THE SEATTLE SYMPHONY ANNOUNCES THE 2025/2026 SEASON, WITH NEW MUSIC DIRECTOR XIAN ZHANG
Xian Zhang will conduct 10 programs featuring canonical works by Mozart, Mahler, Gershwin and Rachmaninov, contemporary compositions by Michael Abels, Melissa Douglas, Steven Mackey, Nokuthula Ngwenyama, Qigang Chen and Jessie Montgomery, and collaborations with Daniil Trifonov, Hélène Grimaud, Jan Vogler, Alexander Malofeev and others.
Acclaimed cellist Gabriel Cabezas and GRAMMYTM Award-winning composer Steven Mackey will be the 2025/2026 Artists in Focus, with each making several appearances throughout the season.
Guest soloists performing with the Seattle Symphony include The Kanneh-Masons, Francesca Dego, Yulianna Avdeeva, Simone Lamsma, Peking Opera star Meng Meng, the Sphinx Soloists, Vadim Gluzman and many more.
Performing in recital are pianists Lang Lang, Seong-Jin Cho, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Conrad Tao and star violinist Nicola Benedetti.
Symphonic Series guest conductors include Daniele Rustioni, Gemma New, Andrew Litton, David Danzmayr, Peter Oundjian, Alevtina loffe, Nicholas McGegan, Kahchun Wong, Ivars Taurins, Lawrence Renes and Kevin John Edusei. Associate Conductor Sunny Xia also returns to the Symphonic Series.
The 2025/2026 John & Ginny Meisenbach Foundation Seattle Pops Series will feature Warner Bros. Discovery Presents Bugs Bunny at the Symphony, Peanuts 75th Anniversary Symphonic Concert, Holiday Pops and Let’s Misbehave: The Songs of Cole Porter. Joining the Seattle Symphony on stage will be dazzling vocalist-instrumentalists Tony DeSare and Aubrey Logan, together with beloved returning conductors Stuart Chafetz and George Daugherty.
The Octave 9 Series will host 12 performances of immersive and boundary-pushing new sounds in Benaroya Hall’s Octave 9: Raisbeck Music Center, across six programs by Gabriella Smith & Gabriel Cabezas, Curtis Stewart, Alex Weston, Natalie Tenenbaum, Principal Oboe Mary Lynch VanderKolk and Jerod Impichcha̱achaaha' Tate.
The 2025/2026 season will also see the continuation of its innovative Chamber Series featuring Seattle Symphony musicians, Tiny Tots Series hosted by John Turman and Family Concerts Series led by Associate Conductor Sunny Xia.
Seattle, WA — Today, the Seattle Symphony announced details of its 2025/2026 season, the first under the leadership of Xian Zhang as Music Director, ushering in a new chapter for the Symphony that effortlessly blends core repertoire and contemporary compositions, superstar soloists and emerging talent, and cross-cultural connections.
“I am deeply honored to begin this incredible journey as the Music Director of the Seattle Symphony,” said Xian Zhang, Seattle Symphony Music Director. “The 2025/2026 season embodies the spirit of new beginnings — of discovery, joy, reinvention and collaboration. We will dive into music that challenges us, connects us and opens doors to bold, new perspectives. I look forward to being a part of this beautiful, vibrant city alongside all of you, as we create something truly unique together through the shared experience of music.”
2025/2026 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
Xian Zhang’s Tenure Begins with the Seattle Symphony
The Seattle Symphony will begin its 2025/2026 season with the Opening Night Concert & Gala on September 13, 2025, featuring Xian Zhang’s first concert as Music Director. The program includes Jessie Montgomery’s Hymn for Everyone, Grieg’s Piano Concerto with Simon Trpčeski, Verdi’s La Forza del Destino Overture, Smetana’s Šárka from Má Vlast and Wagner’s Prelude to Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. Following the concert, guests will toast Xian’s first season at the Opening Night Gala.
Xian will lead nine other programs during her inaugural Music Director season:
Xian Conducts Pictures at an Exhibition (September 18 & 20), with Michael Abels’ Delights and Dances featuring Sphinx Soloists (violinists Rubén Rengel and Melissa White, violist Celia Hatton, and cellist and Artist in Focus Gabriel Cabezas), Kodály’s Dances of Galánta and Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition (orch. Ravel).
Xian Conducts Rachmaninov (October 2, 4 & 5), with Melissa Douglas’ Awaken, Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini featuring pianist Alexander Malofeev and Rachmaninov’s Symphony No. 2.
Xian Conducts Iris Unveiled (February 12, 14 & 15), with Qigang Chen’s Iris Dévoilée (Iris Unveiled), featuring Peking opera singer Meng Meng, pipa player Yang Jin (杨瑾), zheng player Chang Jing and erhu player Cathy Yang, followed by Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5.
