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Press Releases
Juilliard Presents Performances During Week of Commencement Ceremony
May 6, 2026
MEDIA ALERT:
JUILLIARD PRESENTS PERFORMANCES DURING WEEK OF COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY
ABOUT:
Juilliard marks the close of the 2025–26 academic year with a week of free and low-cost public performances leading up to the school’s 121st commencement ceremony. Graduating students from the Music, Dance, and Preparatory divisions take the stage in a series of programs that showcase their artistry and achievements. Juilliard also celebrates Drama’s Group 55, whose suite of original short films screened recently in the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center.
Commencement week performances begin with the Deans’ Commencement Chamber Music Showcase on Tuesday, May 19 and Wednesday, May 20 at 7:30pm in Paul Hall. Also on May 20, Juilliard Dance presents the Senior Graduation Concert at 7:30pm in the Peter Jay Sharp Theater, in which students from the class of 2026 perform a solo or duet of their choice as their final performance at Juilliard.
On Thursday, May 21 at 6pm, conductor JoAnn Falletta (MM ’83, DMA ’89, orchestral conducting) leads the Juilliard Orchestra in an exhilarating concert at Alice Tully Hall, as the celebrated student orchestra presents the world-premiere Juilliard commission, My Brilliant Friend: The Story of a New Name by Paola Prestini (BM ’98, MM ’00, composition). The program continues with Ottorino Respighi’s colorful tone poem The Fountains of Rome and Maurice Ravel’s expressive Daphnis et Chloé Suite No. 2.
On Saturday, May 23 at 1pm in the Peter Jay Sharp Theater, Adam Glaser (Pre-College ’88, composition) leads the Pre-College Orchestra in Beyond the Stars: Music of Film and Imagination, a daring program of music by composers whose work has transformed the world of film. The orchestra performs Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s Overture from Captain Blood, Global Warming by Michael Abels, “Adventures on Earth” from the timeless score for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial by John Williams (’55, piano), and Richard Strauss’ monumental Also sprach Zarathustra.
CALENDAR DETAILS:
Deans' Commencement Chamber Music Showcase
Paul Hall
Free; no tickets required
Wednesday, May 20 | 7:30pm
Peter Jay Sharp Theater
Tickets $20
Juilliard Orchestra Conducted by JoAnn Falletta
Thursday, May 21 | 6pm
Alice Tully Hall
Tickets $40 | Members $20
Juilliard Orchestra
JoAnn Falletta, Conductor
Paola PRESTINI My Brilliant Friend: The Story of a New Name (World premiere, commissioned by Juilliard)
RESPIGHI The Fountains of Rome
RAVEL Daphnis et Chloé Suite No. 2
Join us before the performance for our Prelude preconcert lecture series!
DMA student Marshall Estrin will provide insightful context for the performance. This lecture will take place at Juilliard Station, on the corner of Broadway and 66th Street, from 4:45 to 5:45pm.
The lecture is free and open to all ticket holders. Please visit the Prelude series website for more details.
Watch the performance on the Juilliard website at the scheduled date and time.
Pre-College Orchestra Conducted by Adam Glaser | Beyond the Stars: Music of Film and Imagination
Saturday, May 23 | 1pm
Peter Jay Sharp Theater
Free; tickets required
Adam Glaser, Conductor
KORNGOLD Overture to Captain Blood
Michael ABELS Global Warming
John WILLIAMS “Adventures on Earth” from E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
STRAUSS Also sprach Zarathustra
Watch the performance on the Juilliard website at the scheduled date and time.
Contacts
Brendan Padgett
Madeleine Jennings
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