The PSO’s newly announced 2026–27 classical season leans into what the ensemble does best: deep artistic relationships, ambitious programming, and a growing interest in how symphonic music fits into contemporary cultural life.
Music Director Manfred Honeck returns for his 19th season with the orchestra, leading a lineup that includes nine artist debuts, multiple premieres and commissions, and season-long explorations of Beethoven and Mozart.
“After almost 19 years together, what continues to inspire me most is the depth of trust and curiosity we share as an orchestra,” said Honeck. “This season reflects that spirit of the artistic mission and its intensity, where we stand side by side to challenge and inspire one another. I am restless in my search for the essential meaning of the music and am grateful to our wonderful musicians that they are so devoted in this exploration.”
An Orchestra Built on Continuity
Honeck’s long tenure has allowed the PSO to cultivate a sense of artistic continuity that’s increasingly rare among major American orchestras. That continuity shows up this season in the return of conductors who have become familiar collaborators in Pittsburgh, including Dima Slobodeniouk, Petr Popelka, Daniele Rustioni, Juraj Valčuha, Elim Chan, and Donald Runnicles.
Soloists range from internationally recognized names—Lang Lang, Augustin Hadelich, Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Jeanine De Bique, and Kirill Gerstein—to artists making their first appearances with the orchestra. Over the course of the season, audiences will hear 10 pianists and five violin soloists, reflecting the orchestra’s ongoing interest in instrumental voices.
PSO Musicians Take Center Stage
Several programs spotlight the PSO’s own musicians. Principal Tuba Craig Knox premieres a new concerto written for him by composer Nick DiBerardino, commissioned by the orchestra. Principal Clarinet Michael Rusinek is featured in Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto during a recording weekend that also includes Mahler’s Symphony No. 1.
Choral collaborations return as well, with the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh joining the orchestra for Beethoven’s Mass in C major—a PSO premiere—in December 2026, followed by Orff’s Carmina Burana in February 2027.
New Voices, Contemporary Music
The season continues the PSO’s commitment to living composers and emerging artists. Conductors Karina Canellakis, Kevin John Edusei, and Kahchun Wong make their PSO debuts, along with first appearances by pianist Alexander Malofeev, violinists Francesca Dego and Tessa Lark, mezzo-soprano Julie Boulianne, soprano Joelle Harvey, and baritone Will Liverman.
Contemporary works by Anna Clyne, Mason Bates, Victoria Borisova, Camille Pépin, and Arvo Pärt are woven throughout the season, with 10 PSO premieres in total. New commissions include a work by Bates, DiBerardino’s tuba concerto, and a new operatic suite based on Korngold’s Die tote Stadt by Honeck and longtime collaborator Tomas Ille. The orchestra also joins peer institutions as a co-commissioner on new works by Juri Reinvere, Samy Moussa, and Carlos Simon.
Beethoven, Mozart, and Big Ideas
Beethoven’s music forms a connective thread throughout the season as the PSO marks the 200th anniversary of the composer’s death. Highlights include a March program pairing Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony with the Violin Concerto, performed by Hadelich, and a U.S. premiere by Reinvere inspired by Beethoven’s final words.
In April 2027, the orchestra shifts to Mozart for an All-Mozart weekend featuring pianist Rudolf Buchbinder. Two programs include Piano Concertos Nos. 20 and 21 and Symphonies Nos. 40 and 41, alongside live-orchestra performances of Amadeus, conducted by Associate Conductor Jacob Joyce.
The Concert Experience, Reimagined
The PSO continues to fold elements of its recent experimental series into the core subscription experience. Live video, expanded program notes, onstage commentary, and pre- and post-concert performances are now regular features of many weekends. Standalone series such as Disrupt and Saturday Sessions will not continue, but their influence remains visible in the orchestra’s evolving approach to presentation.
Looking Ahead
Select concerts will be recorded for future releases, including Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto, Korngold’s Die tote Stadt, and Sibelius’ Symphony No. 2, extending a recording legacy that has earned the eleven GRAMMY nominations in recent years.
Subscriptions for the BNY Classics series are now available, with single tickets expected later this summer. Additional announcements—including Pops, Fiddlesticks, Schooltime programs, and the previously revealed 2026 Cinematic Summer Festival—will be released in the coming months.
