News and Press

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is delighted to have received confirmation that His Majesty King Charles III has retained his Patronage of the Orchestra. This follows a review of Royal Patronages and the announcement has been made by Buckingham Palace to mark the first anniversary of Their Majesties’ Coronation.

James Williams, Managing Director of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra comments: “We are honoured and delighted to have His Majesty King Charles III support as our Patron at such an exciting time in the Orchestra’s evolution. Performing approximately 200 concerts each season and with a worldwide live and online audience in excess of 60 million people, the RPO acts as a cultural ambassador for the UK on the world stage and enhances the social and cultural fabric of local communities at home through a wide range of community, education, inclusion and wellbeing programmes. His Majesty is a life-long champion of culture in the UK and we share the same vision on the positive contribution that orchestral music can and will play in enriching and unifying our society.”

On Tuesday 23 April the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra continued its Icons Rediscovered series at the Royal Albert Hall with Verdi's Requiem, sung by a 120 member-strong Philharmonia Chorus and soloists Miah Persson, Jennifer Johnston, David Junghoon Kim and Alexander Vinogradov, conducted by Music Director Vasily Petrenko.

Read on to see more photos and reactions to the performance.

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) today announces that Vasily Petrenko is extending his contract as Music Director through to 2030. Petrenko will lead the RPO into its next artistic chapter, further strengthening its position as one of the world’s great orchestras in London, across the UK and internationally.