A New Era Officially Begins at Pacific Symphony
- Paul Hodgins
- 5 minutes ago
- 6 min read
Alexander Shelley’s first season at the helm marks landmark anniversaries, features an opera about Nixon and brings in some big names.
Pacific Symphony’s 2026-27 Classical Series, announced today, bears the imprint of a new leader. It will be Alexander Shelley’s first season as the orchestra’s artistic and music director, and the programming choices Shelley made reflect an artist attuned to currents, connections and crowd pleasers.
It’s also an intriguing indication of the kinds of places he wants to venture with his new ensemble. Though he’s conducted Pacific Symphony several times since his first appearance with them as an auditioning guest conductor in late 2023, the honeymoon period shows no signs of abating. “They’re a responsive, wonderful orchestra, and it’s a joy to work with them,” Shelley said in an interview with Culture OC. “They continue to surprise and delight me. I’m looking forward to the journeys we have planned for the coming year.”
Among the season’s highlights: Mahler’s monumental Symphony No. 2, John Adams groundbreaking opera “Nixon in China,” and an ambitious festival that features all nine Beethoven symphonies to mark the 200th anniversary of the composer’s passing. The orchestra will also honor the 250th anniversary of America’s founding with works both familiar and new.
Shelley sees a common thread to Beethoven’s history-changing symphonies and the social and political ferment of Revolutionary-era America, even though the founding of this country predates Beethoven’s career by several decades.
“I’ve always been struck by the fact that the Enlightenment was the source of so many related political and cultural movements,” Shelley said. “This (season’s programming) is an opportunity to look at the humanist ideals that Beethoven believed in – the same ones that helped shape the Declaration of Independence and create America as we know it.”
Shelley is looking forward to the monumental challenge of tackling Beethoven’s symphonies in a two week festival, which reflect the shifts in style and philosophy that led from Classicism to Romanticism.
“The Eroica is really such a turning point, I think,” he said of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3. “It was dedicated and then undedicated to a great (transformer) of history, of course – Napoleon – but it also signals in its very beginning that something new is on the horizon. Those two sharp chords, followed by a theme that immediately veers away from the familiar into something more exploratory.”
Shelley is also relishing the opportunity to tackle Mahler’s epic Resurrection Symphony with Pacific Symphony. Those who witnessed Shelley’s recent interpretations of Ravel’s “Daphnis and Chloe” and Stravinsky’s “The Firebird” already know of his affinity for masterpieces from the period when modernism was coalescing. “It will be exhilarating and, I think, very satisfying to bring it to life with this orchestra,” Shelley said. “It’s a work that will really emphasize our (areas) of strength.”
Shelley knows that Adams' “Nixon in China,” next season’s contribution to Pacific Symphony’s annual semi-staged opera tradition, is a departure from the usual more traditional fare presented in past years. But he feels it’s a good fit for Orange County, which has such close ties to the nation's 37th president.
“I think many people here will be fascinated by this story, which is so masterfully told,” Shelley said. “Nixon has come to be respected as a major statesman, and John Adams relates that story very well as it pertains to Nixon’s relationship with China.” The opera dramatizes the week that changed the world – President Nixon’s groundbreaking visit to Beijing in 1972 – and brings to life the tension, diplomacy and political theater of that moment through Adams’ emotionally charged score. Pacific Symphony is partnering with the Nixon Library to provide audiences with a deeper understanding of the historic events that inspired the opera.
Shelley said he is still acclimating to the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, which he finds to be acoustically “very accommodating. The sound seems to be consistent from many different parts of the hall.” Although he’s interested in the concert hall’s capacity for acoustical adjustment, for the time being Shelley said he is leaving those decisions to Pacific Symphony’s resident experts. “I’m quite satisfied with the sound here. It’s balanced and warm. Orange County is very fortunate to have such a wonderful facility.”
Shelley said that although he will maintain his home near London and his children will remain in English schools, he plans to dive into Orange County's culture and attractions when he is here. While he helmed the National Arts Center Orchestra in Ottawa, Shelley enjoyed all that the northern city had to offer. “I embraced the seasons, including winter,” he said. Skiing and skating were a regular part of the family’s activities.
“I’m definitely looking forward to all that Orange County has to offer,” Shelley said. “It’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever lived.”
The 2026 - 2027 Pacific Symphony Season
HAL AND JEANETTE SEGERSTROM FAMILY FOUNDATION CLASSICAL SERIES
All concerts take place at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall at Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Programs, artists, prices, dates, and availability are subject to change.
SPECIAL EVENT: OPENING NIGHT CELEBRATION
Sept. 24 at 8 p.m.
Alexander Shelley, conductor Joshua Bell, violin
Jessie Montgomery: Banner* Lalo: Symphonie Espagnole Kevin Puts: Earth from The Elements* Bernstein: Overture to Candide Tower: Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman Price: Andante Moderato* Korngold: Kings Row Suite* Bartók: Rumanian Folk Dances Gershwin: Overture to Girl Crazy*
GRAND OPENING: SHELLEY CONDUCTS MAHLER 2ND
Oct. 1-3 at 8 p.m.
