Classical Series
The Charlotte Symphony shows off its incredible range and versatility as it welcomes a variety of guest conductors and artists with perspectives from around the world.
CSO Spotlight Series
In 2026-27, the Orchestra features Emmy-nominated American composer Levi Taylor, whose work spans film and concert music.
Subscribe to the 2026-27 Season!
Packages of 4, 6, 8, and 12 on Friday or Saturday evenings are on sale now. Plus, a three-concert Sunday matinee package, including free tickets for children! Subscribers enjoy priority access to the best seats at the best price, flexible exchanges, and 10% off additional tickets throughout the season.
2026-27 Season
Single tickets on sale later this summer.
Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade
Oct 9 & 10, 2026 | 7:30 PM | Belk TheaterOrion Weiss lends power and sensitivity to Barber's cinematic Piano Concerto, followed by the lush orchestral storytelling and vivid musical imagery of Scheherazade.
Kwamé Ryan, conductor
Orion Weiss, piano
Levi TAYLOR One Foot After The Other
Samuel BARBER Piano Concerto
Nikolai RIMSKY-KORSAKOV Scheherazade
Schubert's Symphony No. 9
Oct 23 & 24, 2026 | 7:30 PM | Knight TheaterOct 25, 2026 | 3 PM | Knight Theater
An exploration of fate and resilience, the program opens with Simon's reflection on Beethoven and Mahler's poignant song cycle, culminating in Schubert's expansive "Great" Symphony.
Kwamé Ryan, conductor
Raehann Bryce-Davis, mezzo-soprano
Carlos SIMON Fate Now Conquers
Gustav MAHLER Kindertotenlieder
Franz SCHUBERT Symphony No. 9, "The Great"
Strauss & Beethoven
Nov 20 & 21, 2026 | 7:30 PM | Belk TheaterBella Hristova shines in Beethoven's lyrical Violin Concerto while Strauss's masterful tone poem charts a hero's journey -- a thrilling showcase of range and virtuosity.
Kwamé Ryan, conductor
Bella Hristova, violin
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN Violin Concerto
Richard STRAUSS Ein Heldenleben
Handel's Messiah
Dec 4 & 5, 2026 | 7:30 PM | Knight TheaterDec 6, 2026 | 3 PM | Knight Theater
From the exuberant "Hallelujah" to "For Unto Us a Child is Born," this revered choral work continues to delight audiences each holiday season.
Aram Demirjian, conductor
Charlotte Master Chorale
George Frideric HANDEL Messiah
Tchaikovsky's Pathétique
Jan 15 & 16, 2027 | 7:30 PM | Belk TheaterTchaikovsky's deeply emotional masterpiece is paired with an inspiring World Premiere by Levi Taylor and Beethoven's dramatic Fourth Piano Concerto.
Kwamé Ryan, conductor
Anne-Marie McDermott, piano
Levi TAYLOR New Work (World Premiere, CBSO Co-Commission)
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 4
Pyotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 6, "Pathétique"
Prokofiev's Symphony No. 5
Feb 5 & 6, 2027 | 7:30 PM | Belk TheaterProkofiev's lyrical and intense Fifth Symphony is a celebration of human strength and resilience, paired with Clyne's lively Masquerade and Saint-Saëns's showcase for cello.
Valentina Peleggi, conductor
Jon Lewis, cello
Anna CLYNE Masquerade
Camille SAINT-SAËNS Cello Concerto No. 1
Sergei PROKOFIEV Symphony No. 5
Beethoven's Symphony No. 9
Feb 26 & 27, 2027 | 7:30 PM | Belk TheaterBeethoven's monumental and beloved Ninth Symphony culminates in the triumphant "Ode to Joy," anchoring a program inspired by resilience, heroism, and hope.
Kwamé Ryan, conductor
Charlotte Master Chorale
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN Overture to The Creatures of Prometheus
Calliope TSOUPAKI Aurora (U.S. Premiere)
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 9
Gershwin's Concerto in F
Mar 12 & 13, 2027 | 7:30 PM | Belk TheaterGershwin's exhilarating Concerto in F bursts with jazz and blues influences, brought to life by Grammy-winning pianist Michelle Cann.
Daniela Candillari, conductor
Michelle Cann, piano
Julia ADOLPHE Underneath the Sheen
Samuel BARBER Symphony No. 1
George GERSHWIN Concerto in F
Dvořák's Symphony No. 7
Apr 2 & 3, 2027 | 7:30 PM | Knight TheaterApr 4, 2027 | 3 PM | Knight Theater
Concertmaster Calin Ovidiu Lupanu performs Khachaturian's virtuosic Violin Concerto leading to the turbulent power of Dvořák's Seventh Symphony.
Hans Graf, conductor
Calin Ovidiu Lupanu, violin
Sergei RACHMANINOFF The Rock
Aram KHACHATURIAN Violin Concerto
Antonín DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 7
Debussy & Ravel
April 16 & 17, 2027 | 7:30 PM | Belk TheaterDebussy evokes the dreamlike haze of a languid afternoon, while Ravel's La Valse takes you through a whirlwind of dance and frenetic energy.
