Symphony San Jose Unveils 2026-2027 Season
The season will mark the 150th anniversary of the first orchestral performance presented in San Jose.
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.
Programs and Artists Subject to Change.
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The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark SPARC (7/03-7/26) |
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"In A Memory Palace" Z Space (7/30-8/01) PHOTOS |
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Iphigenia in Splott Shotgun Players Ashby Stage (7/25-8/30) |
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The Marsh Berkeley, 2120 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA The Marsh Berkeley (7/10-8/07) |
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The 1940s Radio Hour City Lights Theater Company (11/19-12/20) |
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Theresa Donahoe’s All the Great New Things to Come The Marsh (8/13-8/15) |
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Abbey Glover’s I’m a Businessman, Man The Marsh (8/15-8/16) |
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PRESENT LAUGHTER ORINDA STARLIGHT VILLAGE PLAYERS (7/24-8/15) PHOTOS |
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Mamma Mia! San Jose Center for the Performing Arts (6/08-6/13) |
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The Rocky Horror Picture Show Spooktacular Tour with Barry Bostwick Curran Theatre (10/11-10/11) |