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The Vienna New Year's Concert is an annual classical music performance by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, held on New Year's Day in the morning at 11:15 am in the Austrian capital's Musikverein concert hall. The concert has been a tradition since 1838, although it was not always performed with music from the Strauss family. Riccardo Muti conducted the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra's New Year's Day concert in 2025, and Yannick Nézet-Séguin will be conducting in 2026.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date | 1 January |
| Time | 11:15 am |
| Location | Musikverein concert hall, Vienna, Austria |
| Orchestra | Vienna Philharmonic |
| Conductor (2025) | Riccardo Muti |
| Conductor (2026) | Yannick Nézet-Séguin |
| Host (2025) | Hugh Bonneville |
| Music | Waltz, polka, and other dances by the Strauss family, especially Johann Strauss I and Johann Strauss II |
| Encore | Blue Danube Waltz by Johann Strauss II |
| First Concert | 31 December 1939 |
| First Conductor | Clemens Krauss |
| Number of Countries Broadcasted In | Over 90 |
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What You'll Learn
Riccardo Muti conducted the 2025 concert
Riccardo Muti, the Italian conductor, conducted the 2025 New Year's Day concert in Vienna, Austria. The concert took place on 1 January in the Golden Hall of the Musikverein concert hall, the home of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.
Muti is one of the world's most eminent conductors, having directed the most important orchestras in the world, including the Berlin Philharmonic, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, and the Orchestre National de France. He has been a regular guest of the Vienna Philharmonic since 1971, and in 2021, he conducted the orchestra's 150th-anniversary concert.
Muti's career has spanned several decades and numerous prestigious orchestras. He was the music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra from 2010 until 2023, and he was named Music Director Emeritus for the 2023-24 season. He has also held posts at the Maggio Musicale in Florence, the Philharmonia Orchestra in London, the Salzburg Whitsun Festival, and the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, where he had the longest tenure in its history.
Muti is particularly associated with the music of Giuseppe Verdi, and he is considered one of the greatest conductors of Verdi's operas. He has also brought to light many rarely performed and neglected works, including operas by Gluck, Cherubini, and Spontini. His recordings include a Beethoven symphony cycle, the symphonies of Brahms and Scriabin, and selected works of Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev.
The 2025 New Year's Day concert in Vienna celebrated the 200th anniversary of the birth of Johann Strauss Jr., featuring many of his timeless waltzes and orchestral works, as well as two new pieces by Constanze Geiger, a contemporary of Strauss.
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Yannick Nézet-Séguin will conduct in 2026
The Vienna New Year's Concert is an annual classical music performance by the Vienna Philharmonic on New Year's Day in Vienna, Austria. The concert takes place at 11:15 am in the morning at the Musikverein concert hall.
The Vienna Philharmonic selects a different conductor to lead the orchestra each year. In 2025, the concert was conducted by Riccardo Muti.
Yannick Nézet-Séguin will conduct the Vienna Philharmonic at the 2026 New Year's Concert. This will be his first time conducting the New Year's Concert, but he has a long-standing relationship with the Vienna Philharmonic, dating back to 2010. His musical direction of the 2023 Summer Night Concert was a particular highlight.
As a representative of the younger generation of conductors, Yannick Nézet-Séguin combines the genres that make up the musical language of the Vienna Philharmonic. He is the Music Director of the Metropolitan Opera in New York and the Principal Conductor of major international orchestras.
The concert is broadcast on television and radio to over 50 million viewers in more than 90 countries.
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The concert is held in the Musikverein
The Vienna New Year's Concert is held in the Musikverein, specifically in the "Goldener Saal" (Golden Hall). The concert has been held in this location since 1939, although there were six New Year's concerts in the Musikverein from 1928 to 1933, conducted by Johann Strauss III. The Musikverein is a famous venue that hosts a three-day residency by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, with the main event being the New Year's Concert on January 1st.