Cosette Justo Valdès, conductor
Pacho Flores, trumpet
Claude DEBUSSY Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun
Gabriela ORTIZ Altar de Bronce
Maurice RAVEL Alborada del gracioso
Silvestre REVUELTAS Tribute to Federico García Lorca
Maurice RAVEL La Valse
Stravinsky's Petrushka
Apr 30 & May 1, 2027 | 7:30 PM | Belk TheaterStravinsky's Petrushka brings a puppet's adventures to life with dazzling orchestration and spirited folk rhythms, paired with Poulenc's radiant and theatrical Gloria.
Erina Yashima, conductor
Charlotte Master Chorale
Lili BOULANGER Of a Spring Morning
Francis POULENC Gloria
Igor STRAVINSKY Petrushka (1947 version)
Bruckner's Symphony No. 9
May 21 & 22, 2027 | 7:30 PM | Knight TheaterMay 23, 2027 | 3 PM | Knight Theater
Mozart's Concerto for Two Pianos sparkles with playful musical dialogue, paired with Bruckner's towering Ninth -- vast in scale and spiritual depth.
Kwamé Ryan, conductor
Ran Dank, piano
Soyeon Kate Lee, piano
Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART Concerto for Two Pianos, K. 365
Anton BRUCKNER Symphony No. 9
Artists and programs subject to change without notice.
2025-26 CSO Spotlight Series Artist Gabriel Kahane
Take a closer look with the CSO Spotlight Series, a new initiative launched by Music Director Kwamé Ryan to provide a deeper, more expansive exploration of a singular artistic voice each season.
This season, the Charlotte Symphony shines a light on composer, singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Gabriel Kahane, whose poignant musical storytelling traverses genres and themes with insight, empathy, and imagination.
This season, the Charlotte Symphony shines a light on composer, singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Gabriel Kahane, whose poignant musical storytelling traverses genres and themes with insight, empathy, and imagination.
Upcoming 2025-26 Concerts
Ravel's Boléro
March 6 & 7, 2026 | 7:30 PM | Belk TheaterThis program explores the idea of home through music by Smetana, Malek Jandali, and Clarice Assad, and concludes with Ravel's Boléro paired with a special CSO film celebrating the people and places of Charlotte.
Christopher James Lees, conductor
Taylor Marino, clarinet
SMETANA Vltava ("The Moldau") from Má vlast
Malek JANDALI Clarinet Concerto
Clarice ASSAD Sin Fronteras
RAVEL Boléro (with film)
Dvořák's New World Symphony
March 27 & 28, 2026 | 7:30 PM | Knight TheaterMarch 29, 2026 | 3:00 PM | Knight Theater
Janai Brugger performs works by Floyd, Stravinsky, and Barber leading to Dvořák's "New World" Symphony -- a moving reflection on home and identity.
Kwamé Ryan, conductor
Janai Brugger, soprano
WALKER Lyric for Strings
FLOYD "The Trees on the Mountain" from Susannah
STRAVINSKY "No Word from Tom" from The Rake's Progress
BARBER Knoxville: Summer of 1915
DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World"
Beethoven's Emperor Concerto
April 10 & 11, 2026 | 7:30 PM | Belk TheaterBeethoven's majestic "Emperor" Concerto headlines a program of beauty and resilience, featuring works by Marianna Martines and Anna Clyne -- including the U.S. Premiere of The Years with Charlotte Master Chorale.
Stephanie Rhodes Russell, conductor
Inon Barnatan, piano
Charlotte Master Chorale
MARTINES Sinfonia in C Major
Anna CLYNE The Years (U.S. Premiere)
BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 5, "Emperor"
Gershwin & Bernstein
April 24 & 25, 2026 | 7:30 PM | Belk TheaterA vivid, cinematic program featuring Svendsen's Romeo and Juliet, Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, and Bernstein's Symphonic Dances from West Side Story -- rich with drama, rhythm, and energy.
Kwamé Ryan, conductor
SVENDSEN Romeo and Juliet, Fantasia for Orchestra
GERSHWIN/orch. Bennett Porgy and Bess, A Symphonic Picture
BERNSTEIN Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
Copland & Kahane
May 15 & 16, 2026 | 7:30 PM | Knight TheaterThe season concludes with works reflecting on place and belonging: Higdon's portrait of Atlanta, Copland's Appalachian Spring, and Kahane's emergency shelter intake form, which explores homelessness from multiple perspectives.
Kwamé Ryan, conductor
Alicia Hall Moran, mezzo-soprano
Gabriel Kahane, vocals/guitar
Holland Andrews, vocals
Holcombe Waller, vocals
Community Chorus
Jennifer HIGDON "SkyLine" from City Scape
COPLAND Suite from Appalachian Spring
Gabriel KAHANE emergency shelter intake form
