Juilliard Unveils 2026–27 Music Season Featuring World Premieres, Guest Artists and More
The season will feature Rossini’s La Scala Di Seta, Handel’s Agrippina, a Steve Reich celebration, and performances at the BBC Proms and Carnegie Hall.
Juilliard has revealed its 2026–27 season programming for the Music Division under its dean and director, David Serkin Ludwig. Across Orchestra, Chamber Music, Vocal Arts, Jazz, and Historical Performance, students, faculty, and renowned guest artists come together in an expansive array of performances and creative projects that illuminate the depth of talent and creativity across the division.
Centennial Season and Institutional Milestones
Marking the centennial of the merger between the Institute of Musical Art (1905) and the Juilliard Graduate School (1924) that formed The Juilliard School in 1926, the season reflects the school’s enduring commitment to artistic excellence, creativity, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Programs also observe several major cultural milestones including America 250, the bicentennial of Ludwig van Beethoven’s death, and the 90th anniversary of Steve Reich’s birth.
From fully staged operas to orchestra performances and intimate recitals, next season offers audiences the opportunity to experience both new and established repertoire performed by Juilliard’s world-class students.
The 2026–27 season also marks the 25th anniversary of Juilliard’s world-renowned Jazz program. To celebrate the milestone, Juilliard Jazz will honor its history through performances at the school and across New York City. Performances will feature ensembles of all sizes and collaborations between students, alumni, and distinguished guest artists. Full details will be announced this summer.
Ludwig said, “Our season reflects both the extraordinary inheritance of this art form and the future our students are creating together. At Juilliard, musicians learn from working with deeply committed guest artists and faculty, many of whom can trace their teaching lineage back to Beethoven and Brahms. At the same time, they are engaging with the work of living composers, collaborating across disciplines, and exploring a wide range of musical traditions and new technologies. As we celebrate so many important anniversaries the 2026-2027 season reflects both a deep respect for tradition and an openness to the ideas and movements shaping the future of music.”
Juilliard continues to be an incubator of creativity and experimentation, offering opportunities unique to the institution, such as working with Juilliard’s Arnhold Creative Associates and guest artists, participating in solo or chamber music master classes, premiering new work, and performing at the newly established Juilliard Station. Juilliard’s 2026–27 season offers a vivid glimpse into the future of the performing arts and the artists who will shape it.
“As we approach the centennial of when Juilliard became Juilliard in 1926, our 2026–27 season reflects the breadth, ambition, and collaborative spirit that has been built as the school itself has grown over the last century,” said Juilliard President Damian Woetzel. “That artistic drive is matched by the imperative to connect with audiences, and with all performances offered free or low-cost, we are expanding access to extraordinary artistic experiences in a welcoming environment at the school and across New York City.”
Orchestra
Debuts
The Juilliard Orchestra welcomes four guest artists to its podium for the first time in 2026–27: American conductor Teddy Abrams, Austrian conductor David Danzmayr, Costa Rican conductor Luis Castillo-Briceño, and Ukrainian-born Finnish conductor Dalia Stasevska.
For their Juilliard debuts, each brings a varied program with a signature theme:
- As part of the Fall Festival, Teddy Abrams leads a concert celebrating music of the Americas featuring the world premiere of Three Movements on Silence, a Juilliard commission by alum Elise Arancio, alongside a work by recent Pulitzer Prize winner Gabriela Lena Frank, Apu: Tone Poem for Orchestra, and Copland’s El Salón México. The program will also recognize the centennial of the merger that created The Juilliard School with a performance of former Juilliard and Lincoln Center president William Schuman’s Symphony No. 3.
- David Danzmayr conducts composition alum Lera Auerbach’s Icarus, Elgar’s Cello Concerto, and Mahler’s Symphony No. 1.
- Luis Castillo-Briceño makes his New York debut, leading Britten’s Sinfonia da Requiem, Juilliard alum Lowell Liebermann’s Flute Concerto No. 1, and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5.
- Dalia Stasevska conducts Sibelius’ Symphony No. 2, paired with music by Beethoven and Anna Thorvaldsdottir.
Returning Conductors
Returning conductors include:
- Gemma New, who will conduct the winner of the viola concerto competition performing Aaron Jay Kernis’s Viola Concerto alongside music by Kelly-Marie Murphy and Brahms.
- Louis Langrée, who leads a Ravel program featuring Rapsodie espagnole, Shéhérazade, and L'heure espagnole.
- Juilliard faculty and alum Jeffrey Milarsky leading two concerts: the first features works by Prokofiev and Rachmaninoff, with Juilliard faculty member Valerie Coleman’s Renaissance Concerto as its centerpiece; Milarsky also leads the annual Juilliard Composers Concert featuring works by four Juilliard student composers.
- Juilliard’s Director of Conducting Studies David Robertson leads two programs: one at David Geffen Hall featuring the U.S. premiere of a previously unpublished work by Pierre Boulez, Bartók’s Violin Concerto No. 2, and Wynton Marsalis’ Symphony No. 4, “The Jungle”; and a second program featuring Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 and Ives’ Symphony No. 4 at Carnegie Hall.
- Xian Zhang conducts the Commencement concert, featuring the world premiere of a Juilliard commission from alum Vivian Fung alongside Kodály’s Dances of Galánta and Strauss’ Suite from Der Rosenkavalier.
In August, the Juilliard Orchestra performs a special concert at the BBC Proms, joining forces with the Royal Academy of Music Orchestra under the baton of Esa-Pekka Salonen. The combined orchestras perform Stravinsky’s Symphony in Three Movements, Berg’s Violin Concerto with soloist Vilde Frang, and Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra at Alice Tully Hall on August 7, before performing at Royal Albert Hall on August 10.
