The Philadelphia Orchestra Reveals Summer 2026 Season Across Philadelphia and Beyond
Highlights include live-to-film screenings of THE WIZARD OF OZ and a free Pride concert at the Kimmel Center.
From bringing three new programs to Center City to returning to beloved summer homes at Highmark Mann Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia; the Bravo! Vail Music Festival in Vail, Colorado; and the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) in Saratoga Springs, New York, The Philadelphia Orchestra has something in store for everyone this summer.
The summer 2026 season will celebrate the Orchestra's 125th anniversary and America's 250th birthday while showcasing the ensemble's ingenuity, versatility, and authenticity. Visionary new works, classical masterpieces, iconic films in concert, and collaborations with world renowned guest artists will make up a summer of music that will delight, connect, and inspire audiences in Philadelphia and beyond. The Philadelphia Orchestra will also bring its award-winning education programs to Highmark Mann and the Saratoga Performing Arts Center throughout the summer.
“At the heart of The Philadelphia Orchestra's mission is our goal to share the transformative power of music with the widest audience possible,” said Ryan Fleur, president and CEO of The Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts. “For over a century, The Philadelphia Orchestra has believed that great music should be accessible to everyone, and our summer programming is one of the most powerful expressions of that belief. We've had the privilege of bringing the 'Philadelphia Sound' to the Highmark Mann Center for the Performing Arts for 50 years, the Saratoga Performing Arts Center for 60 years, and the Bravo! Vail Music Festival for 19 seasons. These residencies, and our new summer programs at the Kimmel Center, allow us to connect with new and returning audiences through programs that push the boundaries of what orchestral music can be, who it can serve, and what it can accomplish—proving summer after summer that this experience belongs to everyone.”
Highmark Mann Center for the Performing Arts | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Highmark Mann Center for the Performing Arts has been an anchor of Philadelphia's arts scene since its opening in 1976, and The Philadelphia Orchestra has been an integral part of that 50-year history. The Orchestra will celebrate this partnership with iconic pieces from the classical repertoire, new works, cherished traditions, film concerts under the stars, and a tribute to a jazz legend.
The season opens with a historic civic occasion: the world premiere of A Hundred Years On, an oratorio about the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. Commissioned by Highmark Mann to celebrate America's 250th birthday, GRAMMY–nominated composer Peter Boyer and Pulitzer Prize– and GRAMMY Award–winning librettist Mark Campbell's new piece will be led by conductor Anthony Parnther and will feature sopranos Mary Dunleavy and Meredith Lustig, mezzo-soprano Eve Gigliotti, tenor David Portillo, baritone Malcolm J. Merriweather, and chamber choir The Crossing alongside the Orchestra (June 17).
It's been 50 years since music first echoed through the amphitheater at Highmark Mann. To mark the occasion and honor the magic of that Opening Night in 1976, Principal Guest Conductor Marin Alsop will lead the Orchestra in timeless works by Beethoven, Ravel, and Holst (June 18). Keeping with the classics, the beloved Tchaikovsky Spectacular returns to Highmark Mann this year under the baton of conductor Xian Zhang—complete with an epic fireworks display against the Philadelphia skyline at the end of the evening (July 21).
The Orchestra and conductor Edwin Outwater will celebrate the 100th anniversary of jazz legend John Coltrane's birth with a special tribute to the towering musician titled Coltrane 100: Legacy. Coltrane's multitalented son, saxophonist Ravi Coltrane, will join the monumental celebration of his father (July 22).
The Orchestra will perform the scores to two iconic films live as the movie plays on the big screen under the stars at Highmark Mann: Disney's The Lion King In Concert will delight listeners of all ages (June 20), and the Empire retaliates against the Rebel Alliance following the destruction of the Death Star in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back In Concert (July 24), both with conductor Damon Gupton at the podium.
For the eighth year, the Orchestra will partner with Highmark Mann and the School District of Philadelphia to support the Albert M. Greenfield All City Orchestra Summer Academy (ACOSA), providing master classes with musicians of the Orchestra for students enrolled in the program. Additionally, Highmark Mann will host a Cello PlayIN, inviting musicians from around the region to play alongside members of the Orchestra in a performance open to the public (July 21).
Marian Anderson Hall at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Philadelphia Orchestra is bringing music to Center City throughout the summer of 2026, offering a break from the heat of the summer, where audiences can step into the cool, inviting concert hall and be transported to Oz or listen to the signature four-note motif that begins Beethoven's Fifth Symphony.
Conductor Steven Reineke will lead live-to-film performances of The Wizard of Oz, which has been brilliantly re-mastered for an experience at the Orchestra like no other. These performances will combine the groundbreaking visuals of the MGM Studio classic with the world-renowned sound of The Philadelphia Orchestra, transporting generations of audience members to Oz (June 26–27).
Drag superstar Trixie Mattel will host The Philadelphia Orchestra's fifth annual FREE Pride Concert in Marian Anderson Hall at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. Led by conductor Carolyn Kuan, the concert will celebrate the Philadelphia region's LGBTQ+ community through a program rooted in joy, love, strength, and belonging. The program features the ANNA Crusis Feminist Choir, Philadelphia Gay Men's Chorus, Philadelphia Voices of Pride, the Transcendent Choir of Philadelphia, and cast members from the touring production of The Notebook. Free tickets are currently sold out; those interested can sign up to be notified if additional tickets become available (June 30).
