Feb 2026

Media Contacts:

Mark Champion

Communications Manager

Office: 402.661.8422

mchampion@omahasymphony.org

OMAHA SYMPHONY ANNOUNCES PROGRAMMING FOR

2026/27 SEASON

• A plethora of guest artists and conductors join the orchestra,

including Principal Guest Conductor JoAnn Falletta, pianist Joyce

Yang, soprano Laquita Mitchell and more

• Highlights of the season’s orchestral repertoire includes

Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances, Sibelius’ Symphony No. 2, and

Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, performed with River City Mixed

Chorus

• Innovative popular programming includes the award-winning music

of John Williams, a collaboration with local classic rock band Pet

Rock, and top national talent like Cody Fry, Capathia Jenkins and

Pink Martini

• Five full-length feature films will be screened with the score played

live by the orchestra, including Disney’s The Muppet Christmas

Carol, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, The Wizard of Oz, Tim

Burton’s A Nightmare Before Christmas and the first film from the

Harry Potter franchise.

OMAHA, NE. February 16, 2026 — The Omaha Symphony has announced 52 mainstage

performances between September 2026 and June 2027, which include Masterworks,

Symphony Joslyn, LIVE with the Omaha Symphony, and Family Series, as well as the

annual Choral Collaborative program in partnership with area high schools. Season

ticket subscription packages are on sale now, and single tickets will go on sale in

August.

As part of a continuing commitment to providing broad access to our programming for

music lovers in Omaha and around the globe, in 2026/27 the Omaha Symphony will

also present a variety of community and education-focused programming, as well as

concert recordings available to watch for free on its digital platform Omaha Symphony

Anywhere.

View the entire 2026/27 Omaha Symphony Season at the bottom of this release or on

the Omaha Symphony website, omahasymphony.org

To access images and information regarding the 2026/27 Season, visit our press kit here: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo...

“Our 2026/27 Season is a powerful testament to the Omaha Symphony’s commitment

to vibrant and innovative programming," Omaha Symphony President and CEO

Jennifer Boomgaarden Daoud said. "We are excited to welcome back Maestro JoAnn

Falletta to conduct three concerts on the classical series at the Holland Center and The

Joslyn, including season finale performances of Beethoven’s Ninth. The popular ‘LIVE

with the Omaha Symphony’ series features an array of acclaimed artists including

Cody Fry and Pink Martini, as well as the thrilling experience of hearing our orchestra

perform musical scores live-to-picture for five iconic feature films. This will be a season

full of highlights, and we can’t wait to share it with our community.”

Principal Guest Conductor & Artistic Advisor JoAnn Falletta said,

“I am thrilled to build upon our success of last season with programming which excites

and inspires in so many ways. We have great momentum,” Falletta said. “This next

journey of ours begins with a performance I am conducting and very much looking

forward to: our Season-opening Masterworks concert with GRAMMY-nominated

pianist Joyce Yang performing Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F in September.”

Season Programming:

Programming for the 2026/27 Season features the greatest composers, well-known

classical works, world-renowned guest artists, and beloved popular music, all presented

with an eye toward unlimited innovation.

Masterworks:

As a mission-driven non-profit organization, the Omaha Symphony will continue to

reinvigorate the beloved repertoire of the orchestral artform in its Masterworks Series.

The list of esteemed conductors includes Omaha Symphony Principal Guest Conductor

& Artistic Advisor JoAnn Falletta, returning faces like Music Director of the West

Virginia Symphony Orchestra Maurice Cohn, Music Director of the Modesto

Symphony Nicholas Hersh, and Music Director of the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra

Earl Lee, as well as Anna Rakitina, who will make her Omaha debut.

Maestro JoAnn Falletta will launch our Masterworks programming when she leads the

Omaha Symphony at Falletta Conducts Gershwin & Strauss, a program featuring pianist

Joyce Yang performing Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F. The Masterworks series also

showcases Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances, explores the triumphant adventure of

Sibelius’ Second Symphony, highlights Concertmaster Susanna Perry Gilmore in

Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 1, and ends with a grand finale: Beethoven’s Ninth

Symphony, presented in collaboration with River City Mixed Chorus. Worldrenowned guest soloists include pianist Carter Johnson performing de Falla’s Nights in

the Gardens of Spain, soprano Laquita Mitchell singing Mozart’s Exsultate Jubilate

and Mahler’s Symphony No. 4, and many more.

Symphony Joslyn:

The Omaha Symphony’s chamber music series returns to The Joslyn’s Witherspoon

Hall for the 2026/27 Season! This series showcases the vast array of repertoire and

depth of soloistic talent that the orchestra has to offer.

In its 2026/27 Season, this series explores repertoire spanning centuries with highlights

including Bartók’s Divertimento, Schubert's Symphony No. 4, Mendelssohn’s

Symphony No. 4, “Italian,” and more. Guest conductors invited to take the podium in

this series include JoAnn Falletta, Tucson Symphony Orchestra Music Director José

Luis Gomez, Lee Mills, Jonathan Taylor Rush, and Katharina Wincor. Associate

Concertmaster Ahra Cho and Associate Principal Viola Tyler Sieh will perform

together as soloists, and Associate Principal Cello Gregory Clinton, Principal Trumpet

Scott Quackenbush, are also featured on other programs.