As in previous seasons, the Juilliard Wind Orchestra performs three concerts and the conductor-less Juilliard Chamber Orchestra makes its annual appearance at Alice Tully Hall.
Vocal Arts
Juilliard’s opera season begins with a double bill of Italian one-act operas in the fall: Rossini’s La scala di seta and Nino Rota’s I due timidi. In addition to his operas, Rota is widely known for his score to The Godfather and the films of Federico Fellini. I due timidi premiered as a radio opera in 1950 before later being staged in London.
Patrick Furrer conducts the Juilliard Orchestra and Juilliard faculty member John Matsumoto Giampietro directs.
Handel’s Agrippina follows in the spring, telling the story of Nero’s mother as she schemes to install her son as emperor. Juilliard’s production will be performed with the Juilliard415 orchestra, conducted by Juilliard alum David Belkovski and directed by Katherine M. Carter.
The matinee performances of all operas will be livestreamed via the Juilliard website.
Students of the Ellen and James S. Marcus Institute for Vocal Arts will also participate in the Liederabend recital series, the annual New York Festival of Song at Juilliard, the annual Vocal Arts Honors Recital, collaborations with Historical Performance and Orchestral Studies, and master classes with visiting artists.
Vocal Arts will also present soprano Kathleen O'Mara in the Alice Tully Vocal Recital at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall in January.
New Music
The music of our time takes center stage throughout the season at Juilliard, with programs featuring modern masterpieces and newly commissioned works, including music for traditional ensembles and projects incorporating emerging technology.
Celebrating its fifth season, The New Series explores contemporary music through interdisciplinary collaboration, co-curated with guest artists who are among today’s leading artistic voices.
The New Series begins as part of the Fall Festival with a celebration of Steve Reich’s 90th birthday, including a performance of Different Trains. The season also includes a theatrical Halloween program, a concert featuring the PRISM Saxophone Quartet performing works by the Juilliard composition department, and the fourth annual Juilliard Pride Songbook celebrating Juilliard’s LGBTQIA+ community.
The AXIOM new music ensemble, led by Jeffrey Milarsky, performs three concerts featuring works such as John Cage’s 4’33”, Olivier Messiaen’s Des canyons aux étoiles ..., and John Adams’ Gnarly Buttons, as well as music by Arlene Sierra, a Juilliard co-commission by chamber music faculty member Curtis Stewart, and the world premiere of a work by AXIOM competition winner Jacky Jiaqi Liu.
The Center for Creative Technology will present the annual weeklong Future Stages Festival in March 2027. Programming includes a mixed-reality experience featuring students and alumni from the Drama, Dance, and Music divisions; Music in Imaginary Spaces, a multimedia concert featuring new works by Juilliard composers; and Sonic Architectures, featuring electro-acoustic masterworks.
Concluding the season is the annual Art of the Score at Film at Lincoln Center, featuring short films from around the world with original music by Juilliard students.
Historical Performance
The Historical Performance program specializes in music from the 17th and 18th centuries. Juilliard415—the school’s period-instrument ensemble—partners with departments across Juilliard throughout the season.
Major projects include:
- A Fall Festival kickoff performance, Shakespeare Restored, led by former faculty member Rachel Podger and featuring Vocal Arts singers in incidental music from Shakespeare productions after the Restoration.
- Bach’s St. Matthew Passion with Yale Schola Cantorum, conducted by Grete Pedersen, with performances in New York City and at Yale.
- Handel’s Messiah, performed by Juilliard415, TENET Vocal Artists, and the Juilliard Community Chorus.
- Music curated by Juilliard Arnhold Creative Associate and Carnegie Hall Debs Composer’s Chair Caroline Shaw as part of the Carnegie Hall Presents Juilliard at Zankel Hall series.
- The annual Music Before 1800 performance featuring “The Invention of the Orchestra,” with music by Lully, Corelli, and Muffat.
- Chamber music performances at The Frick Collection and Metropolitan Museum of Art featuring Italian, German, and French Baroque repertoire.
Historical Performance students will also participate in an exchange collaboration with Schola Cantorum Basel, with performances in both New York and Basel.
Chamber Music and Recitals
Juilliard offers chamber music recitals throughout the year featuring student ensembles performing a broad range of repertoire. Next season includes the annual ChamberFest week in January, with performances and master classes where students perform side-by-side with Juilliard faculty and distinguished guest artists.
Chamber Music Sundays, Wednesdays at One, and chamber music seminars by the Juilliard String Quartet and American Brass Quintet continue to provide performance opportunities for students.
The Daniel Saidenberg Faculty Recital Series features the Juilliard String Quartet in two annual performances at Alice Tully Hall, along with recitals by Juilliard faculty members.
Prize-winning alumni will also make Carnegie Hall debuts next season, including pianist Anthony Ratinov in the Leo B. Ruiz Memorial Recital and violinist Tianyou Ma in the Gerschen Cohen Violin Recital.
The annual Lisa Arnhold Memorial Recital returns to Weill Hall in May with the Dönum Quartet, Juilliard’s new graduate string quartet.
Tickets and Support
Tickets to all 2026–27 season events go on sale to the public on Monday, June 15. Members receive exclusive presale access, with Ovation Society members able to purchase tickets beginning Monday, June 1, and Juilliard Association members beginning Monday, June 8. Programs can be viewed on the Juilliard performance calendar.
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