Symphony’s new season mixes classics, education and world premiere

The Palm Beach Symphony season opens Nov. 9. [Photo by Larisa Birta]

The Palm Beach Symphony has announced an artistically ambitious 2025-26 season under the direction of maestro Gerard Schwarz. Featuring six Masterworks concerts at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach, the season will highlight composers such as Gershwin, Rachmaninoff, Brahms, Schumann, Strauss, Holst and Shostakovich, plus the world premiere of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Paul Moravec’s “Lullaby,” commissioned by Bonnie McElveen-Hunter.

Distinguished guest soloists include pianists Shelly Berg, Misha Dichter, Simon Trpčeski and Emanuel Ax; cellist Alisa Weilerstein; and violinist Vadim Repin. These performances will showcase classical works and contemporary pieces by composers such as Gabriela Lena Frank, Daniel Asia and Alan Hovhaness.

The season opens Nov. 9 with Berg performing Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” and concludes May 17 with Ax playing Mozart’s “Piano Concerto No. 22” and the orchestra performing Holst’s “The Planets.”

Complementing the Masterworks Series, the symphony will present a family concert titled “A TV Guide to the Orchestra” on Oct. 5 as part of the Dale A. McNulty Children’s Concert Series. Featuring Benjamin Britten’s “The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra,” the event will include interactive performances and storytelling.

Schwarz, in his seventh season as music director, brings extensive credentials, including leadership roles with the Seattle Symphony and Eastern Music Festival. His discography exceeds 350 recordings, and he has been recognized with multiple Emmy Awards, Grammy nominations and lifetime achievement honors.

Season subscription packages for the six-concert Masterworks Series start at $120. Tickets will be available for individual concerts beginning Sept. 2. For more information and tickets, visit PalmBeachSymphony.org, or call 561-281-0145.

Lunch & Learn sessions, hosted by musicians and guest artists, will precede each concert to provide an in-depth perspective on the music. These events run from noon to 1:30 p.m. and are available individually or as a package.

The symphony’s season is made possible by the support of individual donors and foundations.