A world premiere at the Fresno Philharmonic evokes the region’s bountiful landscape and sometimes troubled history with “Meguru: Dreams of Harvest,” a score by Hitomi Oba and Erika Oba that explores the lived experience of Japanese American farmers—past and present.

Orchestras are navigating a time of rapid transformation and opportunity. The League of American Orchestras’ 80th National Conference, June 11-13, 2025, in Salt Lake City (for the very first time!) will capture the field’s spirit of striving toward a stronger and more sustainable future.

We’re a quarter of the way into the 21st century. There’s no way of knowing exactly what the future holds for orchestras, but what might America’s classical-music scene look like at the century’s halfway point, 2050? To kick off another quarter century of music-making, Symphony asked orchestra executives, composers, and musical artists, “What’s next for orchestras?” They responded with bold ideas for the present that could carry the field forward into 2050—and beyond.

Composer Theodore Wiprud’s new Violin Concerto No. 2, “on the brink,” seeks a way out of despair about the changing climate, finding reason for hope and action. In shaping the work, Wiprud collaborated with climate scientists at the ClimateMusic Project. The South Dakota Symphony Orchestra and soloist Elissa Cassini gave the world premiere on January 25, and the University of South Dakota presented a climate-sustainability forum.

In fire-ravaged Los Angeles, the community-based Orchestra Nova LA provides solace and comfort, and explores the deeper meanings of music-making.