Alexander Shelley, conductor Miah Persson, soprano** Dame Sarah Connolly, mezzo-soprano** Pacific Chorale, Robert Istad, artistic director
MAHLER: Symphony No. 2, “Resurrection”
SHELLEY CONDUCTS SORCERER’S APPRENTICE AND STRAUSS
Oct. 22-24 at 8 p.m. Matinee: Oct. 25 at 3 p.m. (Sorcerer’s Apprentice and Also sprach Zarathustra only)
Alexander Shelley, conductor James Ehnes, violin
Dukas: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice James Newton-Howard: Violin Concerto No. 2 Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra
TSUJII PLAYS RACHMANINOFF’S MIGHTY 3RD
Nov. 19-21 at 8 p.m.
Alexander Shelley, conductor Nobuyuki Tsujii, piano**
Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3
NEW WORLD JOURNEYS
Dec. 3-5 at 8 p.m.
Ruth Reinhardt, conductor** Joyce Yang, piano
Detlev Glanert: Three American Preludes–Prelude 1* Grieg: Piano Concerto Dvořák: Symphony No. 6*
EMANUEL AX PLAYS BEETHOVEN
Jan. 16, 2027 at 8 p.m.
Alexander Shelley, conductor Emanuel Ax, piano
Sami Moussa: Elysium* Mozart: Symphony No. 31, “Paris” Unsuk Chin: Subito con forza* Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4
BEETHOVEN REVOLUTION FESTIVAL (Week 1)
Alexander Shelley, conductor
The Young Revolutionary
Jan. 28, 2027 at 8 p.m.
Beethoven: Overture to Coriolon Beethoven: Symphony No. 1 Beethoven: Symphony No. 2
Hero & Innovator
Jan. 29, 2027 at 8 p.m.
Beethoven: Symphony No. 3, “Eroica” Beethoven: Symphony No. 4
Special Theatrical Event - ‘I Shall Hear Heaven’
Jan. 30, 2027 at 8 p.m.
Play written and performed by actor Tama Matheson: Beethoven – I Shall Hear in Heaven*
BEETHOVEN REVOLUTION FESTIVAL (Week 2)
Mighty Fifth and Pastoral
Feb. 4, 2027 at 8 p.m.
Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 Beethoven: Symphony No. 6
Dance and Delight
Feb. 5, 2027 at 8 p.m.
Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 Beethoven: Symphony No. 8
Ode to Joy
Feb. 6, 2027 at 8 p.m., Feb. 7, 2027 at 3 p.m. (matinee)
Runestad: A Silence Haunts Me Beethoven: Symphony No. 9
February 9, 2027 at 8 p.m.
Runestad: A Silence Haunts Me Beethoven: Symphony No. 9, “Choral”
LONG YU CONDUCTS SYMPHONIC DANCES
February 25-27, 2027 at 8 p.m.
Long Yu, conductor Serena Wang, piano**
Qigang Chen: Er Huang, for Piano and Orchestra Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances
YANG PLAYS SIBELIUS
March 18-20, 2027 at 8 p.m.
Markus Stenz, conductor Inmo Yang, violin**
Berlioz: Roman Carnival Overture Sibelius: Violin Concerto Stravinsky: Petrushka
SHELLEY CONDUCTS ‘NIXON IN CHINA’
April 8, 10 and 13, 2027 at 8 p.m.
Alexander Shelley, conductor Elkhanah Pulitzer, stage director Pacific Chorale, Robert Istad, artistic director Cast to be announced
John Adams: “Nixon in China”*
TCHAIKOVSKY’S PIANO CONCERTO NO. 1
April 29-May 1, 2027 at 8 p.m. May 2, 2027 at 3 p.m. (matinee) (Appalachian Spring only)
Joana Carneiro, conductor** Aristo Sham, piano**
Copland: Appalachian Spring Suite Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 Celestial Cinema
SHELLEY CONDUCTS JOHN WILLIAMS AND THE PLANETS
May 20-22, 2027 at 8 p.m. May 23, 2027 at 3 p.m. (matinee) (The Planets only)
Alexander Shelley, conductor Jess Gillam, alto saxophone Women of the Pacific Chorale, Robert Istad, artistic director
John Williams: “Star Wars” – Suite for Orchestra* John Williams: “Escapades” from “Catch Me If You Can”* Holst: The Planets Love and Dance
SHELLEY CONDUCTS AN AMERICAN IN PARIS
June 10-12, 2027 at 8 p.m.
Alexander Shelley, conductor Karen Slack, soprano
Higdon: blue cathedral Various: African Queens (West Coast Premiere)* Ravel: La valse Gershwin: An American in Paris
OTHER SPECIAL EVENTS
HANDEL’S GLORIOUS MESSIAH
Dec. 6 at 3 p.m.
Pacific Chorale, Robert Istad, artistic director
Handel: Messiah
HOLIDAY ORGAN SPECTACULAR
Dec. 22 at 8 p.m.
Todd Wilson, organ Members of Pacific Symphony
Programming and artists to be announced
LUNAR NEW YEAR
Feb. 13, 2027 at 8 p.m.
Alexander Shelley, conductor
Programming and artists to be announced
NOWRUZ
March 27, 2027 at 8 p.m.
Alexander Shelley, conductor
Programming and artists to be announced
*The first performance by Pacific Symphony **Artist debut with Pacific Symphony
