The London Soundtrack Festival (LSF) – London’s first dedicated annual festival celebrating the music of film, TV and games – has today, 10 February, announced an exclusive line-up of screenings, masterclasses and talks for this year’s edition.
Following a spectacular inaugural programme in March 2025, the Festival returns from 9–12 April 2026 with four days of events, including concerts, masterclasses, screenings and talks.
Michael Beek, Director of the London Soundtrack Festival, said:
“I’m delighted that we are able to reveal the rest of our programme for 2026. While the concerts are obviously unmissable showcases of great music and artists, I think it’s events like talks, screenings and masterclasses that truly make a festival. We are so excited to hear more from our 2026 headliners David Arnold and Rachel Portman, and to add even more composers to the line-up, including Julian Nott, Richard Jacques and Gareth Coker. We’re also delighted that Norma Herrmann and Tim Greiving will be joining us this year – and there are even more events still to come!”
Screenings
The Festival has announced an exclusive set of screenings at the Barbican, opening with Brian De Palma’s Obsession (1976) on 9 April. The screening will be introduced by Norma Herrmann, widow of the legendary composer Bernard Herrmann, who was posthumously nominated for an Academy Award for this very score. The event will take place just minutes away from St Giles’ Cripplegate, where the soundtrack was recorded – and where the Tippett Quartet will perform Herrmann’s Clarinet Quintet just hours earlier.
The following day (10 April), LSF presents a screening of Emma (1996), introduced by composer Rachel Portman, who made history in 1997 when she became the first female composer to win an Oscar for this soundtrack. Just two days later, Portman will discuss her career alongside performances of arrangements from her scores for Emma, Chocolat, The Cider House Rules and Never Let Me Go at the Festival’s closing concert at Cadogan Hall (12 April).
On Saturday 11 April, Barbican Cinema hosts a screening of Aardman’s Oscar-winning Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) as part of its popular Family Film Club series. The screening will be introduced by composer Julian Nott, who has scored the franchise since the very first short film, A Grand Day Out (1989), and created the duo’s iconic theme tune.
Talks and Masterclasses
Audiences can also enjoy a unique series of talks and masterclasses. LSF 2026 headliner David Arnold will take part in an in-conversation event at the Royal College of Music (11 April), outlining his career to date and sharing never-before-heard insights into the composition process for his most beloved works across film and TV, including Casino Royale, Independence Day, Sherlock, Good Omens and more.
Games composers Richard Jacques (Guardians of the Galaxy, Mass Effect, James Bond 007: Blood Stone) and Gareth Coker (Ori, Halo Infinite, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown) will present a joint masterclass at Strongroom in Shoreditch (10 April).
Richard Jacques will focus on the role a composer plays in creating a game, from first discussions to the final score, while Gareth Coker will discuss his holistic philosophy on scoring games through a hands-on approach. After the talk, audience members will have the chance to meet the composers in person and purchase copies of their favourite game soundtracks on vinyl.
Further masterclasses and panels exploring television and film soundtracks will take place across the weekend, with more details to be announced soon.
Tim Greiving, official biographer of beloved composer John Williams (Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Home Alone), will give an exclusive talk exploring Williams’ life and esteemed career at the Royal College of Music, followed by a Q&A and signing of his newly published John Williams biography (12 April).
Edith Bowman will also lead a live edition of her Soundtracking podcast at LSO St Luke’s, celebrating ten years of interviews with some of the very best composers and talent in the industry (10 April).
Concerts
The opening night concert, Homegrown Heroes (Barbican, 9 April), is set to be an unmissable celebration of British film and TV music. Conducted by Ben Foster and hosted by presenter Edith Bowman, the concert marks the debut of the London Soundtrack Festival Orchestra, a new bespoke ensemble made up of world-class session players who have performed on countless soundtrack recordings.
Much of the concert programme celebrates the work of LSF 2026 headliner David Arnold, who famously scored five James Bond films as well as blockbusters such as Independence Day and Godzilla, and fan favourites from the small screen including Good Omens and Sherlock. The concert also features suites and themes by Ron Goodwin (633 Squadron), Dario Marianelli (Atonement), Isobel Waller-Bridge (The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse), Daniel Pemberton (Enola Holmes), Miguel d’Oliveira (First Dates), Alexandra Harwood (All Creatures Great and Small), Barry Gray (Thunderbirds), Natalie Holt and Jack Halama (Rivals), and more.
David Arnold is also the recipient of this year’s Gunning Inspiration Award, created in tribute to the late multi-award-winning composer Christopher Gunning. Gunning’s music is central to the opening recital of LSF, hosted at St Giles’ Cripplegate – a favourite recording venue of Bernard Herrmann (9 April). The Tippett Quartet and Robert Plane will perform Herrmann’s Clarinet Quintet ‘Souvenirs de Voyage’, dedicated to his wife Norma, alongside Gunning’s String Quartet No. 1.
One of the festival’s standout moments is An Evening at Downton Abbey, staged in the historic Great Hall at Westminster Central Hall (11 April), where audiences are invited to spend a night with suites and themes from John Lunn’s original Emmy Award-winning scores for the Downton Abbey TV series and films.
The Festival’s grand finale sees Academy Award-winning composer Rachel Portman take centre stage at Cadogan Hall, where audiences can hear stunning new chamber arrangements of her most celebrated scores – including The Cider House Rules, Chocolat, Never Let Me Go and Emma (12 April).
The LSF celebrates London’s unique place at the heart of soundtrack music – both the composers who write it and the unsung heroes who bring it to life. The 2026 edition is hosted across some of the capital’s most iconic venues, including the Barbican, Cadogan Hall and Westminster Central Hall.
Tickets for the London Soundtrack Festival screenings, masterclasses and talks will go on sale on Thursday 12 February at 10:00am. Tickets for the LSF 2026 concerts are available to purchase now.
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