A Space for Sound: Introducing the 2026-27 Season

The first whispers of spring are in the air, and with that comes the annual unveiling of the Minnesota's Orchestra's upcoming season of concerts. The 2026-27 season marks your favorite hometown band's 124th year of music-making and Thomas Søndergård's fourth as music director —and it’s absolutely packed from beginning to end with musical moments meant to delight you, no matter what type of music you love. Read on to learn all that we have in store for you.

Classical Concert Highlights

Season Opening Celebrations

We'll kick everything off with two weeks of season opening concerts in September and October. The first set, September 25-26, 2026, featuring Vadym Kholodenko playing Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 2, opens with George Walker's Icarus in Orbit and—extending the flight theme—culminates in Igor Stravinsky's complete ballet The Firebird. Stravinsky's work will be visually brought to life as part of the Sound Unbound (see below for more details) series through evocative video, graphics and lighting by London-based creative designer Tal Rosner.

Søndergård's second set of concerts, October 1-3, feature Stefan Jackiw in Mozart's brilliant Violin Concerto No. 5, Turkish, bookended by Gabriela Smith's evocative nature-scape Tumblebird Contrails—which she describes as "imagining the ecstasy of wind in the wings"—and Prokofiev's penultimate symphony, the powerful Sixth.

Søndergård's Signatures – with a twist!

The new season sees the return of many of Thomas Søndergård's signature artistic projects that have unveiled his vision for the Orchestra over the last three years with new twists and fun surprises in store.

Sound Unbound

Søndergård's love for opera will be on full display with the debut of the Sound Unbound series, a multi-year initiative that will offer highly visual, creative experiences in the concert hall. On May 6 and 8, 2027, Søndergård leads the Orchestra, an all-star cast including soprano Ailyn Pérez, tenor Joshua Guerrero, baritone Gevorg Hakobyan and the Minnesota Chorale in Tosca, one of Puccini's most revered operas. Creative director Adam Larsen will incorporate lighting design and digital projections to create a deeply atmospheric, highly immersive experience for concertgoers.

Nordic Soundscapes

This season, the cozy hygge vibes of the Nordic Soundscapes festival arrive in November, just as winter begins to encroach on the Twin Cities. For the first time, Thomas Søndergård shares the conducting spotlight for the festival with fellow Nordic music specialist Conductor Laureate Osmo Vänskä, as they each tackle a program that explores northern Europe's music of the past and present. The festival opens November 5-7 with Søndergård leading selections from Grieg's Norwegian Dances and Sibelius' sweeping Symphony No. 2, while pianist Jon Kimura Parker performs Swedish composer Anders Hillborg's Piano Concerto No. 2, MAX.

When Vänskä takes the podium, November 13-14, it is to lead Stella Chen in the Violin Concerto of Vänskä's late friend, Finnish composer Jaakko Kuusisto, as well as Outi Tarkiainen's Songs of the Ice and Carl Nielsen's Symphony No. 6.

Want to share that hygge fun with the whole family? For the first time, Nordic Soundscapes will feature a Family Concert. Led by Søndergård on Sunday, November 8, it spotlights The Musical Tales of Hans Christian Andersen.

Future Classics

Last April, Thomas Søndergård led his first Composer Institute concert to a packed house full of audiences who had come to hear four brand-new works from four up-and-coming composers. In April 2027, the Composer Institute returns with more emerging young talents, who will again be mentored by Søndergård and Institute Director composer Kevin Puts. Their music will be heard in the culminating Future Classics concert alongside a newly commissioned work by 2025 Institute alumnus Soomin Kim.

Symphonic Masterpieces: Brahms, Marsalis, Mahler and More

Thomas Søndergård's affinity for Brahms will come to light in a March 18-20, 2027, program featuring the German composer's Third Symphony and First Piano Concerto, performed by Grammy Award-winning piano phenomenon Daniil Trifonov, who returns to the Minnesota Orchestra for the first time in over a decade.

To round out the season, Søndergård will conduct a range of eclectic works including Rachmaninoff's rarely performed choral symphony The Bells featuring soprano Felicia Moore, tenor John Matthew Myers and the Minnesota Chorale (March 12-13, 2027); Wynton Marsalis' recently premiered Concerto for Orchestra on a program that also features pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason making her Minnesota Orchestra debut in Gershwin's Concerto in F (May 13-15, 2027); and Mahler's magnificent Symphony No. 5 (June 10-12, 2027).

