Hans Zimmer Budapest concert: the performers

The World of Hans Zimmer – A New Dimension comes to Budapest’s MVM Dome on 24 October 2026. According to the MVM Dome event page, the production’s musical director is conductor Matt Dunkley, who has previously worked with Hans Zimmer on several major films.

An important feature of the concert is that Zimmer will not perform in person. However, according to the tour’s official website, he devised the programme and suites himself as curator and musical director. This means the evening will not simply feature a selection of his works: his creative vision directly shapes its musical structure.

Without Hans Zimmer, but based on his vision

At an arena concert devoted to film music, a particularly important question is how the character of the original works can be preserved when the composer is not on stage. According to the official description, the roles are clearly separated in this production: Zimmer is responsible for the programme and its musical framework, while the conductor, orchestra, choir and soloists shape the live performance.

In this case, the curatorial work may involve more than selecting popular themes. Compositions written for different films must be arranged into concert suites, while music originally tailored to images and scenes must be transformed into an independent dramatic arc for the stage. The production’s impact is therefore likely to depend not only on the familiar melodies, but also on the structure of their live performance.

Matt Dunkley brings the performance together

According to information from the MVM Dome, Matt Dunkley has worked with Zimmer for many years. Their collaborations include Inception, The Dark Knight, No Time to Die and Top Gun: Maverick.

This history of collaboration may be significant because, at a concert involving such a large ensemble, the conductor’s role extends beyond setting the tempo. Dunkley must coordinate the symphony orchestra, choir, rhythm section, electronic instruments and soloists so that pieces with contrasting sounds form a coherent programme.

According to the tour’s official website, the Odesa Orchestra & Friends and the Nairobi Chamber Chorus will take part in the evening. The combination of orchestral and choral sound may allow both the more restrained passages and the large-scale musical climaxes to make a strong impact.

Singers and instrumental soloists on stage

According to ATV, the vocal soloists are Carla Chamoun, Nokukhanya Dlamini, Gan-Ya Ben-Gur Akselrod and Futurelove Sibanda. Their voices may add distinctive colour and dramatic emphasis to the orchestral sound in individual pieces, particularly where the human voice plays a central role.

Also according to the line-up published by ATV, Maya Levy plays violin, Timothée Berte-Renou cello, Saulius Petreikis woodwind instruments, Roella Oloro keyboards, Amir John Haddad guitar and Dave Marks bass guitar. The outlet reports that the rhythm section consists of Olivia Martin, Lucy Landymore and Luis Ribeiro.

This combination of instruments suggests that the production does not approach Zimmer’s film scores as a traditional symphonic concert. Guitar, bass guitar, keyboards and a prominent rhythmic layer may accompany the strings and woodwinds, allowing the programme to draw on both orchestral and more modern sounds.

How can film music become a standalone concert?

In its original setting, film music supports the images, the rhythm of the story and the emotions of the characters. In concert, however, the same narrative framework is absent, so the performance must sustain the audience’s attention primarily through musical means. The sequence of pieces, the use of dynamic contrasts and the alternation between instrumental sections can all play a part in this.

According to a Kultúra Online report, the tour uses newly arranged suites and visual projections. Based on the description, the visuals are not expected to replace the screening of any one film, but may instead complement the atmosphere and dramatic arc of the arena performance.

According to the Telekom Spots event listing and a recommendation by YourCity Budapest, one of the foundations of the concert’s musical material is the album The World of Hans Zimmer – Part II: A New Dimension, released by Sony Music Classical. This may provide an indication of the production’s sound, although the event listings do not publish the complete and exact running order for the Budapest concert.

The soloists can also shape the balance

In a large orchestral production, the impact of the ensemble can easily dominate, even though memorable details in film scores are often associated with a particular tone colour. Bringing the violin, cello, woodwinds or guitar to the fore may give parts of these large-scale pieces a more personal character.

The soloists can also act as a bridge between the symphonic and more modern sounds. Keyboards and percussion can create a layered foundation, while acoustic instruments and voices may offer a more immediate counterpoint. As a result, the performance may emerge not simply as a concert version of the studio recordings, but as a live programme with its own character.

Based on the listed instruments and performers, electronic textures, rock elements, choral passages and symphonic arrangements may all feature in the concert. One of the conductor’s most important tasks will likely be to ensure that these are heard not as separate interludes, but as parts of a coherent musical language.

Key details about the Budapest concert

According to the MVM Dome’s official event page, the Budapest performance will take place on 24 October 2026. The evening is part of The World of Hans Zimmer – A New Dimension European arena tour.

Visitors should be aware that Hans Zimmer will not appear on stage as a performer. The production presents his works and musical vision under the direction of Matt Dunkley, with the Odesa Orchestra & Friends, the Nairobi Chamber Chorus and international vocal and instrumental soloists.

The Budapest date is therefore set to be not a traditional composer’s concert, but a large-scale stage interpretation of Zimmer’s film music at the MVM Dome. Zimmer’s curatorial work defines the creative framework, while the conductor and diverse group of performers will shape the live sound.