The music of Black Sabbath will be celebrated with a series of UK shows performed in a classical music style by a local orchestra, says Sharon Osbourne.
At a music conference at MIDEM 2026 in Cannes, France, Osbourne and Live Nation's Andy Copping unveiled the plans which will feature a full orchestra and band.
The classic reimagining of the Birmingham four-piece's music is the brainchild of keyboard player Adam Wakeman, who'd toured with both Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath until the Back to the Beginning show at Villa Park, Birmingham on July 5.
"He’s converted the music into classical music, and then I said, ‘We need guitar players to come in at some point. You need that.’," explained Sharon Osbourne. "So we’re gonna bring in about four guitar players to play together. And so people see the original version and the classical in one night. And we’re gonna do it with state-of-the-art graphics and state-of-the-art sound system, go to major cities, pick up the local philharmonic.”
There are plans to launch the show at the Royal Albert Hall in London, before announcing dates around the UK.
“[The Royal Albert Hall] will be, obviously, a great springboard for having it as a touring entity," said Copping. "It’s actually very, very exciting. It’s interesting. People’s first thoughts are, ‘Black Sabbath and orchestra – is that gonna work?’ But they said that about The Black Sabbath Ballet. I went to the ballet show. It’s unbelievable how it’s made that transition. I didn’t know what I was gonna see when I got there, but there’s literally ballet going on and there’s this thunderous soundtrack, the Black Sabbath music. And there’s interviews with the band going on in the background. It’s very hard to explain, but if you get the opportunity to see that, that is well worth going to see. And the orchestral side will be another step further on from that. It’s very, very exciting.”
If you want a taste of how Black Sabbath would sound in a classic vein, then check out this footage of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra playing Black Sabbath from the band's 1970 self-titled debut.
The performance took place at Birmingham's New Street station on July 23, 2025 in tribute to the late Sabbath frontman, who passed away just weeks after the band's farewell show at Villa Park.
