The first half of the tour, culminating in an appearance at the BBC Proms, will be led by Andrew Davis, the PSO's artistic advisor and, as the former music director of the BBC Symphony, a Proms veteran. Hans Graf, the music director of the Houston Symphony, will lead the second half of the tour, to include performances in Hannover, Dortmund, Cologne, and Dusseldorf, Germany.
Soloists will include pianist Barry Douglas, pianist Lang Lang, and violinist Sarah Chang. The programs include music by Ives, Gershwin, Bernstein, Strauss, Shostakovich, Chopin, and Sibelius.
The PSO canceled a planned tour to Europe in summer 2004 and gave up plans for a tour to southern Europe this fall.