SPAC Announces 2026 Philadelphia Orchestra Season

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) will host the Philadelphia Orchestra for a three-week summer residency from Aug. 5 to 22. 

Led by Music and Artistic Director Yannick Nezet-Seguin, the season pairs classical masterworks with SPAC premieres and performances by world-renowned artists, including Tony, Emmy, and five-time Grammy Award–nominated singer Josh Groban; Grammy–nominated indie-folk singer Gregory Alan Isakov; and two-time Tony Award–winning Broadway star Brian Stokes Mitchell.

Additional performances include screenings of “Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows — Part 1” and “Star Wars: A New Hope,” which will be projected onto screens in HD while the orchestra performs the accompanying film scores live; Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony; “The Four Seasons” by Vivaldi and “The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires” by Astor Piazzolla; the Tchaikovsky Spectacular; Mozart & Mahler; “Pictures from an Exhibition” with Daniele Rustioni; Emanuel Ax Plays Beethoven; and Gershwin’s “An American in Paris.”   

“Our 2026 Philadelphia Orchestra season marks a milestone celebration—60 years of extraordinary music at SPAC with the Orchestra,” said Elizabeth Sobol, CEO of SPAC. “Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, which opened the Orchestra’s first season here in 1966, returns as the centerpiece of this summer’s season, led by Yannick Nézet-Séguin. This monumental work, with its transcendent choral finale, offers our community a stirring experience that celebrates six decades of artistry and the enduring partnership between SPAC and the Orchestra.”

Highlighting the season is the Philadelphia Orchestra debut of Josh Groban on Aug. 14. Groban will perform a special Stage, Screen & Symphony program that blends musical theater hits, cinema classics, and symphonic arrangements. Groban has sold more than 35 million albums worldwide, headlined legendary venues on multiple continents, and entertained audiences with acclaimed film and television appearances.

Indie-folk singer Gregory Alan Isakov will make his SPAC and Philadelphia Orchestra debut to close the season on Aug. 22. The Johannesburg-born songwriter brings songs such as “Miles to Go,” “Liars,” “Big Black Car,” and “Amsterdam” to the stage in sweeping orchestral arrangements. Isakov has collaborated with many symphonies, including the Colorado Symphony, as well as the Los Angeles Philharmonic—the latter of which was hailed by the Los Angeles Times as “a singular experience.”

Philadelphia Orchestra Music and Artistic Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin will return to the podium on Aug. 15 to anchor SPAC’s 60th anniversary season with Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, featuring a cast that includes soprano Leah Hawkins, mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges, tenor Issachah Savage, and bass-baritone Ryan Speedo Green, alongside Albany Pro Musica. The program will open with the SPAC premiere of William Grant Still’s rarely performed “Wood Notes,” a pastoral orchestral suite inspired by the natural beauty of the American South and the poetry of Joseph Mitchell Pilche. Continuing the 60th anniversary theme of “Seasons,” the residency will also feature paired performances of “The Four Seasons” by Vivaldi and “The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires” by Astor Piazzolla, with concertmaster David Kim serving as leader and soloist on Aug. 19.

Kicking off the season with three performances is Philadelphia Orchestra Principal Guest Conductor Marin Alsop (Aug. 5-7), including the popular “Tchaikovsky Spectacular” program, followed by an evening featuring the SPAC premiere of Mozart’s “Piano Concerto No. 23,” with pianist Jeneba Kanneh-Mason in her SPAC and Orchestra debuts, and Mahler’s “Symphony No. 1.”

Returning for the first time since 2014, two-time Tony–winning Broadway star Brian Stokes Mitchell will lead, on Aug. 7, an “American Dreams” program highlighted by his narration of Aaron Copland’s “Lincoln Portrait,” a reflection on unity, equality, and democratic responsibility. In honor of America’s 250th anniversary in 2026, the program also draws inspiration from Marian Anderson’s landmark performance of the work at SPAC 50 years ago. The evening features Broadway favorites, including “Wheels of a Dream” from Ragtime, in which Mitchell originated the leading role, and concludes with Dvořák’s “Symphony No. 9,” written during the composer’s time in the United States and inspired by American musical traditions.

Continuing this exploration of American music, New Zealand conductor Gemma New will make her SPAC debut on Aug. 20, leading Gershwin’s “An American in Paris” paired with Ravel’s “Piano Concerto in G” and Florence Price’s “Piano Concerto in One Movement,” performed by pianist Michelle Cann, who will also appear on the SPAC stage for the first time.

Also highlighting the season is the return of pianist Emanuel Ax on Aug. 13, performing Beethoven’s “Piano Concerto No. 5,” one of the composer’s most iconic works, under the baton of newly appointed Principal Guest Conductor of The Metropolitan Opera Danielle Rustioni, making his SPAC debut. On Aug. 12, Rustioni will lead Musorgsky’s “Pictures from an Exhibition” and Korngold’s “Violin Concerto,” featuring the SPAC and Orchestra debuts of celebrated violinist Bomsori Kim.

Finally, the popular film nights will return with “Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows — Part 1” on Aug. 8 and “Star Wars: A New Hope” on Aug. 21.

“August at SPAC will bring three remarkable vocalists across genres—Josh Groban, Gregory Alan Isakov, and Brian Stokes Mitchell—alongside classical music’s most in-demand artists, from Saratoga favorites and icons like Marin Alsop and Emanuel Ax to rising stars making their SPAC debuts, including Jeneba Kanneh-Mason, following the recent debuts of her siblings Isata Kanneh-Mason and Sheku Kanneh-Mason,” said Christopher Shiley, president of SPAC. “From masterworks and SPAC premieres to programs inspired by the themes of ‘Seasons’ and America’s 250th anniversary, this summer promises to inspire, uplift, and connect our community through music.”

Tickets are already available for members (tiered by level) and will be available to the general public on March 25 at 10 a.m. Visit spac.org for details.