Boston Symphony Orchestra Will Open 2025–26 Season With Two Free Performances

The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) will open its 2025–26 season with two free concerts at Symphony Hall, celebrating artistry and community. Concert for the City will take place on September 17, followed by a brand-new event, Music’s Next Generation – A College Showcase, on September 18. Complimentary tickets for both performances will be available starting September 3 at 10 a.m.

Concert for the City will begin at 4:30 p.m. with performances by youth and community ensembles throughout Symphony Hall. The mainstage concert at 7:30 p.m. will feature the BSO, Boston Pops, and Tanglewood Festival Chorus conducted by Andris Nelsons, Keith Lockhart, and Thomas Wilkins. Guest artists will include the Veronica Robles Mariachi Band, cuatrista and vocalist Fabiola Méndez and her ensemble, and pianist Clayton Stephenson, who will perform the first movement of Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F.

The program will also feature Beethoven’s Leonore Overture No. 2, William Grant Still’s Threnody (In Memory of Jan Sibelius), Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” from Encanto, Alan Silvestri’s Back to the Future theme, and Gwyneth Walker’s “How Can I Keep from Singing?”

On September 18, Symphony Hall will host student ensembles from Berklee College of Music, Boston University, Harvard University, New England Conservatory, Northeastern University, and Tufts University. Performances will range from Randall Thompson’s The Last Words of David by the BU Symphonic Chorus to the Harvard Crimson Cellos’ rendition of Toto’s “Africa.” Other highlights include traditional Chinese music, mariachi, Bollywood-inspired a cappella, and contemporary pop arrangements, reflecting the diversity of Boston’s higher education community.

BSO President and CEO Chad Smith said, “This September, to open the BSO’s 144th season, we are excited to welcome our friends and neighbors back for our sixth Concert for the City and to introduce Music’s Next Generation – A College Showcase, a brand-new event spotlighting musical groups from the city’s higher education community. We can think of no better way to start the 2025–26 season than with two free events that center local partners and celebrate the breadth of talent and artistry across Boston’s musical community.”

Ticket Information