Gustavo Dudamel and the New York Philharmonic Unveil The Inaugural Season, 2026–27

The New York Philharmonic has revealed the 2026–27 season— which marks the start of Gustavo Dudamel’s tenure as the Oscar L. Tang and H.M. Agnes Hsu-Tang Music & Artistic Director. In Dudamel’s inaugural season the New York Philharmonic ushers in a dynamic new era of artistic growth, groundbreaking collaboration, forward-thinking programming, and deep community engagement, building on its legacy of innovation that has allowed it to adapt and thrive over more than 180 years.

Gustavo Dudamel’s Inaugural Season as Tang Music & Artistic Director

In his inaugural season as Tang Music & Artistic Director, Gustavo Dudamel appears with the New York Philharmonic at David Geffen Hall and at iconic New York City venues Radio City Music Hall and, launching a five-year partnership, Carnegie Hall; collaborates with many of today’s leading artistic voices across multiple genres and media; leads the Orchestra abroad for the first time, on a two-week European Tour; engages with the community through a concert in Lower Manhattan marking the 25th anniversary of 9/11 and the free Concerts in the Parks; and conducts wide-ranging repertoire, from iconic masterpieces to rarely heard works and innovative new music, including World Premieres of four works commissioned or co-commissioned by the Philharmonic.

Gustavo Dudamel made his New York Philharmonic debut in November 2007, conducting works by Dvořák and Prokofiev as well as the Orchestra’s first performances of Chávez’s Sinfonia India (Symphony No. 2) since 1961. In February 2023, the Philharmonic announced that Dudamel would become Music & Artistic Director in September 2026. By the end of the 2025–26 season, in which he is serving as Music & Artistic Director Designate, he will have conducted the Orchestra in 75 concerts, in repertoire ranging from Mahler’s Symphony No. 5, in 2009, to the World Premieres of a new version of Rzewski’s The People United Will Never Be Defeated! (featuring orchestrations by 18 composers) and David Lang’s the wealth of nations in March 2026.

Opening Month

Dudamel begins his tenure as Tang Music & Artistic Director over a month that offers the first taste of the singular season to follow, deepens his connection with New York City, and previews the bold vision that will mark the Dudamel era.

• Dudamel leads the New York Philharmonic at Radio City Music Hall, September 10, 2026. The concert builds on the Philharmonic’s first-ever appearance at Radio City in January of this year, also led by Dudamel.

• In his first concerts in David Geffen Hall as Music & Artistic Director, September 16–19, 2026, Dudamel leads the World Premiere of a new work by Zosha Di Castri, a New York Philharmonic co-commission with the Los Angeles Philharmonic; John Adams’s Pulitzer Prize–winning On the Transmigration of Souls, which the Philharmonic co-commissioned and premiered in 2002 to commemorate the victims of 9/11; and Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5, which Dudamel conducted in his debut with the Orchestra in November 2007.

• Dudamel conducts the World Premiere of Imágenes mestizas by Pulitzer Prize winner Tania León, commissioned by the New York Philharmonic, and former Philharmonic Music Director Gustav Mahler’s Fifth Symphony, September 25–27 and 29, 2026.

• Gustavo Dudamel’s Inaugural Gala and Concert take place on September 30, 2026. The event honors Philharmonic Board Co-Chairmen Peter W. May and Oscar L. Tang, whose contributions have led to a new era for the Orchestra and New York City itself, by spearheading the renovation of David Geffen Hall, recruiting Matías Tarnopolsky as President & CEO, and engaging Dudamel as the Philharmonic’s visionary musical and artistic leader.

• Dudamel and the Orchestra welcome two world-renowned instrumental soloists, back to back. As the first soloist to appear with Dudamel in David Geffen Hall after he becomes Music & Artistic Director, Lang Lang performs Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5, Emperor, October 1, 2026; the next day Yo-Yo Ma performs Osvaldo Golijov’s Azul, for Cello and Orchestra, October 2, 2026.

• The New York Philharmonic presents the US Premiere screening of a new director’s cut of Tocar y luchar (To Play and To Strive), the 2006 documentary on El Sistema and Venezuela’s Youth Orchestra System, October 3, 2026.

