Tag: Artistic Planning

How Will Kennedy Center’s Two-Year Shutdown Affect the National Symphony Orchestra?

Posted on February 5, 2026 by - News Briefs

In Wednesday’s (2/4) NBC News, Andrea Mitchell reports, “President Donald Trump’s decision to close the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for two years starting this summer came with no notice to its largest tenant, the National Symphony Orchestra…. According to multiple members of the orchestra, they and their leaders only first learned of the plan from Trump’s Sunday night social media post. In it, Trump said that the arts center would close July 4 ‘for an approximately two year period of time.’… For the NSO, the decision to shutter the center has created a scheduling nightmare. The orchestra performs three times a week during the season, totaling 150 concerts a year, not including rehearsals. Soloists are contracted years in advance…. The sudden decision to shutter has created huge uncertainty … Simon Woods, president of the League of American Orchestras, told NBC News, ‘When orchestras need to move out of their halls for renovations, it is normally planned many years in advance as they—like all the performing arts—tend to work many years ahead in planning their season of performances.’ He added that orchestras are nonprofit organizations ‘that depend on the continuity of audiences and donors to make their music, community programming and educational initiatives widely accessible.’… People familiar with the Kennedy Center’s current operations say the Trump-appointed management has committed to helping the orchestra find another venue.”

Rochester Philharmonic Announces 2026-27 Season

Posted on February 3, 2026 by - News Briefs

In Saturday’s (1/31) Rochester Beacon (New York), David Raymond writes, “The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2026-2027 season will include familiar names and interesting novelties. The familiar events include … ‘The Nutcracker’ and the 33rd edition of Jeff Tyzik’s Holiday Pops, and the return of the orchestra’s successful Sunday-afternoon series at Nazareth University…. Two festivals [are planned] next season, says Andreas Delfs, RPO music director…. The first will feature four estimable pianists and four favorite concertos: Olga Kern in Rachmaninoff’s Third; Barry Douglas in Tchaikovsky’s First; Jonathan Biss in Beethoven’s ‘Emperor;’ and Marc-André Hamelin in Brahms’s Second…. Each pianist will begin their concert with a solo spot of music by the featured composer; the orchestra will follow, led by Delfs in a less-commonly heard piece by that composer … The second RPO festival weekend, on Feb. 25 and 27, will celebrate music for movies. The orchestra’s classical contribution is … Korngold’s violin concerto … The Viennese flavor continues with a suite from Richard Strauss’ ‘Der Rosenkavalier’ arranged for a1926 silent film (yes—a silent film of an opera), and more John Williams … Delfs describes the season opener (Sept. 25 and 27) as ‘a nod to the nation’s 250th birthday’ [spotlighting] … Michael Torke and John Adams … Delfs says that the RPO’s ‘Voices of Today’ commissioning program, with … music by prominent American composers, will continue.”

Looking Ahead to Tanglewood’s 2026 Summer Season

Posted on February 3, 2026 by - News Briefs

In Saturday’s (1/31) Times Union (Lennox, Massachusetts), Katherine Kiessling writes, “Tanglewood, the lauded music venue and summer home for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, announced its 2026 season. Themes of America’s 250th, nature and faith weave throughout the lineup which features a weeklong residency with acclaimed cellist Yo-Yo Ma titled ‘We the People: Our Shared Past, Present and Future;’ Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with its founder Wynton Marsalis… the Tanglewood debut of avant-garde artist Laurie Anderson; a new [Boston Pops] tribute to film composer John Williams; and new acts to Tanglewood’s Popular Artist Series. This summer will see the continuation of BSO’s ‘E Pluribus Unum: From Many, One’ series … Additional highlights for BSO’s summer season include ‘Swan Lake’ excerpts with the Boston Ballet … the return of pianist and Tanglewood regular Emanuel Ax … Renée Fleming and Thomas Hampson performing excerpts from ‘Nixon in China’ … ‘The Marriage of Figaro’ … and the Martha Graham Dance Company … The Boston Pops will be joined by Cynthia Erivo … Pop artists include Yacht Rock Revue … Ziggy Marley and Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue … Tedeschi Trucks Band … James Taylor and his All-Star Band … ‘Weird’ Al Yankovic with Puddles Pity Party … and Carrie Underwood.”