Xian Conducts Schumann & Beethoven (February 19–21), with Nokuthula Ngwenyama’s Primal Message, R. Schumann’s Cello Concerto featuring cellist Jan Vogler and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4.
Xian Conducts Daniil Trifonov (April 23 & 25), an all-French program of Fauré’s Pavane, Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No. 2 featuring pianist Daniil Trifonov and Franck’s Symphony in D Minor.
Xian Conducts Mozart (April 30, May 2 & 3), with Rossini’s Overture to The Italian Girl in Algiers, Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto featuring Principal Clarinet Benjamin Lulich, and Mozart’s Symphonies No. 35, “Haffner,” and No. 39.
Xian Conducts Gershwin (May 28–31), with Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F featuring pianist Hélène Grimaud, Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture and An American in Paris.
Xian Conducts Mahler 7 (June 11 & 13).
Xian Conducts Beethoven 9 (June 18–21), paired with Steven Mackey’s RIOT, featuring Steven Mackey on electric guitar; mezzo-soprano Alicia Olatuja, soprano Toni Marie Palmertree, mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano and tenor SeokJong Baek also join these concerts along with the Seattle Symphony Chorale.
Symphonic Series
The Symphonic Series presents expansive programming with renowned guest conductors and soloists on the Benaroya Hall stage in the 2025/2026 season. On October 16 & 18, Ivars Taurins will conduct the Symphony and organist Joseph Adam in a program of Baroque music centered around Handel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks. Gemma New returns to conduct Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony on October 23 & 25, with soprano Wendy Bryn Harmer, baritone Jarrett Ott and the Seattle Symphony Chorale. Also on this program, cellist and Artist in Focus Gabriel Cabezas performs Gabriella Smith’s Lost Coast.
Seattle Symphony Associate Conductor Sunny Xia will lead Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with violinist Simone Lamsma from November 6–8. David Danzmayr will conduct a program of Beethoven and Bruckner with pianist Yulianna Avdeeva on November 13, 15 & 16. On November 20 & 22, Lawrence Renes will conduct Artist in Focus Steven Mackey’s Anemology: Concerto for Saxophone (Seattle Symphony Co-commission), featuring saxophonist Timothy McAllister, and Principal Trumpet David Gordon and English Horn Stefan Farkas in the program opener, Copland’s Quiet City.
In the new year, a program of Barber, Bernstein and Rachmaninov will be led by Alevtina Ioffe with violinist Vadim Gluzman on January 8 & 10. This is followed by Kahchun Wong conducting The Kanneh-Masons, including pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason, violinist Braimah Kanneh-Mason and cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, making their Seattle Symphony debut as a trio playing Beethoven’s Triple Concerto on January 29, 31 & February 1.
Daniele Rustioni will conduct the Symphony with violinist Francesca Dego in a program of works by Bach, Busoni and Brahms on March 5 & 7. Kevin John Edusei takes the podium for a program of Liszt, Strauss and Kodály with pianist Haochen Zhang from March 12–14. And on March 19 & 21, Andrew Litton will conduct Stravinsky’s The Firebird Suite (1945) together with Poulenc’s rarely heard Stabat Mater, featuring soprano Janai Brugger.
On April 9 & 11, Peter Oundjian will conduct a Seattle Symphony co-commission, Christopher Theofanidis’ Double Concerto featuring percussionist Svet Stoyanov and Concertmaster Noah Geller, together with Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances and Joan Tower’s Suite from Concerto for Orchestra.
And on April 16, 18 & 19, Nicholas McGegan will conduct an all-Mendelssohn program at the heart of which is the composer’s masterpiece, A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Artists in Focus
The Seattle Symphony’s 2025/2026 Artists in Focus will be cellist Gabriel Cabezas and composer Steven Mackey, each of whom will share their musical vision across a series of different events throughout the season.
Cellist Gabriel Cabezas, recipient of the 2016 Sphinx Medal of Excellence, member of the virtuosic chamber sextet yMusic and co-founder of the supergroup quartet collective Owls, will take the stage with Xian in the first concert of the Symphonic Series on September 18 & 20, performing Michael Abels’ Delights and Dances alongside fellow Sphinx Soloists Rubén Rengel, Melissa White and Celia Hatton. On October 23 & 25, Cabezas will join guest conductor Gemma New to perform Seattle-based composer Gabriella Smith’s acclaimed concerto Lost Coast, originally written for Cabezas. Cabezas and Smith will team up that same week for a duo collaboration featuring cello, voice, electronics and found percussion on October 24 for the first Octave 9 Series program of the season.
