About Tectonics Glasgow 2026

2&3 May 2026 | City Halls & Old Fruitmarket

“Full of strange surprises… genre-busting, genuinely exciting” – The Times

At a glance

• Ilan Volkov and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra present three world premieres and BBC commissions (Christopher Fox, Nicole Mitchell & Martin Smolka) plus three UK premieres (Laura Bowler, Angélica Castelló & Naomi Pinnock)

• Two pioneering American artists, creative flautist/composer Nicole Mitchell and pianist/electronic musician Craig Taborn, are soloists in a world premiere by Mitchell.

• A radical reimagining of sound and instruments, including the world premiere of Christopher Fox’s concerto for Lore Amenabar Larrañaga’s self-designed quartertone accordion

• Powerful solo sets from international and Scottish-based sound artists, including Saint Abdullah, Angélica Castelló, Callie Rose Petal, Danielle Price and Craig Taborn

• The fearless GBSR Duo (recipients of RPS Young Artist Award 2025) performs works by Laura Bowler and Oliver Leith

• French experimental instrument builder Frédéric Le Junter transports his “weird and wonderful musical contraptions” (The Scotsman) to the Recital Room at City Halls

The Tectonics festival of new and experimental music returns to Glasgow City Halls and Old Fruitmarket on 2&3 May 2026, bringing together an international community of genre-busting sound artists.

Staged annually by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, highlights of the weekend will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3’s New Music Show.

Ilan Volkov, Tectonics curator and BBC SSO Creative Partner, says:
“Music has so many different traditions, heritages, genres and geographies to offer. Each May, Tectonics offers an opportunity to bring these into the orchestral world, offering intensely diverse programmes and ideas. It’s not about rebellion for its own sake, but about imagining how music might sound, behave and be made. Across the 2026 festival, many artists reflect on the beauty and difficulty of being alive: its fragility, tension, hope and resilience... No two Tectonics festivals are ever the same, and that spirit of discovery remains central.”

REIMAGINING SOUND

A defining feature of Tectonics is the transformation of familiar instruments and listening environments. Hannah Kendall’s …I may turn to salt alters the string instruments of the BBC SSO using dreadlock cuffs, deliberately disrupting Western classical expectations and opening new sonic territories. Christopher Fox’sMinding the hive (BBC commission, world premiere) places Lore Amenabar Larrañaga’s self-designed quartertone accordion at the centre of a dense, swarming orchestral texture inspired by the communication systems of bees. And French experimental instrument builder Frédéric Le Junter embraces unpredictability and imbalance in Where I Am (Part 2), transporting his “weird and wonderful musical contraptions” (The Scotsman) to the Recital Room at City Halls.

INTERNATIONAL & SCOTTISH-BASED ARTISTS

Two pioneering American collaborators appear across both days. The festival culminates in the orchestral world premiere by creative flautist‑composer Nicole Mitchell, with Mitchell and jazz pianist–electronic musician Craig Taborn as soloists. Earlier, Taborn showcases his fearless, wide‑ranging musical imagination in a solo set before reuniting with Mitchell as a duo. The programme also features the electroacoustic spells of Mexican–Austrian sound artist Angélica Castelló, whose magnetophonic tape weaving evokes the oneiric realm of the subconscious. Saint Abdullah’s powerful blend of geopolitics, religion and social behaviour suggests that optimism endures through the acts of music-making and listening. Glasgow-based Callie Rose Petal(ⁿᵒᵗBorges) makes trauma and survivorhood audible through textures of increasing intensity, and tuba artist Danielle Price shapes music from the physical labour of sound-making, where improvisation and breath remain central.

ORCHESTRAL WORLD & UK PREMIERES

Across two evening concerts, Ilan Volkov and the BBC SSO present six orchestral works. On Saturday, Laura Bowler’sThings Are Against Us (UK premiere) offers an incisive yet humorous response to the pressures of everyday life, featuring the fearless GBSR Duo as soloists. Angélica Castelló’s Star Washers (UK premiere) follows, blending orchestra, electronics and the recorded voice of soprano Barbara Hannigan in a meditation on stars. The concert closes with the world premiere of Christopher Fox’sMinding the hive.

On Sunday, composers Naomi Pinnock and Martin Smolka both take inspiration from the collections of images, quotes and notes kept on their desks. Pinnock’s I put lines down and wipe them away (UK Premiere) reflects on layered surfaces of paintings and unrealised possibilities, while Smolka’s Until time takes back its gift (BBC commission, world premiere), is inspired by the ancient Seikilos Song, “As long as you’re alive, shine… life is short, and time asks for its due”. The festival concludes with the world premiere of Nicole Mitchell’sClues from the Rippling of Space-Time (BBC commission, world premiere), with Mitchell and Craig Taborn as soloists.

Dominic Parker, Director of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, says:
“Tectonics Glasgow, with Ilan Volkov as curator, continues to be a vital space for taking artistic risks, commissioning new orchestral music, and collaborating with some of the world’s most original voices. Whether through orchestral premieres in the Grand Hall, intimate solo sets in the Old Fruitmarket or the Recital Room Installations that challenge how we listen, the 2026 festival offers audiences the chance to experience music that is immersive, searching, humorous, but also often challenging.”

The majority of performances will be recorded for broadcast on BBC Radio 3’s New Music Show (full details to be confirmed).

Booking opens on Tuesday 17 February at 10am. There is a limited number of discounted Weekend Passes (£33/£27 concession) available until 24 April. Day Passes (£23/£17 concession) are also available to purchase.

SAVE MONEY WITH A WEEKEND PASSES £33 / £27 concession*

Book Discounted Weekend Pass here

A limited number of advance passes are available for the Festival. They allow unlimited entry to events across the two days and are the best way to save money. Passes are only available to buy until Friday 24 April 2026 and subject to availability.

No refunds are available for partial use and passes are not transferrable.

DAY PASSES £23 / £17 concession*

Book Saturday Pass here
Book Sunday Pass here

Day Passes allow access to events on just Saturday or Sunday. Please note that it is not possible to book for individual events in the festival. Concessions are available to students, unemployed and registered disabled. Proof of status is necessary.

Separate tickets for the Recital Room Installation are booked on a first come, first serve basis at the beginning of each day from the City Halls Box Office. In order to book this free ticket, you must also have purchased either a Day Pass or Weekend Pass.