Six resident orchestras unite for Southbank Centre’s 75th anniversary in Under-30s-curated takeover
The Southbank Centre has announced Classical Mixtape: A Live Takeover, a one-night, site-wide event on 5 February 2026 that will bring together more than 200 musicians from all six of its resident orchestras as part of the centre’s 75th anniversary celebrations.
This is the first time members of Aurora Orchestra, Chineke! Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the London Sinfonietta, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and the Philharmonia Orchestra will perform across multiple venues in a coordinated programme curated for under-30s audiences. Presented as a roam-as-you-like experience, the evening features looping 20-minute sets that audiences can move between freely, creating their own live classical “mixtape”.
The programme spans more than 600 years of repertoire, from Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony and Howard Shore’s symphonic score for The Lord of the Rings to historically informed brass-led “oompah band” performances. Chineke! Orchestra will be joined by players from Chineke! Junior Orchestra, while the London Sinfonietta performs with students from the Royal Academy of Music.
The evening opens in the Royal Festival Hall with the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Edward Gardner, before audiences return to the hall for a large-scale finale led by the Philharmonia Orchestra under Marin Alsop. The 111-strong ensemble performs music from John Williams’ Star Wars Suite and Holst’s The Planets, followed by a DJ set in the Royal Festival Hall.
Classical Mixtape forms part of the Southbank Centre’s anniversary programme and coincides with the recent launch of its Under-30s scheme, with tickets priced at £12 for under-30s and £28 for standard tickets.
