The 2026 Proms begins with perhaps the most talked-about young pianist in the world, Yunchan Lim, and ends with one of today's great virtuosos, Yuja Wang. And possibly the greatest living piano icon of them all, Martha Argerich, returns to the Proms almost six decades after her debut there.
See what’s in store…
17 July – Yunchan Lim
Ravel: Piano Concerto in G major
There could scarcely be a more symbolic opening to this year's Proms. Since winning the Van Cliburn Competition in 2022, Lim has become one of the defining pianistic personalities of his generation. His performances combine astonishing technical command with an almost improvisatory freedom. The Ravel G major Concerto suits him beautifully. Its jazz-inflected brilliance, crystalline textures and dreamlike slow movement require not simply virtuosity but colour and imagination.
Listen for: the extraordinary stillness of the Adagio assai, where Lim's ability to sustain a singing line may be even more remarkable than his dazzling outer movements.
Junchan Lim (© James Hole)
3 August – Kirill Gerstein
Rachmaninov: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
Gerstein has always been an unusually thoughtful virtuoso. Equally at home in jazz and the classical repertoire, he approaches Rachmaninov with clarity, never allowing the music to become sentimental. The Rhapsody is arguably a perfectly-constructed work for piano and orchestra – a set of 24 variations that range from sardonic wit to the famous 18th variation, one of the composer's greatest inspirations.
Listen for: how Gerstein differentiates each variation as a distinct character rather than simply a technical display.
5 August – Alexandra Dariescu
Nadia Boulanger: Fantaisie variée
Alexandra Dariescu has long championed neglected repertoire, particularly works by women composers. Her Proms debut is therefore entirely fitting: Nadia Boulanger's Fantaisie variée is almost never heard despite Boulanger's enormous influence as a teacher of composers from Copland to Glass. This is exactly the kind of rediscovery the Proms does particularly well; it’s one of the hidden gems of the season.
Listen for: elegant French piano writing that inhabits the world between Fauré and early Ravel.
13 August – Yeol Eum Son
Gershwin: Piano Concerto in F
Yeol Eum Son possesses one of the most refined techniques among today’s pianists. Her touch combines precision with remarkable delicacy. Gershwin's concerto demands a pianist who can move effortlessly between jazz rhythms and Romantic lyricism without sounding self-conscious. Son's natural elegance makes her an inspired choice. The programme celebrates the 250th anniversary of the United States, making Gershwin its emotional centrepiece.
Listen for: the wonderfully bluesy slow movement, where Gershwin's gift for melody shines.
Yeol Eum Son (© Jeahyong Park)
14 August – Lucas & Arthur Jussen
Poulenc: Concerto for Two Pianos
The Dutch brothers have become one of Europe's most successful piano duos. Poulenc's concerto is one of the most entertaining works in the repertoire: witty, brilliant, occasionally Mozartian, occasionally Balinese (Poulenc had recently heard Javanese gamelan), and unmistakably French throughout. Watching the Jussens perform together is almost as enjoyable as hearing them. Ttheir ensemble is so instinctive that they often appear to breathe as one musician.
Listen for: the dazzling interplay between the two soloists rather than displays of individual virtuosity.
1 September – Lukás Vondrácek
Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No 3
For many, the Third Concerto remains the Everest of the repertoire. Vondráček's performances have always impressed through their architectural strength rather than mere brilliance. That makes him particularly well suited to this concerto, whose immense technical demands only serve a vast symphonic structure.
Listen for: whether he chooses the shorter or larger first-movement cadenza—both are formidable.
5 September – Martha Argerich
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No 2
For many concertgoers, this may be the piano event of the season (we heard it sold out on the first day of box-office sales!). Now in her mid-80s, Argerich remains one of the most spontaneous musicians alive. Beethoven's Second is a concerto she has returned to increasingly in recent years. It perfectly suits her combination of youthful energy and conversational lyricism. Unlike the titanic Liszt and Prokofiev performances of her younger years, this concerto depends upon wit, elegance and chamber-like dialogue. Those qualities have only deepened with age. It is also moving to see her return to the Proms almost six decades after her debut there.
Listen for: the finale's effortless humour. Few pianists make Beethoven sound so alive in the moment.
Martha Argerich (© Musacchio & Ianniello)
12 September – Yuja Wang
Barber: Piano Concerto
This is the first Proms performance of the work, making it an inspired choice for the Last Night.
Barber's concerto is among the 20th century's greatest virtuoso works but is still surprisingly rare in Britain. It combines lyrical beauty with explosive brilliance, culminating in a dazzling perpetual-motion finale. Yuja Wang has become one of the work's foremost interpreters. Her phenomenal technique allows the concerto's musical substance, not merely its difficulties, to emerge.
Listen for: the astonishing finale, one of the most demanding movements ever written for piano and orchestra.
If we had to choose...
Our shortlist would be:
1 Martha Argerich – because every appearance has become an event in itself.
2 Yunchan Lim – to hear one of the defining pianists of his generation at the opening of the festival.
3 Alexandra Dariescu – for the chance to hear a genuine rarity by Nadia Boulanger.
4 Lukáš Vondráček – for one of the supreme challenges in the concerto repertoire.
5 Yuja Wang – because Barber's concerto deserves to become a Proms favourite, and there is scarcely a better advocate for it.
Main image: © Chris Christadoulou