Simone Young - Concert tour in Washington, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Montreal

For Simone Young, April is all about her American concert tour . 

It begins with three concerts at the Kennedy Center in Washington , where she will conduct the National Symphony Orchestra and perform works by Wagner, Sibelius, and Strauss. Strauss's Death and Transfiguration traces the final moments of a life: memories surface, struggles fade, and the soul finally finds its redemption.

Sergey Khachatryan brings passionate intensity to Sibelius' Violin Concerto. As the winner of the prestigious International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition, his Sibelius interpretations have been described as "a miracle... with poetically refined playing on a foundation of inner strength" ( The Washington Post ).

Performances : April 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 2026

Afterwards, Simone Young will travel to Los Angeles where she will perform Messiaen's Turangalîla Symphony together with the LA Phil : 

Inspired by the tragic love story of Tristan and Isolde, the Turangalîla Symphony is an orchestral masterpiece that is by turns sensual and mystical. Messiaen, who experienced synesthesia between sound and color, wrote that Turangalîla “is a love that transcends the body, even overcoming the limits of the mind and taking on cosmic dimensions.” This sensual symphony is therefore a fitting addition to the LA Phil.'s Body and Sound Festival.

The work blends birdsong, Indian talas, and the powerful presence of pre-Columbian Mexican sculptures, interwoven with mighty winds, percussion, and the eerie electronic sound of the Ondes Martenot (a retro-sounding, theremin-like instrument from the 1920s). The Los Angeles Times writes that this lends Messiaen's love music "a viscous sensuality" and brings it "as close to sonic pornography as the composer apparently intended."

The demanding piano part is taken on by Jean-Yves Thibaudet , who “manages the equivalent of about three concertos, mostly at breathtaking speed … [with remarkable] stamina and exquisite expressiveness” ( San Francisco Classical Voice ).

Performances : April 10, 11, 12, 2026

The third stop on her journey is the San Francisco Symphony where she will perform works by Ella Macens, Camille Saint-Saens and Richard Wagner together with Gautier Capucon .

She returns to the orchestra to conduct a symphonic summary of Wagner's monumental Ring cycle – with a selection of orchestral excerpts compiled by herself.

In her quietly invigorating orchestral work The Space Between Stars, Sydney-based composer Ella Macens wanted to "convey the energy and magic of our night sky".

Saint-Saëns ' Cello Concerto No. 1, composed in a single, fiery movement, is full of sonic surprises – here a music box minuet, there a sudden pause – as well as the required soloistic virtuosity, which is here taken on by the celebrated French cellist Gautier Capuçon. 

Performances : April 17, 18, 19, 2026

She will conclude her concert tour with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal , conducting Chopin as well as Brahms.

The pianist Yulianna Avdeeva , winner of the prestigious Chopin Competition 2010, who interprets Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1 with masterful technique and poetic sensitivity, promising to make every note shine with her depth of expression and subtlety.

At the same time, Schoenberg's orchestration of Brahms ' Quartet op. 25 expands its sonic richness without losing its original spirit – a transformation that Brahms himself would surely have appreciated!

Performances : April 30 and May 2, 2026