Dallas Symphony Orchestra Announces 2025/26 Concert Season

DSO commemorates 125th anniversary with special programming all season long

Fabio Luisi leads DSO in Mahler Symphony No. 4, opera-in-concert performances of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, Bruckner Symphony No. 9 and Mahler Symphony No. 8

DSO will present six world premieres and one US premiere as part of the Texas Instruments Classical Series

Leonidas Kavakos joins DSO as Artist-in-Residence

Pops Series Presented by Capital One offers diverse lineup, from the music of Dolly Parton and Latin pop tributes to movie music and more

DALLAS (March 13, 2025) – The Dallas Symphony Orchestra (DSO) announces programming for the 2025/26 concert season, led by Music Director Fabio Luisi (Louise W. & Edmund J. Kahn Music Directorship), Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik (Dot & Paul Mason Podium) and Principal Conductor of Dallas Symphony Presents Enrico Lopez-Yañez (Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Chair).

“We are delighted to unveil an extraordinary concert season that celebrates the DSO’s 125th anniversary,” said Ross Perot President & CEO Michelle Miller Burns. “This season, we continue our longstanding tradition of artistic excellence with a dynamic lineup of programming, including world premieres and cherished masterworks within the Texas Instruments Classical Series, and thrilling fan-favorites in the Pops Series Presented by Capital One. We look forward to welcoming audiences to experience the joy of 125 years of music with us at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center.”

The 2025/26 season was programmed with the DSO’s quasquicentennial milestone at the heart, with nods to significant moments, artists and music from throughout the orchestra’s 125-year history. The DSO traces its origins to a concert presented by a group of 40 musicians in 1900, conducted by Hans Kreissig, making it the oldest symphony orchestra in Texas and one of the oldest in the country.

Subscriptions for the season are on sale today, March 13, 2025, and single tickets will be available June 20, 2025. Note that the start time for all Sunday concerts will be 2:00 p.m. this season.

TEXAS INSTRUMENTS CLASSICAL SERIES

The 2025/26 season marks Fabio Luisi’s sixth as the DSO’s Music Director, and he will lead the orchestra in 11 programs as part of the Texas Instruments Classical Series, beginning with the annual gala fundraising event.

“I am honored to be part of the DSO’s history as its Music Director. This season brings joy in recognizing what we have accomplished in recent years, provides a moment to reflect on our past 125 years, and presents an opportunity to look forward to the exciting, essential work we will continue to pursue,” said Luisi. “I am particularly eager to further develop two crucial skills of the DSO: sound shaping and spontaneous musicianship. In this spirit, it makes perfect sense that this season we will deepen the DSO’s connection with the music of Gustav Mahler.“

Luisi and the DSO will present Mahler’s Fourth Symphony in concerts October 2 & 5, 2025, and the glorious Eighth Symphony (“Symphony of a Thousand”) at the end of the season on May 15 & 17, 2026, in what Luisi describes as a “significant journey through Mahler’s work and, at the same time, a way to enhance the exceptional quality of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.”

Luisi and the DSO also continue their exploration of Anton Bruckner’s expansive symphonies. After critically acclaimed performances of Bruckner’s “Romantic” Fourth Symphony in the 2022/23 season and his Seventh in the 2024/25 season, Luisi and the DSO will present Bruckner’s Symphony No. 9 in standalone concerts on January 15 & 16, 2026. The epic Ninth Symphony was Bruckner’s final symphonic work, the composition of which was interrupted by his failing health and left unfinished at the time of his death in 1896.

Featured Artists and Conductors

Lauded Greek violinist-conductor Leonidas Kavakos has been named DSO’s Artist-in-Residence for the 2025/26 season. Kavakos is recognized around the world as a violinist and artist of rare quality, acclaimed for his matchless technique, captivating artistry and superb musicianship. He has a long history of collaboration with the DSO, dating back to his first appearance as soloist on Paganini’s Second Violin Concerto in October 1990. He steps into the spotlight as the featured soloist at the annual DSO Symphony Gala concert on October 4, 2025, and returns to lead the orchestra from the podium in February 2026. Kavakos will also collaborate with DSO musicians in chamber music performances throughout the season.

