2026-27 Classical 12

New beginnings. Optimism. Fresh starts. Mahler’s Second Symphony, “Resurrection,” is music of towering power, hushed mystery, soaring voices, and a finale that lifts heavenward. This is music that transforms both performer and listener. This is how a new era should begin, with music that asks life’s biggest questions and answers with hope. Listen as the future begins.

These are melodies you know, leaping from the symphony to the silver screen. Conductor Alexander Shelley brings orchestral magic with Dukas’ The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (Disney’s Fantasia) and Strauss’ dramatic tone poem, featuring its iconic sunrise fanfare (2001: A Space Odyssey). Virtuoso James Ehnes debuts a sweeping Violin Concerto by film composer James Newton Howard.

One of the most electrifying piano works ever written takes center stage as Nobuyuki Tsujii performs Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3, a masterpiece of sweeping melody, white-hot virtuosity, and towering emotional power. Led by Alexander Shelley, the orchestra completes the program with Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra, a vivid showcase of color and character from the composer’s American years.

Ruth Reinhardt makes her Pacific Symphony debut in a festive, holiday-ready program celebrating international voices that shaped American concert life. Grieg’s beloved Piano Concerto, performed by Joyce Yang, anchors the evening with sweeping lyricism and radiant melody. Glanert’s American Prelude No. 1 and Dvořák’s sun-filled Sixth Symphony complete this uplifting concert of warmth and joy.

Hear the music that changed everything. Join Maestro Alexander Shelley for a two-week festival celebrating the revolutionary whose impact transcended music itself.
Experience all nine symphonies in chronological order. Week 1 of our festival features symphonies 1 through 4 and the orchestral world premiere of Beethoven - I Shall Hear in Heaven, a powerful, award-winning music-play that will take listeners on a journey through Beethoven’s life and indomitable spirit with excerpts from his concertos, sonatas, and symphonies, including selections from the Sixth, Seventh, and Ninth.

Beethoven blazed trails. Now it's your turn. Join us for a bucket-list festival for the ages, right here in Orange County! Experience all nine symphonies in chronological order. Week two of our festival presents symphonies 5 through 9, including the famous "Ode to Joy" finale.

When President Nixon landed in Beijing in 1972, it was the diplomatic gamble of the century. John Adams’ thrilling opera Nixon in China comes vividly to life in a theatrically staged production created for the concert hall. With its richly layered score, soaring vocal writing, and intimate human drama, this Pulitzer Prize–winning masterpiece unfolds with gripping dramatic power under Alexander Shelley.

Otherworldly concert vibes abound as Maestro Shelley takes us on a cosmic journey through the sweeping and familiar melodies. John Williams’ Star Wars sets the stage for saxophone star Jess Gillam in Catch Me If You Can. Experience Holst’s perennial favorite, The Planets, in immersive visual spectacle—including the favorites “Mars, the Bringer of War” and “Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity.”