Juilliard Orchestra Season to Feature Conducting Debuts and Returning Maestros

The Juilliard Orchestra presents a dynamic slate of concerts throughout the 2026–27 performance season. Upcoming programs span symphonic classics, contemporary works, and cross-genre collaborations, showcasing the musicality and versatility of the acclaimed student ensemble. Conductors Luis Castillo-Briceño, José Luis Gómez, and Dalia Stasevska make their Juilliard Orchestra conducting debuts, while Louis Langrée, Jeffrey Milarsky, Gemma New, David Robertson, and Xian Zhang return to the Juilliard podium this season.

Conductors Making Their Juilliard Orchestra Debuts

Tucson Symphony music director José Luis Gómez leads Mahler's 'Titan' Symphony, Elgar's contemplative Cello Concerto, and the symphonic poem Icarus by Juilliard alum Lera Auerbach (BM '96, piano; MM '99, composition).

Costa Rican conductor Luis Castillo-Briceño, former Dudamel Fellow of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and a 2025 Grand Prix winner of the International Conducting Competition Rotterdam, leads Britten's Sinfonia da Requiem, Flute Concerto No. 1 by Juilliard alum Lowell Liebermann (BM '82, MM '84, DMA '87, composition), and Shostakovich's towering Symphony No. 5.

Ukrainian-born Finnish conductor Dalia Stasevska, principal guest conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, leads the Juilliard Orchestra through Sibelius' Second Symphony, Beethoven's Piano Concerto No.4, and the New York premiere of Anna Thorvaldsdottir's haunting ARCHORA.

Further Juilliard Orchestra Highlights

Juilliard faculty member and alum Jeffrey Milarsky (BM '88, MM '90, percussion) conducts the Juilliard Orchestra in a performance of Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 3, Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances, and the recently composed Renaissance Concerto by Juilliard faculty member Valerie Coleman, a work inspired by both the Great Migration and the Harlem Renaissance. In February, Milarsky leads the annual Juilliard Composers Concert, featuring panel-selected works of four Juilliard student composers.

The Juilliard Orchestra performs Kelly-Marie Murphy's Hamlet-inspired A Thousand Natural Shocks, Aaron Jay Kernis' soulful Viola Concerto, and Brahms' serene and melancholic Second Symphony under the direction of Gemma New, artistic advisor and principal conductor of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.

Juilliard's Director of Conducting Studies David Robertson also leads two programs this season. In December, the Juilliard Orchestra and Juilliard Jazz Orchestra join forces at David Geffen Hall for a performance of The Jungle (Symphony No. 4) by Juilliard Jazz director, Juilliard alum, and this season's Lincoln Center Visionary Artist Wynton Marsalis ('81, trumpet). The Juilliard Orchestra also performs the U.S. premiere of Dérive 3, a previously unpublished work by Pierre Boulez, and Bartók's Violin Concerto No. 2. In April, Robertson leads the orchestra in its highly anticipated annual appearance at Carnegie Hall. Joined by students from the Marcus Institute for Vocal Arts and the Juilliard Community Chorus, the orchestra performs Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 and Ives' Symphony No. 4.

Louis Langrée, director of the Théâtre National de l'Opéra-Comique in Paris, who led Lincoln Center's Mostly Mozart Festival for more than two decades, leads the Juilliard Orchestra and Juilliard Vocal Arts students in Ravel's Rapsodie espagnole, Shéhérazade, and L'heure espagnole.

Grammy- and Emmy-winning conductor Xian Zhang, 2023 recipient of an honorary doctorate from Juilliard and music director of Seattle Symphony, leads the Juilliard Orchestra in its final concert of the season. The program features the world premiere of a Juilliard commission by alum Vivian Fung (BM '96, MM '97, DMA '02, composition) alongside Kodály's rollicking Dances of Galánta and Strauss' suite from his lush opera Der Rosenkavalier.

Tickets for all performances this season are available at Juilliard.edu.

Tour Dates

Juilliard Orchestra Conducted by Jeffrey Milarsky — Monday, October 19, 2026 at 7:30pm — Alice Tully Hall

Juilliard Orchestra Conducted by Gemma New — Monday, October 26, 2026 at 7:30pm — Alice Tully Hall

Juilliard Orchestra Conducted by José Luis Gómez — Saturday, November 14, 2026 at 7:30pm — Alice Tully Hall

Juilliard Orchestra and Juilliard Jazz Orchestra Conducted by David Robertson — Monday, December 14, 2026 at 7:30pm — David Geffen Hall

Juilliard Orchestra Conducted by Luis Castillo-Briceño — Monday, January 25, 2027 at 7:30pm — Alice Tully Hall

Juilliard Orchestra Composers Concert Conducted by Jeffrey Milarsky — Saturday, February 20, 2027 at 7:30pm — Alice Tully Hall

Juilliard Orchestra Conducted by Louis Langrée — Saturday, March 27, 2027 at 7:30pm — Alice Tully Hall

Juilliard Orchestra Conducted by Dalia Stasevska — Wednesday, March 31, 2027 at 7:30pm — Alice Tully Hall

Juilliard Orchestra Conducted by David Robertson — Tuesday, April 20, 2027 at 7:30pm — Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall

Juilliard Orchestra Conducted by Xian Zhang — Thursday, May 20, 2027 at 6pm — Alice Tully Hall