LIVE with the Omaha Symphony:

Beyond the traditional classical programming offered in the Masterworks and

Symphony Joslyn series, the Symphony is proud to present the “LIVE with the Omaha

Symphony” Series to encompass popular music and dynamic performers you know and

love, sharing the stage with our world-class orchestra.

The Omaha Symphony will continue to present pop and rock hits, along with other

unique stage performances, including five feature films with a live orchestra.

This year’s LIVE with the Omaha Symphony programming kicks off with The Awardwinning Music of John Williams, which invites audiences to experience the

composer’s legendary film scores like never before. Other highlights of this series

include concerts with genre-blurring big band Pink Martini, orchestral pop

singer/songwriter Cody Fry and local ‘70s rock band Pet Rock. The Machine joins the

orchestra to perform the music of Pink Floyd, and Capathia Jenkins sings at Clouds in

My Coffee, a program featuring the music of Joni Mitchell, Carole King, and Carly

Simon.

Of course, the Physicians Mutual Omaha Symphony Christmas Celebration returns to

spread cheer from December 10 through 13.

Also, under the LIVE with the Omaha Symphony umbrella are concerts of movie

music. This season, the Symphony will offer five film experiences in 2026/27, with the

scores played live as the films are shown on the big screen: Tim Burton’s The

Nightmare Before Christmas, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone™ in Concert,

Disney’s The Muppet Christmas Carol in Concert, and The Wizard of Oz, and Star

Wars: The Empire Strikes Back in Concert.

WIZARDING WORLD and all related trademarks, characters, names, and indicia are © & ™ Warner Bros.

Entertainment Inc. Publishing Rights © JKR. (s22)

Family:

In the 2026/27 Season, the Omaha Symphony’s Family Series presents three concert

experiences designed for children ages 5-11 and their families, as well as for those with

sensory sensitivities.

In her third season with the Omaha Symphony, Assistant Conductor Serena Reuten

leads the orchestra in Symphony of Sports, a concert featuring a playful footballinspired twist on Beethoven’s Fifth and the triumphant Olympic Theme by John

Williams, as well as Adventure in the Deep, Dark Woods. Maestro Ernest Richardson

will lead Mermaids and Dragons, which features music from How to Train Your Dragon

and Disney’s The Little Mermaid.

Subscriptions

Season ticket subscription packages are on sale Feb. 16; new and current subscribers

can begin purchasing or renewing their subscription packages via mail, phone, or

online at omahasymphony.org. Subscribers to most series receive a discount on their

season ticket package equivalent to one free concert. Subscribers also receive a 10

percent discount when adding tickets to concerts not included in their subscription

package.

Single tickets will go on sale to the public in August.

For ticketing information, contact Ticket Omaha at 402-345-0606, or visit

omahasymphony.org.

About the Omaha Symphony

The Omaha Symphony is a non-profit organization that annually serves over 310,000 people

through more than 250 culturally enriching and entertaining mainstage concerts, music

education programs, community engagement activities, and digital initiatives like Omaha

Symphony Anywhere, a free online streaming platform featuring recordings of live

performances, along with educational content, interviews, musician highlights, and more

behind-the-scenes video content. In addition to Masterworks, Symphony Joslyn, Family, and

LIVE with the Omaha Symphony concert series, the Omaha Symphony’s nationally recognized

education and community engagement programs touch the lives of more than 70,000 people

and over 300 schools each year. We are focused on creating a welcoming space and nurturing

connections to ensure the Omaha community experiences and participates in music in a way

that serves, reflects, uplifts, and entertains.

# # #

HPAC Friday, September 25, 2026 7:30 PM Falletta Conducts Gershwin & Strauss

HPAC Saturday, September 26, 2026 7:30 PM Falletta Conducts Gershwin & Strauss

HPAC Sunday, September 27, 2026 2:00 PM Symphony of Sports

HPAC Saturday, October 3, 2026 7:30 PM The Award-winning Music of John Williams

HPAC Sunday, October 4, 2026 2:00 PM The Award-winning Music of John Williams

HPAC Friday, October 9, 2026 7:30 PM Pet Rock

Joslyn Sunday, October 18, 2026 2:00 PM Bartók’s Divertimento

HPAC Saturday, October 24, 2026 7:30 PM Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas

HPAC Sunday, October 25, 2026 2:00 PM Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas

HPAC Friday, October 30, 2026 7:30 PM Dvořák’s Seventh

HPAC Saturday, October 31, 2026 7:30 PM Dvořák’s Seventh

HPAC Sunday, November 8, 2026 2:00 PM Carmina Burana (Choral Collab)

HPAC Saturday, November 14, 2026 7:30 PM The Machine Performs Pink Floyd

Joslyn Sunday, November 22, 2026 2:00 PM Schubert’s Symphony No. 4

HPAC Saturday, November 28, 2026 7:30 PM Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