Mozart and Beethoven are arguably the two most well-known composers of all time—their works have withstood the test of time and technology, resonating with audiences centuries after they were written. Assistant Conductor Naomi Woo will lead two concerts showcasing some of Mozart and Beethoven's most popular works. All Mozart features the Overture to The Marriage of Figaro, the Symphony No. 41 (“Jupiter”), and several opera arias with soprano Emma Marhefka (July 31), and All Beethoven brings his Coriolan Overture, Piano Concerto No. 1 with Aristo Sham, and iconic Symphony No. 5 to the stage (August 1).
Bravo! Vail Music Festival | Vail, Colorado
The Orchestra will perform six concerts at the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater in the serene Rocky Mountains as part of the ensemble's 19th year at the Bravo! Vail Music Festival. Music and Artistic Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin will lead the first three performances of the residency, beginning with works by Brahms and Liszt and featuring pianist Marc-André Hamelin performing Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 2 (July 10). Augustin Hadelich joins Nézet-Séguin and the Orchestra to perform Brahms's Violin Concerto the following evening, and the Orchestra will celebrate its 125th anniversary with Jennifer Higdon's Concerto for Orchestra, a piece that was commissioned by The Philadelphia Orchestra and given its premiere by the ensemble in 2002 (July 11). Nézet-Séguin's final concert in the Rockies this season brings the mighty, joyful sound of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony to the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater with a host of incredible soloists, including soprano Leah Hawkins, mezzo-soprano Eve Gigliotti, tenor Issachah Savage, and baritone Joshua Hopkins. Beethoven's Ninth will be paired with Terence Blanchard's Orchestral Suite from Fire Shut Up in My Bones, another work the Orchestra commissioned and gave the world premiere of (July 12).
Principal Guest Conductor Marin Alsop will lead two programs in Vail. The first features 13-year-old prodigy Himari performing Sibelius's Violin Concerto on a program also featuring John Adams's The Rock You Stand On—a piece co-commissioned by the Orchestra and written specifically for Alsop that the Orchestra gave the world premiere of in 2025—and excerpts from Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet (July 15). Pianist Aristo Sham joins Alsop and the Orchestra for a performance of Mendelssohn's Piano Concerto No. 1 the following evening (July 16).
The Philadelphia Orchestra will wrap up its 19th season at Bravo! Vail with a live-to-film performance of selections from Disney's Fantasia, continuing the ensemble's celebration of its 125th anniversary with Colorado audiences. The Orchestra and Music Director Leopold Stokowski made movie history by playing the soundtrack to the landmark animated film, originally released in 1940. It has since introduced multiple generations to classical music. Conductor Aram Demirjian will lead this classic score and film in an evening fit for the whole family (July 13).
Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) | Saratoga Springs, New York
The Philadelphia Orchestra will conclude its summer residencies with three weeks in Saratoga Springs, New York, where they will be joined by Music and Artistic Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Principal Guest Conductor Marin Alsop, and a host of special guests for 12 performances throughout August in celebration of SPAC's 60th anniversary.
Alsop kicks off the residency with the annual Tchaikovsky Spectacular, culminating in a celebratory fireworks display (August 5). Pianist Jeneba Kanneh-Mason joins Alsop and the Orchestra for a night of Mozart and Mahler, performing Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23 with the Philadelphians (August 6). Broadway legend Brian Stokes Mitchell takes the SPAC stage for an unforgettable evening of music and meaning—from singing the soaring sounds of Ragtime's “Wheels of a Dream” to narrating Copland's iconic Lincoln Portrait, Mitchell brings his incomparable talents to a program that also features the Orchestra performing Dvořák's Symphony No. 9 (August 7). Concluding the first week of performances at SPAC is a live-to-film performance of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 with conductor Justin Freer, continuing the Orchestra's cycle through the blockbuster movie series in upstate New York (August 8).
The Orchestra's second week at SPAC is marked by epic collaborations and a joyful performance led by Nézet-Séguin. Daniele Rustioni leads the first two concerts of the week: first, Bomsori Kim performs Korngold's Violin Concerto (August 12), then, Emanuel Ax continues his celebration of 50 years of musical friendship with The Philadelphia Orchestra with a performance of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 (August 13). Josh Groban will perform his Stage, Screen, and Symphony concert experience that combines the magic of Broadway with the power of film and the grandeur of the Orchestra—plus, the concert will bring to life selections from Groban's newest album, Cinematic (August 14). For the final performance of the Orchestra's second week at SPAC, Nézet-Séguin brings world renowned soloists Leah Hawkins, J'Nai Bridges, Issachah Savage, Ryan Speedo Green, and the Albany Pro Musica chorus together for a transcendent performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony (August 15).
The final week of the Orchestra's summer residency at SPAC begins with a musical tour of all four seasons as Concertmaster David Kim leads the Orchestra and fills the role of soloist in Vivaldi's The Four Seasons and Piazzolla's The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires (August 19). Conductor Gemma New and pianist Michelle Cann join the Orchestra for dazzling performances of Ravel's Piano Concerto in G major and Florence Price's Piano Concerto in One Movement on a program also featuring Gershwin's An American in Paris (August 20). A galaxy far, far away is brought to Saratoga for the Orchestra's penultimate performance of the summer season as conductor Damon Gupton leads a live-to-film performance of Star Wars: A New Hope (August 21). The final concert at SPAC will combine the songwriting skills and musical talents of Gregory Alan Isakov with the lush “Philadelphia Sound,” giving songs like “Miles to Go,” “Liars,” “Big Black Car,” and “Amsterdam” an expansive, sweeping soundscape as the famed balladeer closes the Orchestra's summer 2026 season (August 22).
SPAC will host a Brass PlayIN (August 20) and a Sound All Around (August 16). Sound All Around is a sensory-friendly introduction to the Orchestra for the littlest of listeners, ages 2–6.
Videos
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Antigone Bristol Riverside Theatre (2/02-2/21) |
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