San Diego Symphony Announces 2026-27 Season

Posted on February 2, 2026 by - News Briefs

In Sunday’s (2/1) San Diego Union-Tribune, George Varga writes, “It has been three years since the San Diego Symphony soared to new heights following the [renovation] of its downtown home, the Jacobs Music Center. But anyone wondering if this 116-year-old orchestra … is considering kicking back even a tiny bit with its upcoming 2026-27 season … should think again…. Nine soloists and six conductors will give their San Diego Symphony debut performances between October and next June.” Rafael Payare is the orchestra’s music director. “The orchestra’s repertoire will include 15 concertos and 13 symphonies … and the ninth symphonies by Beethoven, Bruckner and Dvořák. No fewer than 15 pieces of music will be performed by the symphony for the first time. Four of them are by living composers, including the world premiere of Symphony No. 6, ‘Monarch,’ by the orchestra’s composer-in-residence Jimmy López, which was co-commissioned by the San Diego Symphony…. The 2026-27 lineup includes a varied mix of new and returning guest artists, including cello great Alisa Weilerstein (who is Payare’s wife) and piano stars Yefim Bronfman and Daniil Trifonov. Three of the soloists are longtime symphony members: concertmaster Jeff Thayer, principal English horn player Andrea Overturf and harpist Julie Phillips.” The article lists the entire 2026-27 classical season.

Philadelphia Orchestra Announces 2026-27 Season

Posted on January 30, 2026 by - News Briefs

In Thursday’s (1/29) Philadelphia Inquirer, Peter Dobrin writes, “Simon Rattle is returning to the Philadelphia Orchestra after a decade. New works are being unveiled by Spirited Away composer Joe Hisaishi. And a major orchestral piece by Leonard Bernstein is receiving its world premiere—sort of. The Philadelphia Orchestra’s 127th season will be a mix of standard repertoire, newly minted scores, film music, family concerts, and guest artists new and familiar. Emanuel Ax has been dubbed ‘artist of distinction’ for the season … The Philadelphians will perform their first-ever complete Bach Christmas Oratorio. Following on the heels of last season’s Tristan und Isolde, the orchestra takes on Wagner’s Lohengrin for the first time…. Music and Artistic Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin … will lead 12 weeks of programs in 2026-27 (plus special concerts), with podium appearances by Esa-Pekka Salonen, Anthony Parnther, Dima Slobodeniouk, Jane Glover, Fabio Luisi and others…. Marin Alsop, the orchestra’s principal guest conductor, leads three weeks of programs plus special concerts…. Among the premieres, or first performances by the Philadelphia Orchestra, are works by Reena Esmail, Julia Wolfe, Unsuk Chin, Anna Meredith, Erkki-Sven Tüür, Gabriela Ortiz, and Caroline Shaw…. A Marin Alsop program includes the world premiere of The Party, a collaboration between composer Austin Fisher and conceptual artist Alex Da Corte … commissioned by the orchestra…. Garth Edwin Sunderland, a composer and vice president of creative projects at the Leonard Bernstein Office, was engaged to create Symphonic Rituals from Mass, which contains about 40 minutes of music—a ‘new’ work drawn from Bernstein’s [1971] score.”

Kalamazoo Symphony and Middle Eastern Ensembles Collaborate

Posted on January 30, 2026 by - News Briefs

In Wednesday’s (1/28) WMUK (Michigan), Cara Lieurance writes, “ ‘This is the biggest number of musicians we’ve ever had on stage in Western Michigan playing Middle Eastern music,’ says Beau Bothwell, co-director of the Bayati Ensemble, describing an ambitious concert bringing together multiple musical groups. The Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra presents ‘Sounds of the Middle East’ Thursday, Jan. 30 at 7 p.m. at Kalamazoo College … The performance unites KSO musicians with the professional Bahar Ensemble, the community-based Bayati Ensemble, and Orchestra Rouh, a youth program originally designed for children of immigrant families…. The concert includes contemporary Lebanese and Syrian pieces alongside ancient liturgical music, including a fourth-century hymn by St. Ephraim in Syriac, an Aramaic dialect … Liz Youker, KSO vice president of artistic operations and education, explains the collaboration fits within the orchestra’s Sound Waves series, which connects symphonic musicians with community artists across genres. The four-concert series includes projects featuring new compositions, hip-hop fusion, and improvisational comedy…. KSO concert master Jun Ching-Lin and members of the Burdick-Thorne String Quartet join the [Jan. 30] performance, along with oboist Gabe Renteria. The collaboration represents a shift from orchestral precision to a style where musicians ornament melodies individually while playing in unison.”