A World of Guest Artists

The 2026-27 season is home to a world of guest artists who will bring their unique musical perspectives to Orchestra Hall—some in their debut appearances with the Orchestra, and some who have become long-time favorites. 

Making their MinnOrch debuts are violinists Himari and Veronika Eberle. Himari—hailed as a once-in-a-generation talent who became the youngest student ever to be admitted into the Curtis Institute in 2022—will be joined in the Glazunov Violin Concerto (October 16-17, 2026) alongside debuting guest conductor Kahchun Wong. Munich-based Veronika Eberle, in another duo debut with guest conductor Anja Bihlmaier, brings Karl Amadeus Hartmann’s Concerto funebre, written in reaction to the outbreak of World War II, to Orchestra Hall on April 9-10, 2027. 

Returning guest artists include pianist Simon Trpčeski performing Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 2 (October 22-23, 2026); mezzo Sasha Cooke singing Elgar’s oceanic song cycle Sea Pictures (November 19-20, 2026); cellist Johannes Moser performing Anna Thorvaldsottir’s new critically acclaimed concerto Before we fall (January 8-9, 2027) alongside conductor David Afkham; Hannu Lintu conducts John Corigliano’s watershed Symphony No. 1, a musical memorial to friends lost in the AIDS epidemic, in a program also featuring Tchaikovsky’s beloved violin concerto with violinist Sergey Khachatyran in late January 2027, and in February, pianist Alice Sara Ott brings her trademark dynamism to bear in Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G under the direction of Marta Gardolińska.

MinnOrch Hits the Road

In early February, Søndergård and the Orchestra are packing their bags for the West Coast for their first multi-city domestic tour since Søndergård became music director. They’ll be joined at the McCallum Theater in Palm Desert (February 5-6, 2027) and the Granada Theater in Santa Barbara (February 7, 2027) by violinist Augustin Hadelich, who will perform Prokofiev’s First Violin Concerto. The fire and water-themed program also features Thomas Adès’ Inferno Suite based on his Dante ballet, continues with Benjamin Britten’s Passacaglia from Peter Grimes and ends with Debussy’s La Mer. Don’t fret, you’ll be able to catch all the music at Orchestra Hall with hometown audiences on February 11-13, 2027.

MinnOrch Musicians in the Spotlight

The talent in the Minnesota Orchestra runs deep, and nothing proves that more than when our own musicians step into the solo spotlight to make music with their colleagues. In 2026-27, audiences will enjoy the musical stylings of many principal players, including First Associate Concertmaster Susie Park interpreting Szymanowski’s Violin Concerto No. 2 in her first solo concerto collaboration with Thomas Søndergård (March 12-13, 2027); Concertmaster Erin Keefe tackling the immense demands of Shostakovich Violin Concerto No. 1 (April 1-2, 2027); Principal Cello Anthony Ross portraying the voice of King Solomon through his instrument in Bloch’s Schlemomo: Rhapsodie hébraïque and Principal Bassoon Fei Xie introducing Minnesota audiences to Kevin Puts’ recent Bassoon Concerto (June 3-4, 2027), as part of Minnesota Orchestra co-commission.

Chamber Music

 The talent of individual musicians will also shine in a series of three chamber music concerts programmed and performed by Orchestra musicians. Held in the Lindahl Auditorium at Orchestra Hall, the concerts will take place on October 25, 2026 (featuring pianist Simon Trpčeski alongside Minnesota Orchestra musicians in the Brahms’ Piano Quartet No. 3); January 24, 2027 (featuring works by Barriere, Britten, Fisher and Beethoven) and April 11, 2027 (featuring works by Dvořák, Bacewicz and Schubert).

This Is Minnesota Orchestra

 The Orchestra will continue to offer livestreamed concerts and digital extras as part of its Emmy Award-winning This Is Minnesota Orchestra series; the specific 2026-27 concerts to be broadcast will be announced at a later date. 

Additionally, Minnesota Orchestra Friday evening classical concerts will be broadcast regionally on YourClassical MPR stations, continuing a longtime partnership with Minnesota Public Radio. Check out our YouTube channel for past episodes and more exclusive content—all for free!

Live at Orchestra Hall

The Live at Orchestra Hall series presents thrilling performances and collaborations with popular artists from across genres, films presented live in concert and musical celebrations of a wide variety of holidays. The season is curated and primarily conducted by Sarah Hicks, the Orchestra's Principal Conductor of Live at Orchestra Hall. 