Complete 2026/2027 Classical Season Listing
* Indicates a PSO debut
Opening Night Gala | September 26 | Manfred Honeck, conductor | Lang Lang, piano | Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5, “Emperor,” Other programming to be announced
BNY Classics: Gerstein Plays Brahms | October 2 & 4 | Manfred Honeck, conductor | Kirill Gerstein, piano | Anna Clyne: Masquerade (PSO Subscription Premiere), Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 4, “Italian,” Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2
BNY Classics: Romantic Rachmaninoff | October 16 & 18 |Juraj Valčuha, conductor ,Alisa Weilerstein, cello | Prokofiev: Sinfonia Concertante for Cello and Orchestra , Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2
PSO360: Alisa Weilerstein | October 17 | Alisa Weilerstein, cello | Program to be announced
BNY Classics: Barnatan Plays Beethoven | October 23 & 25 | Karina Canellakis, conductor* | Inon Barnatan, piano | Victoria Borisova-Ollas: The Kingdom of Silence (PSO Premiere) , Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 2, Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances
BNY Classics: Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto | November 3-5 | Kevin John Edusei, conductor* | James Ehnes, violin | Sophia Jani: I Wish You Daisies and Roses (PSO Premiere), Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto, Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra
BNY Classics: Strauss and Tchaikovsky | November 27 & 29 | Manfred Honeck, conductor | Alexander Malofeev, piano* | Mason Bates: New Work (World Premiere and PSO Commission), Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1, Haydn: Symphony No. 60 in C Major, “Il distratto,” Strauss Viennese Favorites
BNY Classics: Beethoven’s Mass | December 4 & 6 | Manfred Honeck, conductor | Jeanine De Bique, soprano, Julie Boulianne, mezzo-soprano*, John Matthew Myers, tenor, Alexander Birch Elliott, baritone, Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh | Arvo Pärt: Fratres, Hindemith: Mathis der Maler, Beethoven: Mass in C Major
Handel’s Messiah | December 5 | Manfred Honeck, conductor | Jeanine De Bique, soprano, Julie Boulianne, mezzo-soprano*, John Matthew Myers, tenor, Alexander Birch Elliott, baritone, Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh
Holiday Brass Spectacular | December dates at Waynesburg University and Heinz Hall to be announced
BNY Classics: Dvořák’s Seventh, January 8 & 10, Andres Orozco-Estrada, conductor | Tessa Lark, violin* | Strauss: Don Juan, Bruch: “Scottish Fantasy” for Violin and Orchestra, Dvořák: Symphony No. 7
BNY Classics: Pictures at an Exhibition | January 15-17 | Kahchun Wong, conductor* | Francesca Dego, violin* | Ifukube: Dance of the Seven Veils (PSO Premiere) | Brahms: Violin Concerto | Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition
BNY Classics: Shostakovich’s Seventh | January 30 & February 1 | Dima Slobodeniouk, conductor | Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano | Khachaturian: Piano Concerto, Shostakovich: Symphony No. 7, “Leningrad”
BNY Classics: Carmina Burana | February 12-14 | Manfred Honeck, conductor | Joelle Harvey, soprano*, Reginald Mobley, countertenor, Will Liverman, baritone* , Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Youth Chorus | Camille Pépin: Les eaux célestes (PSO Premiere), Falla: Suite from The Three-Cornered Hat, Orff: Carmina Burana
BNY Classics: Ott Plays Ravel | February 19 & 21 | Manfred Honeck, conductor | Alice Sara Ott, piano | Jonathan Blumhofer: Semper Dowland, semper dolens (PSO Premiere), Ravel: Piano Concerto in G Major, Zemlinsky: The Mermaid, Fantasy for Orchestra
BNY Classics: Bruckner’s Fourth | March 5 & 7 | Sir Donald Runnicles, conductor | Jan Lisiecki, piano | Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 23 | Bruckner: Symphony No. 4, “Romantic”
PSO360: Jan Lisiecki | March 6 | Jan Lisiecki, piano | Program to be announced
BNY Classics: Beethoven’s Fifth | March 19-21 | Manfred Honeck, conductor | Augustin Hadelich, violin | Juri Reinvere: New Work (US Premiere and PSO Co-Commission), Beethoven: Violin Concerto, Beethoven: Symphony No. 5
BNY Classics: Stravinsky’s Firebird | April 2-4 | Petr Popelka, conductor | Yefim Bronfman, piano | Wagner: “Prelude und Liebestod” from Tristan und Isolde, Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 1, Tchaikovsky: Francesca da Rimini, Stravinsky: Suite from The Firebird (1919)
BNY Classics: All Mozart | Manfred Honeck, conductor | Rudolf Buchbinder, piano | Friday, April 16 – Mozart: Overture to The Magic Flute, Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 20, Mozart: Symphony No. 40 | Sunday, April 18 – Mozart: Overture to La clemenza di Tito, Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 21 , Mozart: Symphony No. 41, “Jupiter”
Amadeus | Film with Orchestra | April 17, 1:30PM and 7:30PM, | Jacob Joyce, conductor
BNY Classics: Mahler’s First | April 23-25 | Manfred Honeck, conductor | Michael Rusinek, clarinet | Samy Moussa: New Work (US Premiere and PSO Co-Commission), Mozart: Clarinet Concerto, Mahler: Symphony No. 1 (Recording Weekend)
BNY Classics: Ax Plays Beethoven | May 14 & 16 | Elim Chan, conductor | Emanuel Ax, piano | Gubaidulina: Fairytale Poem, Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3, Lutosławski: Concerto for Orchestra
BNY Classics: Ravel’s La Valse | May 21 & 23 | Daniele Rustioni, conductor | Craig Knox, tuba, Menotti: “Prelude” from Amelia Goes to the Ball, Nick DiBerardino: New Tuba Concerto (World Premiere and PSO Commission), Stravinsky: Petrushka (1947 revision), Ravel: La Valse
BNY Classics: Kanneh-Mason Plays Elgar | June 4 & 6 | Manfred Honeck, conductor | Sheku Kanneh-Mason, cello | Carlos Simon: New Work (PSO Premiere + Co-Commission), Elgar: Cello Concerto, Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3, “Scottish”
PSO360: Sheku Kanneh-Mason | June 5 | Sheku Kanneh-Mason, cello | Program to be announced
BNY Classics: Duenas Plays Prokofiev | June 11-13 | Manfred Honeck, conductor | Maria Duenas, violin | Korngold (arr. Honeck/Ille): Die tote Stadt Suite (World Premiere and PSO Commission), Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 1, Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 (Recording Weekend)
TICKETS AND DETAILS
Subscription packages to the 26/27 BNY Classics series are available now online or through the box office starting at $153. The PSO’s Pops season, including PNC Pops and Movies, will be announced March 10, when PNC Pops subscriptions will be available. The 26/27 Fiddlesticks season will also be announced in March, and 26/27 Schooltime programs will be announced alongside registration openings August 1.
Categories: Arts and Ideas, Season Listings
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