Announcing the 2026–27 Season
Take a bird’s-eye view of the momentous 2026–27 Season, celebrating 25 years with Music Director Franz Welser-Möst and big anniversaries for important ensembles and partnerships.
The Cleveland Orchestra is thrilled to announce its 2026–27 Classical Season, celebrating the 25th and final year of its partnership with Music Director Franz Welser-Möst.
Throughout the year, audiences will encounter works that have become hallmarks of the Orchestra’s sound under Welser-Möst, alongside rediscoveries, commissions, and music with deep ties to Cleveland’s history. Capping the season are staged performances of Richard Strauss’s ravishing opera Die Frau ohne Schatten — presented as part of the fifth Mandel Opera & Humanities Festival in spring 2027 — and three special concerts that capture the artistic voice Welser-Möst developed with the Orchestra.
Welser-Möst’s final season also extends far beyond Cleveland. In October, he leads the Orchestra on its 81st international tour, with 15 concerts in nine European countries. January sees Welser-Möst conduct concerts at Carnegie Hall and in Miami, marking the 20th year of The Cleveland Orchestra’s residency in the city.
Two other TCO ensembles also celebrate notable anniversaries next season: The Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra turns 40 and The Cleveland Orchestra Chorus marks its 75th anniversary. The latter will celebrate with a special concert in October, featuring Grammy Award–winning composer and conductor Eric Whitacre leading the US premiere of his Eternity in an Hour.
The rest of the Severance season spotlights an exceptional lineup of guest artists and music. Petr Popelka conducts the Orchestra in music ranging from Haydn to Adolphus Hailstork. Baroque specialist Jane Glover leads a pyrotechnic program with the help of soprano Julia Bullock in her TCO debut. Santtu- Matias Rouvali returns to conduct a dynamic concerto by Billy Childs (featuring saxophonist Steven Banks) paired with Richard Strauss’s monumental Ein Heldenleben.
Conductor Elim Chan returns Thanksgiving weekend for an evening of musical storytelling centered around a suite from Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. Augustin Hadelich plays Bartók’s searing Second Violin Concerto, and pianists Seong-Jin Cho and Yunchan Lim respectively present formidable concertos by Chopin and Liszt. Composer-conductors Thomas Adès, Esa-Pekka Salonen, and John Adams also present programs that highlight their own works alongside beloved favorites and hidden gems.
Explore the full season here!