Many of classical music’s most talented and in-demand artists will join the DSO this season, including Emanuel Ax (piano), 2025 GRAMMY® Award winner Karen Slack (soprano), Jan Vogler (cello), Hélène Grimaud (piano) and Alexi Kenney (violin), among others. Several distinguished artists make their DSO debut this season, including Bruce Liu (piano), world-renowned soloist and University of North Texas professor David Childs (euphonium), Melissa White (violin), acclaimedviolinist and professor at Southern Methodist University Chad Hoopes (violin), Amaryn Olmeda (violin), Julian Steckel (cello) and Maria Dueñas (violin).

Additionally, the DSO has assembled powerhouse casts of singers for opera-in-concert performances of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly and Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 (“Symphony of a Thousand”), many of whom will be singing with the orchestra for the first time. See the attached season calendar for the full cast lists.

The DSO welcomes renowned conductors David Robertson, Marin Alsop, Jun Märkl, Edward Gardner, Tabitha Berglund and former DSO Assistant Conductor Maurice Cohn, back to the podium during the 2025/26 season. Ana María Patiño-Osorio, Daniele Rustioni and Sebastian Weigle will all make their conducting debuts with the DSO.

2025 DSO Symphony Gala

The season officially kicks off with the 2025 Symphony Gala on Saturday, October 4, 2025. Fabio Luisi will lead the orchestra in Beethoven’s Egmont Overture, which the legendary Sir Georg Solti conducted at the first subscription concert of his tenure as Music Director in the early 1960s at the DSO’s then-home venue, McFarlin Memorial Auditorium at SMU. The 2025 Gala program culminates with the glorious Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto starring Artist-in-Residence Leonidas Kavakos. This once-a-season fundraising event benefits the DSO’s education and outreach initiatives including the Young Strings and Kim Noltemy Young Musicians programs. The DSO will soon announce the 2025 gala chairs and leadership team, along with ticketing options for both the full gala experience and the concert and after-party.

Premieres and Commissions

The DSO’s first world-premiere project was in 1912, when the orchestra performed German conductor Carl Venth’s Easter “Resurrection” oratorio, a piece based on Icelandic and Greek mythology. Since then, the orchestra has amassed a musical legacy of more than 100 commissions and premieres. That legacy continues with six world premieres in the 2025/26 concert season.

The DSO has commissioned former Composer-in-Residence Angélica Negrón to write an expansive work for orchestra, chorus and four vocalists in honor of the orchestra’s 125th anniversary. Fabio Luisi and the DSO will premiere the new work, (title coming soon*), in performances October 16–18, 2025, alongside Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue (with pianist Inon Barnatan), and Gould’s Latin-American Symphonette.

Kathryn Bostic, Emmy-nominated composer of film, TV and Broadway music, pays homage to Harlem Renaissance blues singer Gladys Bentley in a new work commissioned by the DSO for soprano and orchestra (title coming soon*), with soprano Karen Slack as the soloist. Famed conductor Marin Alsop will lead the DSO in this world premiere November 7–9, 2025, in a program also featuring Strauss’ Don Juan and Brahms’ Second Symphony.

Fabio Luisi will lead the orchestra in a program featuring two exciting world premieres November 20–22, 2025: Dallas-based composer Jonathan Cziner’s Clarinet Concerto featuring DSO Principal Clarinet Gregory Raden (Mr. & Mrs. C. Thomas May, Jr. Chair); and composer/pianist Moni (Jasmine) Guo’s new work titled “the sound of where i came from” 乡音, which was commissioned by the League of American Orchestras with the generous support of the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation Orchestral Commissions Program for women composers.

Sphinx alumna Melissa White, praised for her “warmly expressive and lyrical” playing by Chicago Classical Review, makes her DSO debut with the world premiere of Composer-in-Residence Sophia Jani’s (Lisa & Robert Segert Chair) Violin Concerto* February 12–15, 2026, in performances helmed by Norwegian conductor Tabita Berglund. The DSO will also perform Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture and Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances on the program.

