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Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (Credit: Chris Lee)
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Tuesday, June 2 – Today, the conductorless GRAMMY®-Award winning Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (“edge-of-the-seat intensity” - The New York Times) announces its 2026/27 season, reflecting its signature style of musical democracy, new collaborations, and fresh commissions, shared across local and global audiences. The season features collaborations with Branford Marsalis, Isata Kanneh-Mason, Lucas and Arthur Jussen, Anthony McGill, Garrick Ohlsson, Paul Huang, and Nobuyuki Tsuji.
Tickets here for all upcoming events, including the June 10 Annual Gala honoring Clark’s Botanicals founder Francesco Clark and his husband, Global Infrastructure Partners’ Alberto Mihelcic Bazzana at Guastavino’s in New York City.
With GRAMMY® Award–winning violinist Anne Akiko Meyers as its new Artistic Partner, Orpheus will launch its upcoming season at its New York home with three Carnegie Hall programs spotlighting the next generation of musical stars. The lineup includes commissioned world premiere scores from acclaimed composers Brian Nabors and Katie Jenkins, and a bespoke arrangement of Dvořák's "American" String Quartet by Orpheus cellist and Artistic Director Jim Wilson. The Carnegie Hall programs also feature a modern classic, Shimmer, by composer Elena Ruehr, and the season proudly welcomes dynamic new partners, with violinist Paul Huang performing Beethoven, and pianists Isata Kanneh-Mason and brothers Lucas and Arthur Jussen (for the season’s first Orpheus for All concert) playing revitalized Mozart classics.
At performances hosted by New York’s 92NY, the new season celebrates the orchestra’s reunions with two musical titans—clarinetist Anthony McGill and pianist Garrick Ohlsson. McGill last performed with Orpheus in Copland’s clarinet concerto in 2023. Their coming collaboration features the beloved and challenging Mozart Clarinet Concerto. Garrick Ohlson’s connection with Orpheus began just after he won the 1970 Chopin International Piano Competition and joined an inspired group of New Yorkers who launched Orpheus Chamber Ensemble in 1972.
The upcoming season includes a tour throughout Europe and Japan, where saxophone legend Branford Marsalis and Orpheus revisit their longtime collaborations in a program where jazz, classical, and global-music traditions intersect. The program features a concerto by the renowned film composer/jazz trumpeter Jeff Beal, Flamenco music from Afro-Cuban pioneer Ernesto Lecuona, and the symphonic jazz of Duke Ellington and George Gershwin. The performance in Spain features Sahun Sam Hong’s arrangement of Beethoven’s “Moonlight” Sonata in C-sharp minor.
Executive Director Alexander Scheirle says, “We are thrilled to present a season that beautifully reflects the brave experiments Orpheus launched more than 50 years ago. The 2026–27 programs offer newly interpreted classical works, newly commissioned works, music that celebrates a range of cultures and influences, and both new and established artists. In addition to our season’s performances, I’m proud that we continue to enrich our community through two successful programs: Access Orpheus, engaging nearly 1,500 NYC school students each year, and Orpheus Reflections™, garnering the power of music for those with dementia and their caregivers. We thank our generous donors for their ongoing support in these challenging times for the arts—we are deeply grateful.”
A pioneering New York-based ensemble since 1972, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra grew from a radical experiment in musical democracy. The ensemble’s unique conductorless design continues to provide Orpheus members with equal opportunities to honor classical music’s traditions and explore fresh perspectives of its norms—valuing its members’ musical, intellectual, and personal contributions to the ensemble.
At home in New York’s Carnegie Hall and in many concert halls around the world, Orpheus commits to enriching and reflecting the surrounding community. Orpheus for All ensures that every New Yorker can experience the thrill of a full-scale orchestral concert for free at Carnegie Hall. Orpheus Reflections brings the healing power of music to those living with dementia and their caregivers. Access Orpheus shares the orchestra's collaborative process with 1,500 New York City Public School students, annually. Orpheus Leadership Institute connects musicians with global organizations and businesses to impart positive lessons of leadership and democracy.
Always evolving as artists and leaders, the Orpheus musicians carry their legacy forward, counting on their shared artistry and mutual respect to make music and effect change.
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Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (Credit: Chris Lee)
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2026/27 Season Program
PHRASING A FAMILY
Lucas and Arthur Jussen, pianos
DATES
October 16, 2026 – Easton, PA
October 17, 2026 – Stern Auditorium, Carnegie Hall @ 4 PM ET – New York, NY
** Orpheus for All
PROGRAM
Brian NABORS: Groove Studies for Chamber Orchestra
MOZART: Concerto in E-flat Major for Two Pianos, K. 365
SCHUMANN: Chamber Symphony after Piano Trio No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 63
PROGRAM NOTES
It’s a family affair when brothers Lucas and Arthur Jussen make their Orpheus debut, intertwined in effervescent phrases first played by Mozart and his sister. Schumann’s Piano Trio, a creative leap fueled by his intimate collaboration with his wife, Clara, radiates passion and power. Brian Nabors, the son of a church musician, brings a lifetime of immersion in America’s soulful traditions to this Orpheus commission.