Minnesota Orchestra Announces Program Change in Memory of Renee Good and Alex Pretti

Posted on January 29, 2026 by - News Briefs

The Minnesota Orchestra has changed the program for its concerts on Friday and Saturday, January 30 and 31. The orchestra’s website and social media pages state: “In light of what’s happening in our community right now, this weekend’s program will open with the Adagietto from Mahler’s Symphony No. 5, instead of Dukas’s ‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.’ We offer it in memorial for Alex Pretti and Renee Good—and we share it with love for our audience and our beautiful city on a program that explores the resilience of finding ‘songs to sing’ amidst tragedy and seeking hope in darkness.” Minneapolis residents Alex Pretti and Renee Good were recently killed by ICE agents. The rest of the program stands as before and includes the U.S. premiere of Donghoon Shin’s Threadsuns Concerto for Viola and Orchestra, featuring Principal Viola Rebecca Albers; Debussy’s Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun; the Prelude to Act III of Dukas’s Ariadne and Bluebeard, and Rousell’s Suite No. 2 from Bacchus and Ariadne. Fabien Gabel leads the concerts.

Rochester Philharmonic’s Wide-ranging Dance Festival

Posted on January 27, 2026 by - News Briefs

In Friday’s (1/23) Rochester Beacon, David Raymond writes, “The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra’s Dance Festival begins with cutting-edge modern dance and concludes with the elegance of classical ballet. The festival covers two weekends, with performances by Rochester’s two professional dance companies. Garth Fagan Dance will perform ‘Days and Nights in Rocinha,’ with music by Philip Glass, on Jan. 24 and 25, with guest conductor Aram Demirjian; and Rochester City Ballet will dance excerpts from Prokofiev’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, conducted by RPO music director Andreas Delfs. This new festival exemplifies Delfs’ commitment to bringing the RPO together with other local arts groups. The orchestra’s audiences had a preview of this in January 2024, when Garth Fagan Dance joined the conductor and the RPO in a very successful performance of Stravinsky’s ‘Rite of Spring.’ ‘Andreas spearheaded that “Rite of Spring,” ’ says Norwood ‘PJ’ Pennewell, the Garth Fagan company’s artistic director. ‘He wants to create for integration in the performing arts community, so he thought it made sense to join Garth Fagan and Rochester City Ballet in a festival.’… Along with ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ the RPO is presenting … Jean-Yves Thibaudet in the premiere of Aaron Jay Kernis’ Piano Concerto No. 2 … one of the orchestra’s ‘Voices of Today’ commissions.”

St. Louis Symphony Honors Dr. King’s Legacy with Program of Works by Black Composers

Posted on January 27, 2026 by - News Briefs

In Friday’s (1/23) St. Louis American, Kenya Vaughn writes, “Every seat in the Missouri History Museum’s Lee Auditorium was filled Friday night for a gathering that honored the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by celebrating Blackness through the lens of classical music. ‘Let It Resound: The Legacy of Black Composers’ brought together musicians of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and the voices of the IN UNISON Young Artists. It was presented by the Missouri Historical Society’s African American History Initiative. Much of the evening centered on the rediscovered brilliance of Florence Price—a composer whose name, for decades, nearly slipped through the cracks of history…. She mastered European classical traditions while remaining rooted in the Black musical life that shaped her…. The program also highlighted the next generation of Black composers … Nkeiru Okoye’s ‘Movements for String Quartet’ paid direct homage to Dr. King through a three‑part suite…. IN UNISON Director Kevin McBeth introduced another contemporary work, ‘Stardust,’ by Britney Boykin. ‘What if the people we lost to tragedy—Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery—what if they’re still with us?’ McBeth said, quoting Boykin….The haunting choral piece drew a lengthy ovation.” Also on the program were works by Ben E. King and Brandon Williams.

Renée Fleming Withdraws from Kennedy Center Concerts with National Symphony Orchestra

Posted on January 26, 2026 by - News Briefs

In Friday’s (1/23) New York Times, Jason M. Bailey writes, “The soprano Renée Fleming will not be part of two scheduled performances at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts … Fleming, one of the world’s great opera singers, resigned as an artistic adviser to the Kennedy Center nearly one year ago. Since the center’s board of directors decided last month to add President Trump’s name to the building, several artists have cut ties…. Ms. Fleming and the Kennedy Center did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday evening. The center’s website said that she had withdrawn from two May concerts with the orchestra ‘due to a scheduling conflict’ and that a new performer would be announced. When she stepped down as an artistic adviser, Ms. Fleming said … ‘I hope the Kennedy Center continues to flourish and serve the passionate and diverse audience in our nation’s capital and across the country.’… In May, she performed at the Kennedy Center during the Washington National Opera’s annual gala. The opera recently announced it was leaving the arts center.” The National Symphony Orchestra’s May 29-30 performances, to be conducted by Jams Gaffigan, feature works by Charles Ives, Aaron Copland, and others.