinger SWR Festspiele; in July, a project spanning Estonia and Finland under Alfredo Bernardini; and in August, a return to Italy in Trentino–South Tyrol led by Shunske Sato in collaboration with the Gustav Mahler Kulturzentrum and Bolzano Festival Bozen – Antiqua. The season then continues in Germany with Telemann’s Travels: a discovery of the Polish Style, conducted by Judith Steenbrink in collaboration with Kloster Michaelstein.
Theresia starts the most comprehensive recording of Kraus’ symphonies ever created on period instruments
While focusing on chamber music projects in 2025, Theresia was preparing for a major symphonic recording project, starting in January 2026. Last year, the season included the Theresia Winds concert at the Quirinale in Rome and the Chamber Music Academy in Geneva, presented within the cycle of Beethoven symphonies performed in historical arrangements –an artistic line that will continue in 2026, replicating the 2025 format with a new edition of the Winds Academy and a renewed presence in Geneva within the same Beethoven cycle.
Within the European Mozart Ways network, Theresia Orchestra was awarded the title of “Ambassador of the European Mozart Ways”, which recognises its commitment to historically informed performance, after it joined the network in January 2024. Alongside live performances, 2025 also continued to strengthen the orchestra’s recordings with new album released, including Rex Salomon, a major collaboration with the Festwochen der Alten Musik in Innsbruck, featuring the world premiere recording of Tommaso Traetta’s oratorio conducted by Christophe Rousset, and a Rossini publication developed with the Reate Festival.
In 2026, a major multi-year project will begin: the most comprehensive recording of the surviving symphonies by Joseph Martin Kraus, realised according to the most up-to-date musicological research. Conducted by Alfredo Bernardini and produced with the German label Classic Produktion Osnabrück (CPO), the project will be developed with the scientific guidance of Dr. Bertil van Boer (editor of Kraus’ symphonies and curator of the thematic catalogue). The cycle will include works discovered and attributed only in recent years, offering a renewed perspective on Kraus’ orchestral legacy and part of an ambitious long-term initiative that began with the recording of his Overtures (available on www.theresia.online/media).
ICONS’ commitment to emerging talent
ICONS’ philanthropic cultural commitment continues to support talent development and international professional growth. Looking to 2026, the two orchestras will further sharpen their distinct artistic identities: EUBO will reinforce its European profile through collaborations and cross-border projects, while Theresia will increasingly focus on large-scale orchestral programmes, exploring the power of the symphonic repertoire and placing the orchestra at the centre of its artistic vision, bringing together young professionals around shared, high-impact productions.