HPAC Sunday, November 29, 2026 2:00 PM Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

HPAC Thursday, December 10, 2026 7:30 PM Physicians Mutual Christmas Celebration

HPAC Friday, December 11, 2026 7:30 PM Physicians Mutual Christmas Celebration

HPAC Saturday, December 12, 2026 7:30 PM Physicians Mutual Christmas Celebration

HPAC Saturday, December 12, 2026 2:00 PM Physicians Mutual Christmas Celebration

HPAC Sunday, December 13, 2026 2:00 PM Physicians Mutual Christmas Celebration

HPAC Sunday, December 13, 2026 7:30 PM Physicians Mutual Christmas Celebration

HPAC Saturday, December 19, 2026 2:00 PM The Muppet Christmas Carol in Concert

HPAC Saturday, December 19, 2026 7:30 PM The Muppet Christmas Carol in Concert

Joslyn Sunday, January 10, 2027 2:00 PM Falletta & Mendelssohn’s “Italian”

HPAC Friday, January 15, 2027 7:30 PM Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances

HPAC Saturday, January 16, 2027 7:30 PM Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances

HPAC Saturday, January 23, 2027 7:30 PM Clouds in My Coffee

HPAC Sunday, January 24, 2027 2:00 PM Clouds in My Coffee

St. Andrew's Saturday, February 6, 2027 11:00 AM Adventure in the Deep, Dark Woods

HPAC Saturday, February 13, 2027 7:30 PM Cody Fry

Joslyn Sunday, February 21, 2027 2:00 PM Mozart’s Symphony No. 25

HPAC Friday, February 26, 2027 7:30 PM Mahler’s Fourth

HPAC Saturday, February 27, 2027 7:30 PM Mahler’s Fourth

HPAC Saturday, March 6, 2027 7:30 PM Wizard of Oz

HPAC Sunday, March 7, 2027 2:00 PM Wizard of Oz

HPAC Friday, March 12, 2027 7:30 PM Pink Martini

HPAC Saturday, March 13, 2027 7:30 PM Pink Martini

HPAC Friday, April 2, 2027 7:30 PM Susanna Perry Gilmore Plays Mozart

HPAC Saturday, April 3, 2027 7:30 PM Susanna Perry Gilmore Plays Mozart

HPAC Sunday, April 4, 2027 2:00 PM Mermaids and Dragons

HPAC Saturday, April 10, 2027 7:30 PM Doo Wop Project

HPAC Sunday, April 11, 2027 2:00 PM Doo Wop Project

Joslyn Sunday, April 18, 2027 2:00 PM Stravinsky’s Pulcinella

HPAC Friday, April 23, 2027 7:30 PM 7 Bridges: The Ultimate Eagles Experience

HPAC Friday, May 7, 2027 7:30 PM Sibelius’ Second

HPAC Saturday, May 8, 2027 7:30 PM Sibelius’ Second

HPAC Friday, May 14, 2027 7:30 PM Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

HPAC Saturday, May 15, 2027 7:30 PM Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

Joslyn Sunday, May 23, 2027 2:00 PM Beethoven & Haydn

HPAC Friday, June 4, 2027 7:30 PM Beethoven’s Ninth

HPAC Saturday, June 5, 2027 7:30 PM Beethoven’s Ninth

Programs, artists, dates, times and availability subject to change.

2025/26 Masterworks and Symphony Joslyn Repertoire (alphabetical by

composer)

BARBER: Knoxville Summer of 1915

BARTÓK: Divertimento

BEETHOVEN: Coriolan Overture, Op. 62

BEETHOVEN: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58

BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 9

DE FALLA: Nights in the Gardens of Spain

DVORAK: Symphony No. 7

FARRENC: Overture No. 1 in E Minor

G. ORTIZ: Antropolis

GERSHWIN: Piano Concerto in F (Joyce Yang)

GREGSON: Trumpet Concerto

HAILSTORK: Fanfare on Amazing Grace

HAYDN: Symphony No. 101, “The Clock”

JESSIE MONTGOMERY: Overture

KABALEVSKY: Cello Concerto in G Minor

MAHLER: Symphony No. 4

MARTUCCI: Nocturne

MENDELSSOHN: Symphony No. 4, “Italian”

MONTGOMERY: Coincident Dances

MOZART: Exsultate Jubilate

MOZART: Sinfonia Concertante

MOZART: Symphony No. 25

MOZART: Violin Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Major

PETER BOYER: Radiance

RACHMANINOFF: Symphonic Dances

SCHUBERT: Symphony No. 4, “Tragic”

SCHUMANN: Cello Concerto

SIBELIUS: Symphony No. 2

STRAUSS: Dance of the Seven Veils

STRAUSS: Suite from Rosenkavalier

TOMASI: Fanfare Liturgiques

VILLA-LOBOS: Bachianas Brasileiras No. 9

WAGNER: Die Meistersinger: Three Excerpts from Act III

WAGNER: Siegfried's Rhine Journey (arr. Humperdinck