U.S. Banks Movies & Music

Our popular movies and music programming presents live performances of film scores while the major motion pictures are screened in high definition above the stage. The series launches with Star Wars: Return of the Jedi in four October 2026 performances, followed by Vertigo, Alfred Hitchcock’s classic thriller with a harrowing score from Bernard Herrmann for Halloween weekend. Sarah Hicks leads DreamWorks’ How to Train Your Dragon (the original 2010 animated version) over Thanksgiving weekend, and in January 2027 the multi-Academy Award-winning 1984 epic Amadeus brings the magnificence of Mozart to Orchestra Hall in three performances that will also feature the Minnesota Chorale. The Chorale joins the Orchestra again in May 2027 performances of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in Concert™, the third film in the series and the last to be scored by John Williams. Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster Jaws, featuring another unforgettable score by Williams, comes to Orchestra Hall in June 2027.

Holiday Concerts

Every year, Orchestra Hall comes to life with the magic of the holidays from a wide range of traditions. The Orchestra’s holiday offerings in December 2026 begin with A Charlie Brown Christmas: Live at the Symphony on December 8-9, featuring actors, big screen animations and Vince Guaraldi's score that will bring the beloved Peanuts characters to life. The featured holiday film is Home Alone in Concert, spotlighting the Minnesota Boychoir in four performances, December 11-13. Conductor Jane Glover returns December 18-19 for performances of Handel’s Messiah, featuring soprano Lauren Snouffer, mezzo Clara Osowski, tenor Eric Ferring, bass-baritone Michael Sumuel and the Minnesota Chorale. Orchestra trumpeter Charles Lazarus and his brass ensemble bring a jazzy holiday vibe in Merry & Bright on Sunday, December 20, and the season concludes with A New Year’s Celebration, December 31-January 1, 2027, featuring Principal Harp Cheryl Losey Feder in dances by Debussy. Led by Carlos Miguel Prieto, the celebratory program concludes with Ravel’s Boléro to welcome the new year. 

Holiday celebrations are interwoven through the spring season as well. The Orchestra will mark its sixth annual Lunar New Year concert on February 19, 2027, toasting the Year of the Goat in a concert led by new associate conductor Molly Turner and featuring liuqin soloist Yang Ge. Conductor Kellen Gray leads the Orchestra’s fifth annual Juneteenth concert on June 17, 2027, spotlighting vocalist Imani-Grace Cooper.

Musical Stars

 An array of stars from a variety of genres will grace the Orchestra Hall stage in 2026-27 including: trumpeter Wynton Marsalis with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (October 13, 2026); Ben Folds joins with his impressive song catalogue on October 24, 2026; Andrew Bird celebrates the 20th anniversary of his album The Mysterious Production of Eggs with lush orchestrations (November 21, 2026); jazz talent Samara Joy makes her MinnOrch debut (February 27, 2027); boundary-pushing alt-rockers Guster reimagine their music for full orchestra (March 5-6, 2027); music from Wicked, Dear Evan Hansen, Hamilton and more comes to life with 21st-Century Broadway (April 17, 2027); Hamilton star Leslie Odom, Jr. brings Broadway and the American songbook on June 5, 2027; Steve Hackman returns for his genre-bending mashup of Beethoven x Beyoncé (June 25, 2027) and Thorgy Thor, violinist and drag performance artist best known for her appearances on RuPaul’s Drag Race and the self-proclaimed “Queen of Classical Music” brings big laughs and theatrics on June 26, 2027.

Education and Family Concerts

Education and Family Concerts

Our Young People's Concerts have been a mainstay since 1911 and are designed for students in grade 1-6, providing field trips for students across the state. Across the 2026-27 season, the Orchestra presents three distinct programs including Peter and Wolf (October 2026), Under the Red Lanterns (February 2027) and Philharmonia Fantastique (April 2027).

The 2026-27 season also features two Family Concerts. Led by Søndergård, the first shares the Musical Tales of Hans Christian Andersen (November 2026) and the second, conducted by Molly Turner, celebrates the Lunar New Year in Under the Red Lanterns (February 2027). Both are presented as one-hour programs designed for young audiences and individuals with autism or sensory sensitivities.

The Orchestra will also offer three small ensemble Sensory Friendly Concerts in the intimate space of the Target Atrium, hosted by music therapist Lyndie Walker. Programs are scheduled for October 17, 2026, March 20, 2027, and May 18, 2027.