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HOME, SUITE HOME
Isata Kanneh-Mason, piano
DATES
November 7, 2026 – Davis, CA
November 8, 2026 – Stanford, CA
November 11, 2026 – Santa Barbara, CA
November 12, 2026 –Santa Monica, CA
November 13, 2026 – Seattle, WA
November 15, 2026 – Denver, CO
November 17, 2026 – Zankel Hall, Carnegie Hall @ 7:30 PM ET – New York, NY
February 12, 2027 – Madison, WI
February 13, 2027– Detroit, MI
February 15, 2027 – Sarasota, FL
February 16, 2027 – Edmond, OK
February 17, 2027 – Lincoln, NE
February 19, 2027 – Morristown, NJ
February 21, 2027 – Fairfax, VA
PROGRAM
HANDEL: Suite from “Water Music” compiled by James Wilson from HWV 348 & 350
MOZART: Piano Concerto No. 27 in B-flat Major
Katie JENKINS: Elixir of Life
HAYDN: Symphony No. 91 in E-flat Major
PROGRAM NOTES
Orpheus delivers Old World sophistication in a New York minute. Pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason dives into Mozart’s crowning Viennese concerto, framed by Handel’s sparkling Water Music Suite dispatched from London and a Haydn symphony custom-tailored for Paris. The Welsh composer and New York transplant Katie Jenkins brings a taste of home to her new work for Orpheus.
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92Y
Anthony McGill, clarinet
DATE
December 16, 2026 – 92Y @ 7:30 PM ET – New York, NY
PROGRAM
David DIAMOND: Rounds for String Orchestra
MOZART: Adagio and Fugue in C minor K 546
CPE BACH: Symphony in F Major H 650
MOZART: Clarinet Concerto in A Major
PROGRAM NOTES
Reuniting at 92NY after their thrilling romp through Copland’s concerto in 2023, clarinetist Anthony McGill and Orpheus now scale the highest peak in the clarinet repertoire. McGill is in good hands with the orchestra that has long set the standard for accompanying Mozart’s concertos, including its seminal recording of Mozart’s complete wind concertos.
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EUROPE TOUR
Branford Marsalis, saxophone
DATES
March 6, 2027 – Valencia, Spain
March 7, 2027 – Madrid, Spain
March 8, 2027 – Barcelona, Spain
March 9, 2027 – Vienna, Austria
March 12, 2027 – Antwerp, Belgium
March 13, 2027 – Geneva, Switzerland
March 14, 2027 – Brussels, Belgium
March 15, 2027 – Berlin, Germany
March 17, 2027 – Dusseldorf, Germany
March 18, 2027 – Ferrara, Italy
March 20, 2027 – Lugano, Switzerland
March 21, 2027 – Budapest, Hungary
March 23, 2027 – Hamburg, Germany
PROGRAM
ELLINGTON / Beal: Orchestral Suite
Jeff BEAL: Concerto for Saxophone
LECUONA / Norpoth: Suite Andalucia
GERSHWIN / Diaz: American in Paris
PROGRAM NOTES
Saxophone legend Branford Marsalis and Orpheus rekindle the camaraderie and spontaneity born from their quarter-century of collaboration at the intersection of American improvised music and European art music. A custom-tailored concerto by the celebrated film composer (and jazz trumpeter) Jeff Beal anchors this program that gleefully crosses borders and defies stylistic boundaries, from the symphonic jazz of Ellington and Gershwin to the Flamenco renderings of the Afro-Cuban pioneer Ernesto Lecuona.
PROGRAM / SPAIN VERSION
ELLINGTON / Beal: Orchestral Suite
Jeff BEAL: Concerto for Saxophone
LECUONA / Norpoth: Suite Andalucia
GERSHWIN / Diaz: American in Pari
BEETHOVEN/Hong: Moonlight Sonata
PROGRAM NOTES / SPAIN VERSION
Saxophone legend Branford Marsalis and Orpheus rekindle the camaraderie and spontaneity born from their quarter-century of collective play at the intersection of American improvised music and European art music. A custom-tailored concerto by the celebrated film composer (and jazz trumpeter) Jeff Beal anchors this program that gleefully crosses borders and defies stylistic boundaries, from the pearly glimmer of Beethoven to the symphonic jazz of Ellington and the Flamenco renderings of the Afro-Cuban pioneer Ernesto Lecuona.
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MAGNIFICENCE MAGNIFIED
Paul Huang, violin
DATES
April 16, 2027 – Purchase, NY (TBD)
April 17, 2027 – Zankel Hall, Carnegie Hall @ 7 PM ET – New York, NY
April 18, 2027 – Rockport, MA
PROGRAM
Elena RUEHR: Shimmer
BEETHOVEN/Tognetti: Violin Sonata No. 9 in A Major “Kreutzer”, Op. 47
DVORAK/Wilson: American Sinfonietta after String Quartet No. 12, Op. 96
PROGRAM NOTES
When the musicians of Orpheus focus their collective energies on Beethoven, Dvorak, Elena Ruehr, the result is the sonic equivalent of a 4K Ultra HD video, revealing latent details that have never come through so clearly. They have an ideal partner in violinist Paul Huang, a musician whose playing stands out as “unfailingly incisive and technically immaculate” (Chicago Classical Review).
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92Y
Garrick Ohlsson, piano
DATE
May 16, 2027 – 92Y @ 2 PM ET– New York, NY
PROGRAM
CHOPIN: Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Minor, Op. 21
CHOPIN: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 11
PROGRAM NOTES
This historic collaboration has been fated to happen ever since Garrick Ohlsson won the Chopin International Piano Competition in 1970 and a ragtag group of young New Yorkers started Orpheus Chamber Ensemble in 1972. Ohlsson and Orpheus have made magic with Mozart for decades; now they go back to where it all started, in bespoke arrangements that wrap the soloist in supple support that Chopin could only have dreamed of.
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Japan Tour
Nobuyuki Tsujii, piano
DATES
July 9, 2027 – Niigata, Japan
July 10, 2027 – Matsumoto, Japan
July 11, 2027 – Sendai, Japan
July 13, 2027 – Tokyo, Japan
July 14, 2027 – Tokyo, Japan
July 15, 2027 – Hiroshima, Japan
July 17, 2027 – Fukuoka, Japan
July 18, 2027 – Nagoya, Japan
July 19, 2027 – Osaka, Japan
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