The concert is extremely popular, with a high demand for tickets. People must pre-register a year in advance to participate in the drawing of tickets for the following year. Some seats are pre-registered by certain Austrian families and passed down through the generations. The concert is also televised and broadcast on the radio by Austria's national broadcasting service, ORF, reaching millions of viewers in over 90 countries.
The Musikverein is decorated with huge floral arrangements for the New Year's Concert. The concert programme includes pieces from the Strauss family, such as Johann Strauss I, Johann Strauss II, Josef Strauss, and Eduard Strauss. On occasion, music by other Austrian composers, such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Franz Schubert, is also featured.
The Vienna New Year's Concert is a beloved tradition that combines joyful, lively, and contemplative music with dance and celebration. The concert has become a world-renowned event, showcasing the talents of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and celebrating the rich musical heritage of Vienna.
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The concert is televised in over 90 countries
The Vienna New Year's Concert is a popular event that attracts people from all over the world. The concert is held annually on New Year's Day in the morning at 11:15 am CET in the Austrian capital's Musikverein concert hall. The event is so popular that people have to pre-register a year in advance to be in with a chance of getting tickets. The good news is that the concert is televised in over 90 countries, so you can still watch it from the comfort of your home.
The concert is broadcast on TV and radio by the Austrian national broadcasting service, ORF. Outside of Europe, the concert is also shown on PBS in the United States, CCTV in China, NHK in Japan, MetroTV in Indonesia, KBS in South Korea, SBS in Australia, and in several African countries. The concert has also been broadcast in Latin America, Indonesia, and for the first time in 2010, in Mongolia, Mozambique, Sri Lanka, and Trinidad and Tobago.
The television broadcast is enhanced by ballet performances by the Vienna State Ballet during the second part of the programme. The dancers perform in various famous locations in Austria, such as Schönbrunn Palace, Schloss Esterházy, the Vienna State Opera, or the Wiener Musikverein itself. The ballet costumes are designed by leading contemporary designers such as Vivienne Westwood, who designed the costumes in 2013, and Andreas Kronthaler, whose designs debuted in 2017.
The concert programme always includes pieces from the Strauss family—Johann Strauss I, Johann Strauss II, Josef Strauss, and Eduard Strauss. The programme may also include music from other Austrian composers, such as Joseph Hellmesberger Jr., Joseph Lanner, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Franz Schubert.
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The concert has been held annually since 1939
The Vienna New Year's Concert (Neujahrskonzert der Wiener Philharmoniker) is an annual classical music concert held on New Year's Day in Vienna, Austria. The concert has been held annually since 1939, with the exception of the first concert, which took place on 31 December 1939 as a special or 'extraordinary' concert. The concert was conducted by Clemens Krauss and was dedicated to boosting morale at the front lines during World War II.
Since its inception, the concert has become a beloved tradition, not only for Austrians but also for classical music enthusiasts worldwide. The concert is performed by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, one of the best orchestras in the world, and takes place at the Musikverein concert hall, also known as the Golden Hall. The hall is renowned for its beautiful architecture and exceptional acoustics.
The programme for the concert usually includes pieces from the Strauss family, such as Johann Strauss I, Johann Strauss II, Josef Strauss, and Eduard Strauss. The concert also features works by other Austrian composers, including Joseph Hellmesberger Jr., Joseph Lanner, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Franz Schubert, among others. The Vienna State Ballet accompanies the orchestra with dance performances during the concert and at various famous locations in Austria, such as Schönbrunn Palace and the Vienna State Opera.
The concert is broadcast on television and radio, reaching over 90 countries and 50 million viewers worldwide. Due to the high demand for tickets, they are allocated through a lottery system, with some seats being passed down through Austrian families from generation to generation.
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Frequently asked questions
Riccardo Muti conducted the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra's 2025 New Year's Day concert. This was his seventh time conducting the concert.
Yannick Nézet-Séguin will be conducting the 2026 Vienna New Year's Day concert.
Lorin Maazel was the first non-Austrian conductor of the Vienna New Year's Day concert in 1980.
