Josh Groban, Brian Stokes Mitchell and More Set for Philadephia Orchestra Season at SPAC
Philadelphia Orchestra Music and Artistic Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin will return to the podium to anchor SPAC’s 60th anniversary season with Beethoven’s Ninth.
Saratoga Performing Arts Center will welcome back The Philadelphia Orchestra for a three-week summer residency from August 5–22 as part of its celebratory 60th anniversary season. Led by Music and Artistic Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin, the season pairs classical masterworks with SPAC premieres and performances by world-renowned artists, including Tony, Emmy, and five-time Grammy Award–nominated singer Josh Groban, Grammy Award–nominated indie-folk singer Gregory Alan Isakov, and two-time Tony Award–winning Broadway star Brian Stokes Mitchell.
Highlighting the season is the Philadelphia Orchestra debut of Josh Groban (Aug 14) for a special Stage, Screen, and Symphony program that showcases his versatility, blending musical theater hits, cinema classics, and symphonic arrangements. Heralded as a powerhouse vocalist and dynamic renaissance man, Groban has sold over 35 million albums worldwide, headlined legendary venues on multiple continents, and entertained audiences with acclaimed film and television appearances. His recording catalog spans a series of chart-topping blockbuster albums: Josh Groban, Closer, Noël, Awake, Illuminations, All That Echoes, Stages, Bridges, and his most recent release, Harmony. Groban made his Broadway debut in 2016 with a starring role in Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812, garnering a Tony Award nomination for Best Lead Actor in a Musical. In spring 2023, he took to Broadway once again, playing the title role in the highly anticipated revival of Sweeney Todd, which earned him Tony and Grammy nominations.
Making his highly anticipated SPAC and Philadelphia Orchestra debut to close the season is Grammy Award–nominated indie-folk singer Gregory Alan Isakov (Aug 22). The Johannesburg-born songwriter, beloved for his spare, soul-stirring ballads, brings songs such as “Miles to Go,” “Liars,” “Big Black Car,” and “Amsterdam” to the stage in sweeping orchestral arrangements—lush, cinematic, and deeply intimate. His most recent album, Appaloosa Bones, further showcases his gift for transforming poetic verses into expansive musical moments. Isakov has collaborated with many symphonies, including the Colorado Symphony, as well as the Los Angeles Philharmonic—the latter of which was hailed by the Los Angeles Times as “a singular experience.” This August, Isakov will pair his “relentlessly majestic” (Associated Press) songs with the full power of The Philadelphia Orchestra.
Philadelphia Orchestra Music and Artistic Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin (Aug 15) will return to the podium to anchor SPAC’s 60th anniversary season with Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony featuring a star-studded cast including soprano Leah Hawkins, mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges, tenor Issachah Savage, and bass-baritone Ryan Speedo Green, alongside Albany Pro Musica. The program will open with William Grant Still’s rarely performed Wood Notes, a pastoral orchestral suite inspired by the natural beauty of the American South and the poetry of Joseph Mitchell Pilcher, in its SPAC premiere, as part of SPAC’s and the Orchestra’s ongoing efforts to restore and perform works by underrepresented composers. Continuing the 60th anniversary theme of “Seasons,” the residency will also feature paired performances of The Four Seasons by Vivaldi and The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires by Astor Piazzolla, with concertmaster David Kim (Aug 19) serving as leader and soloist.
Kicking off the season with three performances is Philadelphia Orchestra Principal Guest Conductor Marin Alsop (Aug 5–7), including the popular Tchaikovsky Spectacular program, followed by an evening featuring the SPAC premiere of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 with pianist Jeneba Kanneh-Mason in her SPAC and Orchestra debuts and Mahler’s Symphony No. 1.
Returning for the first time since 2014, two-time Tony Award–winning Broadway star Brian Stokes Mitchell (Aug 7) leads an American Dreams program highlighted by his narration of Aaron Copland’s Lincoln Portrait—a powerful reflection on unity, equality, and democratic responsibility. In honor of America’s 250th anniversary in 2026, the program also draws inspiration from Marian Anderson’s landmark performance of the work at SPAC 50 years ago. The evening features Broadway favorites including “Wheels of a Dream” from Ragtime, in which Mitchell originated the leading role, and concludes with Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9, written during the composer’s time in the United States and inspired by American musical traditions.
Continuing this exploration of American music, New Zealand conductor Gemma New (Aug 20) makes her SPAC debut, leading Gershwin’s An American in Paris paired with Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G and Florence Price’s Piano Concerto in One Movement, performed by pianist Michelle Cann, who also appears on the SPAC stage for the first time.
Also highlighting the season is the return of legendary pianist Emanuel Ax (Aug 13) performing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5, one of the composer’s most iconic works, under the baton of newly appointed Principal Guest Conductor of The Metropolitan Opera Daniele Rustioni (Aug 12–13), making his SPAC debut. On August 12, Rustioni will lead Musorgsky’s Pictures from an Exhibition and Korngold’s Violin Concerto, featuring the SPAC and Orchestra debuts of celebrated violinist Bomsori Kim (Aug 12).
Finally, the popular film nights will return to delight audiences of all ages as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 in Concert (Aug 8) and Star Wars: A New Hope in Concert (Aug 21) are projected on the screens in HD while the Orchestra performs the scores live.