The DSO presents its sixth and final world premiere of the 2025/26 concert season April 16-19, 2026. Principal Viola Meredith Kufchak (Hortense & Lawrence S. Pollock Chair) will be the featured soloist in a new concerto from GRAMMY ® -nominated composer Jonathan Leshnoff. Leshnoff, dubbed “a leader of contemporary American lyricism” by The New York Times, is renowned for his music’s striking harmonies and powerful themes. Colombian conductor Ana María Patiño-Osorio’s debut program with the DSO also includes Dvořák’s Cello Concerto (with Julian Steckel) and Mendelssohn’s “Italian Symphony.”

The DSO will present the US premiere of the brilliant Scottish composer Sir James MacMillan’s Concerto for Euphonium and Strings (“Where the Lugar meets the Glaisnock”) featuring David Childs in his DSO debut January 22–24, 2026. Childs, praised by The Observer for his “astonishing technique and engaging stage presence,” is also Professor of Euphonium at the University of North Texas. He presents the world premiere of the piece with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales in Spring 2025. Also on the program, led by London Philharmonic Music Director Edward Gardner, is an arrangement of Walton’s Coronation Te Deum and Holst’s The Planets.

Several works receive their DSO premieres this season, including John Adams’ seminal “study on tonal harmony” Harmonielehre (Sep. 12–14, 2025), Sophia Jani’s 2022 composition “What Do Flowers Do at Night?” (Oct. 9, 11 & 12, 2025), Kurt Weill’s Second Symphony (March 5-8, 2026), Casella’s Symphony No. 2 (March 20–22, 2026) and Korngold’s Straussiana (May 29 & 30, 2026).

*These premieres are generously funded by the Norma and Don Stone New Music Fund.

West Coast Tour

Following a successful European tour in Summer 2024 where the DSO performed to packed houses in 11 cities, the orchestra will hit the road again this season – this time heading west to the Golden State. In Spring 2026, Fabio Luisi and the DSO bring the Schumann Piano Concerto (featuring Hélène Grimaud) and Mahler’s Fourth Symphony to audiences in three cities in California: Palm Desert (March 31), Santa Barbara (April 1) and Costa Mesa (April 2).

Streaming and Broadcasts

Since the launch of the Next Stage Digital Concert Series in Fall 2020, the DSO has established itself as a leader in digital orchestra concerts, reaching over three million viewers worldwide through broadcasts. The series will continue into the 2025/26 season with select programs from the Texas Instruments Classical Series being made available on the DSO’s YouTube channel. In addition, the DSO will continue its partnerships with medici.tv, Symphony.live and KERA/PBS to present important programs that will reach audiences around the world.

Other Highlights

  • Haydn Symphony No. 92, “Oxford:” Fabio Luisi leads the DSO in a program featuring Haydn’s witty and elegant “Oxford” Symphony, which the composer conducted at Oxford University in 1791 to celebrate his honorary Doctor of Music degree. This symphony is of special significance to the DSO’s history as it was featured on the orchestra’s first-ever concert on May 22, 1900, conducted by Hans Kreissig. (Oct. 2 & 5, 2025)
  • De Falla Favorites: Jun Märkl returns to Dallas to conduct a program featuring two works by 20th-century Spanish composer Manuel de Falla: Nights in the Garden of Spain (featuring virtuoso pianist Javier Perianes) and The Three-Cornered Hat (Suite No. 2). Both pieces were favorites of long-time DSO Music Director Eduardo Mata (1977-1993) and have been programmed this season in his honor as part of the DSO’s 125th anniversary celebration. Rounding out the program is Ravel’s Rapsodie espanole. (Nov. 28–30, 2025)
  • Madama Butterfly, Opera-in-Concert: On the heels of the DSO’s internationally acclaimed and historic performances of Wagner’s complete Ring Cycle in the 2024/25 season, masterful opera conductor Fabio Luisi will present Puccini’s Madama Butterfly as this season’s opera-in-concert production. (Jan. 9 & 11, 2026)
  • Rózsa Violin Concerto: 16-year-old phenom Amaryn Olmeda takes center stage in Miklós Rózsa’s Violin Concerto, originally composed for the legendary violinist Jascha Heifetz and premiered by the Dallas Symphony on January 15, 1956. This will be the DSO’s first performance since that time, in honor of the orchestra’s 125th anniversary. (March 26–28, 2026)
  • Surprise Openers: On three concerts this season, the conductor will start each evening with a “surprise” piece not listed in the program books or advertised in advance. Audience members will be encouraged to share their thoughts and impressions of each piece, which will be revealed at the top of the second half of the program after intermission. (March 5–8, 2026; March 20–22, 2026; March 26–28, 2026)