GRAMMYTM Award-winning composer and Professor of Music at Princeton University Steven Mackey will return to the Seattle Symphony, following two 2024 Octave 9 performances of his deeply poignant musical and theatrical work Memoir. As Artist in Focus, Mackey’s Anemology: Concerto for Saxophone (Seattle Symphony Co-commission) will be performed on November 20 & 22 by guest conductor Lawrence Renes and saxophonist Timothy McAllister, and Xian will close her first season as Music Director June 18–21, pairing Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with Mackey’s RIOT, a timely reflection on hope, perseverance, commitment and community. The program features the Seattle Symphony Chorale, soprano Toni Marie Palmertree, mezzo-soprano Alicia Olatuja, mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano, tenor SeokJong Baek and Mackey himself on electric guitar.
In Recital Series
This year, the 2025/2026 In Recital Series will feature solo performances by some of the world’s most celebrated musicians. On November 11, French pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard returns to Seattle to perform J.S. Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier Book II.
On January 30, violinist Nicola Benedetti will present a recital featuring works by Sarasate, Bloch, Ponce and Maxwell Davies.
And on March 8, Conrad Tao will draw inspiration from poetry and fairy tales to perform an inspired program combining the classical traditions of Brahms and Ravel with the contemporary musical storytelling of living composers David Fulmer, Rebecca Saunders and Todd Moellenberg.
Seattle Pops Series
The John & Ginny Meisenbach Foundation Seattle Pops Series includes four presentations. From October 10–12, Warner Bros. Discovery Presents Bugs Bunny at the Symphony, conducted by George Daugherty. A perennial favorite of audiences young and old, this program returns by popular demand. From December 12–14, the much-anticipated Seattle Symphony tradition of Holiday Pops returns, featuring guest conductor Stuart Chafetz. The Peanuts 75th Anniversary Symphonic Concert brings all the Peanuts favorites to the stage, from March 27–29. And Stuart Chafetz returns to the podium June 5–7 for Let’s Misbehave: The Songs of Cole Porter, featuring pianist and vocalist Tony DeSare, trombonist and vocalist Aubrey Logan, and tap dancer and vocalist John Manzari.
Special Performances
Two superstar pianists come to Benaroya Hall for recital performances. Lang Lang returns to Seattle on March 20 for a one-night-only solo concert pairing sonatas by Beethoven with music by Mozart and Albéniz. And on January 20, pianist Seong-Jin Cho returns to the Benaroya Hall stage for a solo recital performing Bach, Schoenberg, Chopin and R. Schumann.
In December, our festive holiday specials include the annual presentation of Handel’s Messiah December 18, 20 & 21, conducted by Nicolas Ellis and featuring the Seattle Symphony Chorale. On December 22, Jacob Winkler conducts A Festival of Lessons & Carols featuring the Northwest Boychoir, Vocalpoint! Seattle and Northwest Sinfonia, followed by the New Year’s Eve Concert & Party on December 31.
Octave 9 Series
The Seattle Symphony’s groundbreaking Octave 9 Series, taking place in the immersive Octave 9: Raisbeck Music Center, combines sophisticated digital acoustics and projection technology with innovative compositions to host emerging and established artists who are redefining the concert experience. The 2025/2026 Octave 9 Series will feature six unique offerings.
Seattle-based composer Gabriella Smith and cellist and Artist in Focus Gabriel Cabezas perform new music by Smith and music from their duo album for cello, vocals, violin and electronics on October 24. Smith's work is inspired by nature and the climate crisis that threatens it.
American composer, violinist and previous Key to Change Composer in Residence Curtis Stewart will host a program featuring music from his recently released GRAMMYTM Award-nominated album of Love. on November 14.
On February 27, pianist and composer Alex Weston, accompanied by a string quartet of Seattle Symphony musicians, will present a collection of darkly humorous mini-portraits based on Cecilia Ruiz’s The Book of Memory Gaps, with accompanying text and visuals illustrating characters with unique relationships to memory.
March 27 will find composer, pianist, music producer/director and singer-songwriter Natalie Tenenbaum blurring the boundaries between classical composition, popular storytelling and improvisational jazz in a recital featuring original music, sound design and reimagining of works by Bach, Stravinsky, Debussy, Liszt and others.
On April 24, Principal Oboe Mary Lynch VanderKolk is joined by Principal Flute Demarre McGill, as VanderKolk leads Part 2 of Through Her Window, featuring works written for and with her as part of an ongoing commissioning and performance project that brings together some of the most eloquent female-identifying musical voices of our time, including world premiere Seattle Symphony commissions curated by renowned composer, flutist and founder of Imani Winds, Valerie Coleman.
The Octave 9 Series will close with a program dedicated to the music of Chickasaw composer Jerod Impichcha̱achaaha' Tate on June 12, with points of inspiration from Pacific Northwest tribes, integrating nature photography, artwork and narration by the composer himself.
