Philharmonic Society’s 2026-27 Season Features Superstars and Curiosities
- Paul Hodgins
- 3 hours ago
- 5 min read
The lineup includes Yuja Wang, the Bang on a Can All-Stars and the return of the Vienna Philharmonic.
The Philharmonic Society of Orange County’s 2026-27 season, announced today, includes plenty of familiar names, a generous amount of unusual world music, a salute to the masters of musical minimalism and the repeat of a prestigious residency by one of the world’s great orchestras.
It’s a season that reflects the increasing interest and diversity of the Philharmonic Society’s audiences, according to the organization's president and artistic director, Tommy Phillips.
“Our audiences continue to grow and indicate they have a curiosity for music programming of all kinds,” Phillips said. “As we approach our 75th anniversary, we’re proud that we are bringing some of the best artists in the world to Orange County and attracting audiences to concerts of various kinds. Our patrons are much more inclined to want those high-level artistic experiences.”
The season’s highlight is a two-concert program from March 5-7, 2027 by the Vienna Philharmonic
under conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin, the second such multi-day Philharmonic Society appearance for the renowned orchestra; like the first, in 2025, the group will divide its residency between Orange County and Northern California. The orchestra will perform Mahler’s Symphonies Nos. 2 and 4. Orange County’s Pacific Chorale will provide the choral ensemble for the former work.
“It’s a great relationship that we’ve built with the orchestra, and it’s one that we intend on continuing, at least for the next few years,” Phillips said. “Financially, (success) is really contingent on them performing a number of concerts. The shared philanthropic support is really what makes this happen.” As with the first residency, the Philharmonic Society is partnering with Cal Performances, thanks in part to funding from longtime California arts patrons Maria Manetti Shrem of the San Francisco Bay area and Orange County’s Elizabeth Segerstrom.
Celebrated pianist Yuja Wang will join the Vienna Philharmonic to perform Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Major on the first evening, paired with Mahler’s Symphony No. 4.
The upcoming season also features an opening night chamber collaboration with French pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Georgian violinist Lisa Batiashvili, and French cellist Gautier Capuçon; appearances by Itzhak Perlman, Midori, Daniil Trifonov; and a season-closing performance by the Los Angeles Philharmonic featuring John Williams’ Piano Concerto No. 2.
PHOTO 1: French pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, and PHOTO 2: Georgian violinist Lisa Batiashvili. Photo by Sammy Hart PHOTO 3: French cellist Gautier Capuçon. Photo by Anoush Abrar.
Phillips is especially proud of bringing together Thibaudet, Batiashvili and Capuçon. “The three of them, I would have any of them on our season individually. Collectively, it will be a real thrill and a beautiful evening.”
In November, the Philharmonic Society hosts the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, an ensemble that last appeared in its 2020-21 season at the Irvine Barclay Theatre. Phillips thinks the larger Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall is nevertheless an ideal venue for chamber music.
“I think it works exceptionally well. It is an instrument in itself. It resonates; it carries. That’s why we’re able to present these enormous orchestras and also a lot of solo recitals and voice and piano recitals. I think it works exceptionally well for smaller groups, chamber orchestras in particular. It really lets them shine. It’s not so big that they’re muddled. There’s a really special balance in that space.”
PHOTO 1: Pianist Joyce Yang. Photo by KT Kim. PHOTO 2: Violinist Ray Chen. Photo by Decca Records. PHOTO 3: Violinist Aubree Oliverson. Photo by Nick Bayless. PHOTO 4: The Calder Quartet. Photo by Austin Hargrave. PHOTO 5: The Los Angeles Guitar Quartet. Photo by Adam Almeida. PHOTO 6: The Junction Trio. Photo by Shervin Lainez. All photos courtesy of Philharmonic Society of Orange County.
The Philharmonic Society’s annual Laguna Beach Festival celebrates its 25th anniversary next season from Feb. 2-7, 2027. The musicians will include violinists Angella Ahn, Ray Chen and Aubree Oliverson, pianists Jeremy Denk and Joyce Yang, the Calder Quartet, the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet and the Junction Trio.
“It’s a star-studded collection of past directors who will be collaborating on each program,” Phillips said. Curiously, the five-day event will have no designated music director, as previous festivals did. “Really, there is no specific director,” Phillips said. “All of the artists will collaboratively create the programs. Each of them will lead half of each program.”
The Philharmonic Society will team with Chapman University’s Musco Center for the Arts next season for the first time in a while when it hosts the Bang on a Can All-Stars at the university’s premier venue. The New York-based ensemble will present “A Birthday Celebration of Steve Reich and Philip Glass,” an evening of music by two of musical minimalism’s most famous composers. “We have collaborated (with Chapman University) before, but it’s been a number of years, and now that there’s been a change of leadership at Chapman there’s an opportunity to restart that relationship,” Phillips said. “The new dean is very open to collaboration, so we’re putting our foot back in the water.”
The Bang on a Can All-Stars have committed to a multi-day stay, Phillips said. “The ensemble will be there for about three-and-a-half days. They’ll be working with Chapman students, doing some master classes, and doing a talk with the dean of performing arts and myself.” The group will also perform a work by one of its founders that features 16 to 20 brass players. “It will be a combination of Chapman students and our Orange County Youth Symphony students,” Phillips said.
Another season highlight will be a visit by the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine. “They have been in demand for the last few years,” Phillips said “Their situation was and obviously still is a bit tenuous. There are a lot of other Ukrainian orchestras who were portraying themselves as the (national) orchestra. This is the real deal. They’re over 100 years old. We’ve been working on this for a couple of seasons and they’re finally ready to make this bigger trip to the U.S.” The orchestra’s American visit includes a performance at Carnegie Hall.
The 200th anniversary of Beethoven’s death will be acknowledged throughout the Philharmonic’s calendar, Phillips said. “There are a number of concerts sprinkled throughout the season. There’s a concert by Festival Lucerne with Midori in February (2027). There’ll be a lot of Beethoven going around, both with us and with other institutions.”
For more details about the Philharmonic Society’s 2026-27 season, visit the website.