POPS SERIES PRESENTED BY CAPITAL ONE & OTHER SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS

The 2025/26 season marks Jeff Tyzik’s 13th year as Principal Pops Conductor, and he will lead the DSO in three concerts as part of the Pops Series Presented by Capital One.

“Collaborating with the remarkable musicians of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra is always a privilege, but this season is truly special. As we celebrate 125 years of extraordinary music-making, the energy and passion are palpable. I can’t wait to bring this thrilling lineup to life and share it with audiences,” said Tyzik.

The Pops Series Presented by Capital One begins with the return of the gravity-defying artists of Troupe Vertigo, who bring “Cirque Noir” to Dallas September 26–28, 2025. The film noir-inspired show features stunning visuals and awe-inspiring aerial feats and contortionists behind a jazzy, alluring score composed by Jeff Tyzik. 

Tyzik also conducts the US Naval Academy’s Men’s & Women’s Glee Clubs and Pipes & Drum Corps alongside the DSO in a program of patriotic favorites in celebration of America’s 250th anniversary (April 10–12, 2026); and Icons of the Strip: Sinatra & The Rat Pack, a musical journey through songbooks of some of the 1950’s most iconic crooners, from Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack to Louis Prima and Bobby Darin, with vocalist Paul Loren in the spotlight (June 19–21, 2026).

Former DSO Principal Pops Conductor Richard Kaufman returns to the stage for the first time since 2021 to lead the orchestra in a musical retrospective of fan favorites throughout the years, from Broadway and movie music to jazzy tunes and more. This 125th anniversary Pops celebration, Pops Through Time: Iconic Scores & Classic Hits will be held November 14-16, 2025.

Principal Conductor, Dallas Symphony Presents, Enrico Lopez-Yañez brings La Vida Loca to the DSO January 30 – February 1, 2026. The show features Lopez-Yañez’s original symphonic arrangements of Latin pops hits of the 1990s and 2000s from artists such as Enrique Iglesias, Gloria Estefan, Santana and Ricky Martin. World-renowned vocalists Ender Thomas and Jackie Mendez join the DSO, along with multi-GRAMMY® Award winners José Sibaja on trumpet and Luisito Quintero on percussion.

“It’s an honor and privilege to be part of the DSO’s 125th anniversary season. This orchestra has such a rich history, having recorded, performed and collaborated with the greatest soloists, conductors and guest artists around,” said Lopez-Yañez. “It’s a joy to be continuing that tradition this season, and I hope you will join us as we celebrate this incredible milestone.”

Other Highlights

Country music icon Dolly Parton’s greatest hits come to life with new orchestrations and vivid multimedia storytelling in Dolly Parton’s Threads: My Songs in Symphony led by Jason Seber October 24–26, 2025.

“Today’s leading interpreter of German art songs” (Chicago Tribune) baritone Matthias Goerne and “one of the most awesome pianists of our time” (The New York Times) Daniil Trifonov come together for a special one-night-only presentation of Schubert’s Winterreise (“Winter’s Journey”) on October 27, 2025. The beloved 24-song cycle is set to poems by Wilhelm Müller (1794-1827) and depicts a lonely traveler who ventures out into the snow on a journey to escape the pain of his lost love.

Lopez-Yañez also conducts the DSO’s annual Día de los Muertos concert October 31 and November 1, 2025. The “Day of the Dead” event features a traditional altar in the Meyerson lobby, inviting attendees to gather and remember loved ones who have passed away.

