The Chattanooga Symphony & Opera is preparing to launch its 2026-27 season with an ambitious slate of performances that blend classical masterworks, contemporary voices and community-centered programming. It’s part of a broader three-year artistic vision that traces the arc of past, present and future.
The upcoming season, titled “Chapter 2: Moments,” represents the middle installment of a multiyear journey designed to explore time and transformation through music. While the orchestra’s 2025-26 season focused on reflection and history and the 2027-28 season looks ahead to innovation and possibility, the 2026-27 lineup centers on the present, highlighting today’s voices, current cultural connections and the identity of the orchestra and its audience.
“This season is a celebration of who we are now,” according to program materials, with an emphasis on diverse perspectives, local composers and shared experiences.
Color and contrast
The season opens Sept. 24 with “West Side Story & The American Groove,” a program that sets the tone with a wide-ranging exploration of American music.
Works by Duke Ellington and Leonard Bernstein anchor the evening, alongside Johannes Brahms’ Violin Concerto, performed by rising violinist Randall Goosby. The concert also features a piece by Chattanooga composer Ben Van Winkle.
Music Director Ilya Ram conducts the opening performance, which blends jazz, Broadway and classical traditions into what organizers describe as an evening of “color and contrast.”
That balance between tradition and innovation carries through the season.
In November, the orchestra shifts to a blockbuster format with “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back in Concert,” featuring John Williams’ Academy Award-winning score performed live alongside a screening of the film.
Later that month, the focus returns to the classical repertoire with a program built around Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2. Pianist Chaeyoung Park takes the solo role in one of the most beloved works in the piano literature.
The concert also includes Florence Price’s Symphony No. 1 and a new composition by Chattanooga-based composer Jonathan McNair, continuing the season’s emphasis on pairing established works with contemporary and local voices.
The holidays and beyond
The holiday season brings familiar traditions with a fresh presentation.
“Handel’s Messiah,” scheduled for Dec. 5, features the CSO Chorus and guest vocalists under the direction of Darrin Hassevoort. Later in the month, “Home for the Holidays” returns as a family-friendly favorite, reimagined with enhanced theatrical elements designed to create a more immersive experience.
In January 2027, the orchestra offers a more intimate perspective through its Front Row series with “Mozart’s Musical Conversations.” Featuring just eight musicians, the chamber-style performance emphasizes the conversational nature of music, with works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Maurice Ravel highlighting the interplay between individual performers.
February programming includes “Big Band’s Best!” at The Signal, a Valentine’s weekend event that invites audiences to dance and engage with the performance environment. The concert’s flexible seating and social atmosphere mark a departure from traditional concert hall settings, reflecting a broader effort to expand how and where orchestral music is experienced.
Back to the Tivoli
Later that month, the orchestra returns to the Tivoli Theatre for a milestone performance featuring Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4. The concert also includes a world premiere by Chattanooga composer Douglas Hedwig and a regional premiere by composer Shuying Li.
“This is a return that honors the past while embracing what comes next,” program notes state, referencing both the venue and the forward-looking repertoire.
The March 2027 program, “Voices Unbroken,” places the CSO Chorus at the forefront. Featuring works by Samuel Barber, Ralph Vaughan Williams and John Cage, the concert explores themes of reflection, resilience and expression.
Chattanooga native baritone Seth Carico joins soprano Juliana Zara as featured soloists.
In April, the orchestra again broadens its reach with “Cirque de la Symphonie,” a visually dynamic production combining orchestral performance with acrobatics and aerial artistry. The event reflects a growing trend among symphonies to incorporate multidisciplinary elements and appeal to wider audiences.
The season concludes April 29, 2027, with “Mozart & Mahler: A World of Wonder,” a program that pairs classical staples with contemporary premieres. The evening includes a new work by Chattanooga composer Tim Hinck, alongside music by Ronnie Reshef, Mozart’s “Magic Flute” overture and Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 4.
Soprano Mayan Goldenfeld is featured.
Organizers describe the finale as “a vibrant close to the season, full of color and imagination,” tying together the themes of creativity and possibility that define the year.
Source: Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra