Dubbed the "Invincible Tour," it will span Europe and the United States and feature two major works of the symphonic and choral repertoire: Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 and Verdi’s Requiem.
The orchestra will be joined by soprano Ailyn Pérez, mezzo-soprano Natalie Lewis, tenor René Barbera and bass Soloman Howard.
The repertoire also includes Strauss’ Four Last Songs, Mahler’s Rückert Lieder, and two works by Ukrainian composers: Maxim Kolomiiets’s Suite from The Mothers of Kherson and Bohdana Frolyak’s Gloria, dedicated "to all the heroes who have given their lives in this terrible war and to all who stand and defend Ukraine from this total evil."
The tour will open at the National Opera in Warsaw on August 16, followed by performances at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie and Dublin’s National Concert Hall.
The final concerts will be held at David Geffen Hall at New York’s Lincoln Center.
Founder and conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson said the programme reflects Ukraine’s resilience.
"Five years into this terrible war, Ukraine’s spirit remains unbroken and unbreakable," she said. "The programme for our 2026 Invincible Tour speaks to this courage and to this moment in history. I am proud to once again lead these extraordinary musicians, soldiers of music, across Europe and to the United States to bear witness to an invincible Ukraine and to a culture that will never be silenced."
She added that the orchestra plays "for those who are fighting, for those who have been lost, for a better future, and for all who believe that freedom will prevail."
Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska said in a statement that the tour is "a journey where every chord is an act of solidarity and every symphony is a reminder that the light of humanity always prevails, even in the darkest times."
The Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra brings together leading musicians based in Ukraine, those performing with European ensembles and those displaced by the war. It was created in collaboration with the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Polish National Opera and the Polish and Ukrainian culture ministries.
In previous years, the ensemble has performed at venues including London’s Barbican and the Kennedy Center in Washington, and it has also appeared at the BBC Proms, one of the world’s leading classical music festivals.
The 2026 tour is supported by the Irish government as part of the cultural programme of Ireland’s presidency of the European Union. The tour is managed by the Polish National Opera in association with arts management company Askonas Holt.
(mk/gs)