The big screen returns to the Meyerson with the DSO’s popular movies-in-concert. This season’s offerings include Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix™ (September 4–7, 2025), Home Alone (December 5–7, 2025) and Top Gun: Maverick (May 22–24, 2026) with the DSO performing each unforgettable score.

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ABOUT THE DALLAS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra, under the leadership of Music Director Fabio Luisi (Louise W. & Edmund J. Kahn Music Directorship), presents more than 150 orchestra concerts each year at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, one of the world’s top-rated concert halls. As the largest performing arts organization in the Southwest, the DSO is committed to inspiring the broadest possible audience with distinctive classical programs, inventive pops concerts and innovative multi-media presentations. As part of its commitment to the community, the orchestra reaches more than 243,000 adults and children annually through performances, educational programs and community engagement initiatives. The orchestra offers more than 200 chamber concerts in neighborhoods throughout Dallas each year, as well as music lessons to more than 1,500 students as part of its Young Strings and Kim Noltemy Young Musicians programs.The DSO has a tradition dating back to 1900 and is a cornerstone of the unique, 118-acre Arts District in Downtown Dallas that is home to multiple performing arts venues, museums and parks – the largest district of its kind in the nation. The DSO is supported, in part, by funds from the Office of Arts & Culture, City of Dallas. For more information, visit dallassymphony.org.

ABOUT FABIO LUISI
GRAMMY® Award-winning Italian conductor Fabio Luisi is now embarking on his sixth season as Louise W. & Edmund J. Kahn Music Director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, his ninth as Principal Conductor of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, and his fourth as Principal Conductor of Tokyo’s NHK Orchestra. Also serving as Music Director of Puglia’s Festival della Valle d’Itria, Emeritus Conductor of Turin’s RAI National Symphony Orchestra, and Honorary Conductor of the Teatro Carlo Felice in his native city of Genova, Luisi is a maestro of major international standing. Praised for his “vivid, idiomatic conducting” (Wall Street Journal) and “distinguished and authoritative” leadership (New York Times), he is “an artist of true distinction, an interpreter in possession of a bold, unique, and clearly discernible voice” (Cleveland Plain Dealer).

Luisi has amassed a sizeable and distinguished discography in orchestral and operatic repertoire alike. Recorded with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra for Deutsche Grammophon, his complete Nielsen symphonic cycle was recognized with both Limelight and Abbiati Awards for Best Orchestral Recording of 2023. Marking the set’s first release, his account of the composer’s Fourth and Fifth Symphonies was named 2023 Recording of the Year by Gramophone, which featured all three volumes in its list of the top 20 Nielsen recordings of all time. The conductor previously received a GRAMMY® Award for his leadership of the last two operas of Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen, when Deutsche Grammophon’s DVD release of the full cycle, recorded live at the Metropolitan Opera, was named Best Opera Recording of 2012.

A native of Genoa, Fabio Luisi graduated from the city’s Conservatorio Niccolò Paganini, before relocating to Graz, Austria, to study conducting with Milan Horvat at the University for Music and Performing Arts. In 2002, he was recognized by the Republic of Austria with the Austrian Cross of Honor for Science and Art. Named both Cavaliere della Repubblica Italiana and Commendatore della Stella d’Italia for his role in promoting Italian culture abroad, in 2014 he was awarded the Grifo d’Oro, Genoa’s highest honor, for his contributions to the city’s cultural heritage. Most recently, in 2023 he was awarded the Ridderkorset, or Knight’s Cross, by the Queen of Denmark.

Off the podium, Luisi is an accomplished composer whose Saint Bonaventure Mass received its world premiere at New York’s St. Bonaventure University, which awarded him an honorary doctorate in 2017. He is also an avid reader, a longtime admirer of the films of David Lynch, and, as reported by the New York Times and CBS Sunday Morning, a passionate maker of perfumes, which he produces for his own company: flparfums.com. For more information, visit fabioluisi.com.

MEDIA CONTACTS
Chelsey Norris, Director of Communications
c.norris@dalsym.com | 813.362.5251

Denise McGovern, VP of Communications & Media
d.mcgovern@dalsym.com | 214.871.4024