Chamber Series
The Chamber Series is a musician-curated program where Seattle Symphony musicians come together to select and perform exciting and challenging works in intimate chamber ensembles. On November 4, From Antonín Dvořák to Béla Bartók highlights Dvořák’s lyrical Terzetto, alongside Bartók’s String Quartet No. 1. On March 10, From Heinrich Kaminski to Will Langlie Miletich features Seattle Symphony Assistant Principal Bass Will Langlie Miletich as both performer and composer with his new work, Bully Mammoth. The program also presents Kaminski’s Quartet for Piano, Clarinet, Viola & Cello, followed by Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 12. On April 7, From Ruth Gipps to Vivian Fung features Gipps’ lyrical Quintet for woodwinds and strings and Vivian Fung’s Frenetic Memories alongside Hindemith’s Morgenmusik and Kevin Day’s Ignition. The series concludes on May 12 with From Eric Ewazen to Amanda Harberg, featuring trios by Amanda Harberg and Eric Ewazen, both written for bassoon, horn and piano. The program closes with Brahms’ String Quartet No. 2.
Tiny Tots Series & Family Concerts Series
The 2025/2026 season will host numerous performances for young listeners with the Tiny Tots Series and Family Concerts Series. Each concert will include pre-concert activities like instrument exploration, reading stations, crafts and percussion play in the Samuel & Althea Stroum Grand Lobby. The Tiny Tots Series will program five 30-minute concerts hosted by John Turman. They include The Brass: Around the World, October 3 & 4; The Winds: Winter Wonderland, December 12 & 13; The Strings: Travel Through Time, February 27 & 28; The Percussion: Rhythms of the Wild, May 1 & 2; and Tiny Orchestra: All Together Now!, June 12 & 13. Associate Conductor Sunny Xia will lead the four 50-minute Family Concerts Series performances, including Peter and The Wolf on October 18, The Snowman on December 6, The Orchestra Swings on February 7 and Philharmonia Fantastique on May 9.
ADDITIONAL SEASON DOCUMENTS
GUEST CONDUCTOR AND ARTIST ROSTER [PDF]
REPERTOIRE LISTING [PDF]
CHRONOLOGICAL LISTING OF CONCERTS [PDF]
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SEATTLE SYMPHONY
The Seattle Symphony unleashes the power of music, brings people together and lifts the human spirit. Recognized as one of the “most vital American orchestras” (NPR), the Seattle Symphony is internationally acclaimed for its inventive programming, community-minded initiatives and superb recordings on the Seattle Symphony Media label. With a strong commitment to new music and a legacy of over 150 recordings, the orchestra has won five Grammy Awards, 27 Grammy nominations, two Emmy Awards and was named Gramophone’s 2018 Orchestra of the Year. The Symphony performs in Benaroya Hall in the heart of downtown Seattle from September through July, reaching over 750,000 people annually through live performances and radio broadcasts, and through the Seattle Symphony+ streaming service, the orchestra’s concerts reach audiences at home and around the world.
BENAROYA HALL
Benaroya Hall, the home of the Seattle Symphony, is located in downtown Seattle and surrounded by numerous restaurants, retail stores and parking facilities. Opened in 1998, Benaroya Hall is the most-visited performing arts venue in Seattle. It has received numerous awards, including a 2001 American Institute of Architects (AIA) National Honor Award for outstanding architecture. Benaroya Hall has three versatile performance venues, the S. Mark Taper Foundation Auditorium, the Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall and Octave 9: Raisbeck Music Center, all renowned for their pristine acoustics, luxurious design and prime location. For additional information, including rental information, event listings and public tour schedules, please visit benaroyahall.org.
Season Sponsorships
Music Director Xian Zhang is generously sponsored by Dr. and Mrs. Charles and Lisa Simonyi and an anonymous donor.
Xian Zhang’s position is generously underwritten as the Harriet Overton Stimson Music Director.
2025/2026 Seattle Pops Series Sponsor: The John & Ginny Meisenbach Foundation
Sunny Xia’s position is generously underwritten as the Douglas F. King Associate Conductor.
Noah Geller’s position is generously underwritten as the David & Amy Fulton Concertmaster.
Principal Oboe Mary Lynch VanderKolk’s position is generously supported by anonymous donors.
Benjamin Lulich’s position is generously underwritten as the Mr. & Mrs. Paul R. Smith Principal Clarinet.
David Gordon’s position is generously underwritten as the Boeing Company Principal Trumpet.
Handel’s Messiah is generously sponsored by Stephen Whyte in memory of Gwendolyn Jones Whyte.
The Seattle Symphony’s organ programming is generously supported by the Fluke | Gabelein Organ Endowment.
The Arakawa Foundation proudly supports the Seattle Symphony’s Community Partnerships for Youth and Education. Additional support is provided by Delta Air Lines.