25th Anniversary of 9/11

The New York Philharmonic commemorates the 25th anniversary of 9/11 with concerts honoring the 2,977 victims of the terrorist attacks.

• A memorial concert at Perelman Performing Arts Center, September 11, 2026, features both the New York Philharmonic, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, and the Soldiers’ Chorus of The U.S. Army Field Band; program to be announced.

• On September 16–19, 2026, Dudamel conducts the Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic Chorus, directed by Malcolm J. Merriweather, and Brooklyn Youth Chorus, directed by Dianne Berkun Menaker, in John Adams’s tribute to the victims of 9/11, On the Transmigration of Souls.

Tour to Europe

Gustavo Dudamel leads the New York Philharmonic on a two-week, ten-concert tour to Europe, October 9–22, 2026, marking his first tour with the Philharmonic, as well as the Orchestra’s first European tour in almost a decade.

Dudamel and the Philharmonic perform at the Philharmonie de Paris in Paris, France; L’Auditori in Barcelona, Spain; Auditorio Nacional de Música in Madrid, Spain; Philharmonie in Berlin, Germany; Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Germany; and Musikverein in Vienna, Austria.

Opera at Carnegie Hall

In the 2026–27 season the New York Philharmonic and Carnegie Hall — two iconic New York City cultural institutions — inaugurate a five-year partnership comprising Gustavo Dudamel leading opera performances at the famed concert venue, the Philharmonic’s former home.

The partnership begins with Dudamel conducting Puccini’s Tosca, November 13 and 15, 2026.

Marina Abramović and Gustavo Santaolalla

The Mary and James G. Wallach Artists-in-Residence

In a reimagining of the position of New York Philharmonic Mary and James G. Wallach Artist-in-Residence, rather than appointing a single instrumentalist to the post, Gustavo Dudamel and the Orchestra will collaborate on multimedia presentations with two acclaimed creative artists: Marina Abramović and Gustavo Santaolalla.

Three-Week Spotlight on Beethoven

Gustavo Dudamel and the New York Philharmonic give three weeks of concerts that include a spotlight on Beethoven on the 200th anniversary of the composer’s death.

Season Concludes with First-Ever New York Philharmonic Performances of Bernstein’s MASS

Dudamel concludes the New York Philharmonic’s subscription season with the Orchestra’s first-ever performances of Bernstein’s MASS in its entirety, in a staged production, June 9–12, 2027.

Other Appearances

Gustavo Dudamel also leads the New York Philharmonic in the following concerts:

• New York Philharmonic Spring Gala and Concert, May 26, 2027.
• Concerts in the Parks, June 15–18, 2027.

Adams Conducts Adams

On the occasion of his 80th birthday, the eminent composer-conductor John Adams leads and curates concerts spotlighting his own works.

Steve Reich at 90

The New York Philharmonic honors pioneering minimalist composer Steve Reich, who turns 90 in October 2026.

12 World, US, and New York Premieres

The New York Philharmonic gives 7 World Premieres, 3 US Premieres, and 2 New York Premieres.

New York Philharmonic Debuts

Conductors making their New York Philharmonic debuts are Ryan Bancroft, Holly Hyun Choe, Roberto González-Monjas, Joana Mallwitz, and Eva Ollikainen.

Returning Friends

Conductors returning to the Orchestra include John Adams, Marin Alsop, Semyon Bychkov, Elim Chan, Iván Fischer, Justin Freer, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, Daniel Harding, Jakub Hrůša, Tianyi Lu, Zubin Mehta, Anthony Parnther, Rafael Payare, David Robertson, Santtu-Matias Rouvali, Daniele Rustioni, Esa-Pekka Salonen, and Jeannette Sorrell.

Community

The Orchestra’s programming that serves the community includes the free Concerts in the Parks, the Free Concert at The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine, Phil for All ticket access programs, Take a Breath wellness programs, The Unanswered Questions discussion series, Young People’s Concerts for Schools, and the New York Philharmonic Very Young Composers Program.

Additional Concert Highlights