Symphony San Jose Unveils 2026-2027 Season

Symphony San Jose has revealed its 2026/2027 season, one that will mark such historic milestones as the 25th anniversary of the Symphony, the 100th anniversary of the California Theatre, and the 150th anniversary of the first orchestral performance presented in San Jose.

Entering its fifth year under the Massey’s leadership, the South Bay’s premier orchestral ensemble continues to grow, presenting 43 performances from October 2026 to June 2027. The season will include the Symphony’s trademark blend of classical masterpieces, newer discoveries, light classics, pops, ballet, and education programs. Highlights include the addition of a December ‘classics’ program, a second fully staged ballet in partnership with New Ballet, the Symphony’s first use of the California Theatre’s Mighty Wurlitzer organ, and the introduction of a one-hour family concert: My Very First Symphony. The Symphony’s flagship education program, Students at the Symphony, expands to four performances, and the film series returns with a 50th anniversary presentation of Star Wars: A New Hope, performed live in concert at the Center for the Performing Arts.

The New World “America at 250”

October 3 & 4, 2026
Ken-David Masur, conductor / Joyce Yang, piano

Aaron Copland — Billy the Kid Suite
Jonathan Leshnoff — Rhapsody on America (co-commissioned by Symphony San Jose)
Antonín Dvořák — Symphony No. 9 (“From the New World”)

Symphonic Spooktacular “Heroes and Villains”

October 24 & 25, 2026
Peter Jaffe, conductor / Bianca Orsi, vocalist

Program to Include:
Gioachino Rossini — William Tell Overture
Richard Wagner — Ride of the Valkyries
Charles Gounod — Funeral March of a Marionette
Paul Dukas — The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Themes from Batman, Spiderman, and much more

Merry Mozart

December 5 & 6, 2026
Nathan Aspinall, conductor

Richard Wagner — Siegfried Idyll
Ottorino Respighi — Trittico Botticelliano
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart — Symphony No. 39

Holiday Spectacular

December 12 & 13, 2026
Elena Sharkova, conductor / Symphony San Jose Chorale / Cantabile Youth Singers / New Ballet

Program to Include:
Beloved holiday classics, heartwarming carols, dazzling dance numbers, audience sing-alongs, and the ever-popular Twelve Days of Silicon Valley

The San Jose Nutcracker

December 19 – 27, 2026
New Ballet / Dalia Rawson, choreographer / Thomas Shoebotham, conductor

Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky — The Nutcracker

My Very First Nutcracker

December 20, 22, 23, & 27, 2026
New Ballet / Dalia Rawson, choreographer / Thomas Shoebotham, conductor

Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky — The Nutcracker (Act 1)

Pictures at an Exhibition

January 23 & 24, 2027
Tatsuya Shimono, conductor / Jon Nakamatsu, piano

Michael Daugherty — American Gothic
Maurice Ravel — Piano Concerto in G Major
Modest Mussorgsky — Pictures at an Exhibition

Concerto for Orchestra

March 6 & 7, 2027
Jose Luis Gomez, conductor / Marshall Gilkes, trombone / Monique Hafen Adams, narrator

Benjamin Britten — The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra
Marshall Gilkes — Trombone Concerto
Béla Bartók — Concerto for Orchestra

My Very First Symphony

March 7, 2027

Benjamin Britten — The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra

Star Wars: A New Hope – Film in Concert

April 10 & 11, 2027
Ryan Murray, conductor

Presented at the Center for the Performing Arts, 255 Almaden Blvd, San Jose, CA.

The Mighty Organ

May 8 & 9, 2027
Anna Rakitina, conductor / Margaret Kvamme, organ

Caroline Shaw — Entr’acte
Francis Poulenc — Organ Concerto
Camille Saint-Saëns — Symphony No. 3 (“Organ”)

Sleeping Beauty

May 22 & 23, 2027
New Ballet / Dalia Rawson, choreographer / Thomas Shoebotham, conductor

Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky — The Sleeping Beauty

My Very First Ballet

May 22 & 23, 2027

Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky — The Sleeping Beauty (reduced one-hour version)

Ode to Joy

June 5 & 6, 2027
Nathan Aspinall, conductor / Emily Birsan, soprano / Anna Laurenzo, mezzo-soprano / Ben Gulley, tenor / Enrico Lagasca, bass / Symphony San Jose Chorale

Leonard Bernstein — Chichester Psalms
Ludwig van Beethoven — Symphony No. 9 (“Choral”)

Unless otherwise noted, all performances will be held at the California Theatre, 345 S First Street, San Jose, CA.