The Philadelphia Orchestra: August 5 – August 22
Wednesday, August 5 at 7:30 PM
Tchaikovsky Spectacular
Marin Alsop, conductor
Tchaikovsky — Symphony No. 5
Tchaikovsky — Romeo and Juliet
Tchaikovsky — 1812 Overture
Thursday, August 6 at 7:30 PM
Mozart & Mahler
Marin Alsop, conductor
Jeneba Kanneh-Mason, piano
Copland — Fanfare for the Common Man
Tower — Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman*
Mozart — Piano Concerto No. 23*
Mahler — Symphony No. 1
Friday, August 7 at 7:30 PM
American Dreams with Brian Stokes Mitchell
Marin Alsop, conductor
Brian Stokes Mitchell, vocalist and narrator
Aleksiychuk — Go Where the Wind Takes You…*
Flaherty — “Wheels of a Dream,” from Ragtime
Copland — Lincoln Portrait
Leigh — “The Impossible Dream,” from Man of La Mancha
Dvořák — Symphony No. 9 (“From the New World”)
Saturday, August 8 at 7:30 PM
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 in Concert
Justin Freer, conductor
Desplat — Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (complete with film)*
Celebrating 25 years of magic, the Harry Potter Film Concert Series returns to SPAC with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 in Concert, the second-to-last film in the Harry Potter series. Justin Freer will lead the Orchestra in performing Alexandre Desplat’s score live while the entire film plays in high-definition on a 40-foot screen.
Winner of the International Film Music Critics Award, World Soundtrack Award, and Satellite Award for Best Original Score, Academy Award–winning composer Alexandre Desplat (The Grand Budapest Hotel, The King’s Speech, Philomena) created a subtle yet richly textured score that transports audiences into the adventures of Harry and his friends as the long-feared wizarding war begins.
All characters and elements © & Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Publishing Rights © JKR. (s26)
Wednesday, August 12 at 7:30 PM
Pictures from an Exhibition with Daniele Rustioni
Daniele Rustioni*, conductor
Bomsori Kim*, violin
Rossini — Overture to Semiramide
Korngold — Violin Concerto
Musorgsky (orch. Ravel) — Pictures from an Exhibition
Thursday, August 13 at 7:30 PM
Emanuel Ax Plays Beethoven
Daniele Rustioni, conductor
Emanuel Ax, piano
Beethoven — Piano Concerto No. 5 (“Emperor”)
Brahms — Symphony No. 1
Friday, August 14 at 7:30 PM
Josh Groban with The Philadelphia Orchestra: Stage, Screen, and Symphony
Josh Groban, vocalist
Tony, Emmy, and five-time Grammy Award–nominated singer, songwriter, actor, and philanthropist Josh Groban possesses one of the most outstanding and instantly recognizable voices in music. A powerhouse vocalist and dynamic renaissance man, he has sold more than 35 million albums worldwide, headlined legendary venues across multiple continents, and appeared in acclaimed film and television projects.
His recording catalog includes a series of chart-topping albums including Josh Groban, Closer, Noël, Awake, Illuminations, All That Echoes, Stages, Bridges, and his most recent release, Harmony. Groban will make his Philadelphia Orchestra debut for this special Stage, Screen, and Symphony program.
Saturday, August 15 at 7:30 PM
Beethoven’s Ninth with Yannick
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor
Leah Hawkins*, soprano
J’Nai Bridges, mezzo-soprano
Issachah Savage*, tenor
Ryan Speedo Green*, bass-baritone
Albany Pro Musica, chorus
Still — Wood Notes*
Beethoven — Symphony No. 9 (“Choral”)
Wednesday, August 19 at 7:30 PM
David Kim Leads The Four Seasons
David Kim, leader and violin
Bach — Air, from Orchestral Suite No. 3
Mozart — Eine kleine Nachtmusik
Vivaldi and Piazzolla — The Four Seasons / The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires
Thursday, August 20 at 7:30 PM
Gershwin’s An American in Paris
Gemma New*, conductor
Michelle Cann*, piano
Montgomery — Strum, for string orchestra
Ravel — Piano Concerto in G major
Price — Piano Concerto in One Movement
Gershwin — An American in Paris
Friday, August 21 at 7:30 PM
Star Wars: A New Hope in Concert
Damon Gupton*, conductor
Williams — Star Wars: A New Hope (with film)
Star Wars: A New Hope in Concert returns to SPAC with a screening of the complete film accompanied live by The Philadelphia Orchestra performing John Williams’ iconic Oscar-winning score.
Since the release of the first Star Wars film nearly 50 years ago, the saga has had a seismic impact on cinema and culture, inspiring audiences around the world with mythic storytelling, unforgettable characters, groundbreaking visual effects, and Williams’ legendary music. Audiences will experience the full scope and grandeur of this beloved film in a live symphonic concert experience.
The presentation is licensed by Disney Concerts.
Saturday, August 22 at 7:30 PM
Gregory Alan Isakov with The Philadelphia Orchestra
Christopher Dragon*, conductor
Gregory Alan Isakov*, vocalist
Gregory Alan Isakov’s devoted fans first fell in love with the singer-songwriter’s spare, soul-stirring songwriting. In this special evening with The Philadelphia Orchestra, songs such as “Miles to Go,” “Liars,” “Big Black Car,” and “Amsterdam” will be transformed into expansive, cinematic soundscapes that are lush, sweeping, and deeply intimate.
Indicates SPAC debut/premiere.
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