Jeffrey Kahane Launches Harmonium of Texas, New Orchestra in San Antonio

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts: Katy Salomon | Primo Artists | VP, Public Relations 
katy@primoartists.com | 646.801.9406

Brittany Myers | Harmonium of Texas | Director of Marketing
brittany@harmoniumoftexas.org

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Conductor and Pianist Jeffrey Kahane Launches Harmonium of Texas 

New Orchestra and Educational Initiative in San Antonio, with Kahane to Serve as Founding Artistic Director

2026-2027 Season Features Appearances by Joshua Bell, Larisa Martínez, Emanuel Ax, Tessa Lark, Nancy Zhou, Inna Faliks, Roman Rabinovich, Jeneba Kanneh-Mason, Daniela Liebman, Tommy Mesa, Roomful of Teeth, and more 

Featuring Composer-in-Residence Andrea Casarrubios, Principal Guest Conductor Cosette Justo Valdés, and Artistic Partner Roomful of Teeth 

Collaborations with the San Antonio Mastersingers and Side-by-Side Performances with the Youth Orchestras of San Antonio (YOSA)

2026-2027 Season Calendar: 

October 2, 2026: Violinist Tessa Lark in Michael Torke’s Sky, John Adams’s Short Ride in a Fast Machine, and Carmina Burana with the San Antonio Mastersingers, Children's Chorus of San Antonio, and Youth Orchestras of San Antonio 

January 8-10 and 15-17, 2027: Beethoven Bicentenary Celebration Part 1, Featuring Conductor Stephanie Childress; Pianists Jeneba Kanneh-Mason, Daniela Liebman, and Jeffrey Kahane; and Cellist Tommy Mesa 

February 13 & 14, 2027: Violinist Nancy Zhou in Bach’s Violin Concerto in E Major and Juan Pablo Contreras’s La Minerva, Plus Rachmaninoff

February 20 & 21, 2027: Bach’s Complete Brandenburg Concertos Featuring Harpsichordist David Belkovski and Members of Harmonium

February 26-28, 2027: Bach’s St. Matthew Passion with the San Antonio Chamber Choir and Children's Chorus of San Antonio 

March 19-21, 2027: Pianist Inna Faliks in Clarice Assad’s Lilith, a Work by Derrick Skye, and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 Side-by-Side with YOSA, Led by Cosette Justo Valdés 

April 4, 2027: Violinist Joshua Bell with Soprano Larisa Martínez and Jeffrey Kahane 

April 14, 2027: Pianist Emanuel Ax in Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, Plus Oswald Huynh and Sibelius

May 6-21, 2027: Beethoven Bicentenary Celebration Part 2, featuring conductor Michael Stern, pianists Roman Rabinovich and Jeffrey Kahane, Roomful of Teeth in both Berio’s Sinfonia and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, and the San Antonio Mastersingers

www.harmoniumoftexas.org

San Antonio, TX (May 19, 2026) – Conductor, pianist, and educator Jeffrey Kahane today announces the launch of Harmonium of Texas, a new orchestra and educational initiative based in San Antonio. Founded by Kahane, who will serve as Founding Artistic Director, Harmonium of Texas will bring together exceptional musicians from across Texas and beyond for orchestral, chamber, and cross-genre performances at venues throughout the city, while building major education and community partnerships designed to serve young musicians, adult learners, and audiences of all ages.

The inaugural season features guest artists including Joshua Bell and Larisa Martínez, Emanuel Ax, Nancy Zhou, Inna Faliks, Daniela Liebman, Jeneba Kanneh-Mason, Tommy Mesa, Roomful of Teeth, and more. The orchestra will present a two-part Beethoven Bicentenary Celebration; Bach’s St. Matthew Passion and the complete Brandenburg Concertos; new and recent works by Composer-in-Residence Andrea Casarrubios, Clarice Assad, Oswald Huynh, Juan Pablo Contreras, and others; concerts led by Principal Guest Conductor Cosette Justo Valdés and guest conductor Stephanie Childress; partnerships with the San Antonio Mastersingers; and side-by-side performances with the Youth Orchestras of San Antonio (YOSA) throughout the year. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Monday, July 27, 2026 at 8:00AM Central.

Founded in the seventh-largest city in the United States, and a community already home to multiple orchestral and musical organizations, Harmonium of Texas seeks to add a distinctive new voice to the region’s cultural landscape: one rooted in artistic excellence, civic engagement, collaboration, and the enduring power of live performance. Harmonium of Texas has already secured significant early philanthropic commitments from supporters who believe in Kahane’s vision for an artistically ambitious and education-centered musical initiative rooted in San Antonio’s long and distinguished musical traditions.

“Harmonium of Texas grows out of my deep affection for San Antonio and my belief in the extraordinary musical potential of this city,” says Jeffrey Kahane. “San Antonio has a distinctive cultural identity that sets it apart from any other major city, a passionate community of music lovers and committed supporters of the arts, and a wealth of musical talent not only from San Antonio, but also across Texas and beyond. It is my firm conviction that an orchestra can and must serve as an instrument of community, both as a musical instrument and as an instrument of community-building. In that spirit, a portion of the proceeds from each concert will be placed into a special fund exclusively to provide families in need with access to borrowed or purchased musical instruments, and to facilitate music lessons with Harmonium members. Our intention is that Harmonium can become both a home for performances of the highest caliber and a place where musicians, students, artists, and audiences come together in a spirit of discovery, generosity, and shared purpose.”

Yoojin Muhn, Music Director at San Antonio Mastersingers, says, “The Mastersingers and I are honored to begin this collaboration with Maestro Jeffrey Kahane and the Harmonium of Texas, and we look forward to presenting beloved masterworks together, inspired by his exceptional musical insight.” 

Harmonium’s 2026-2027 season opens on October 2, 2026 at Lila Cockrell Auditorium with John Adams’s Short Ride in a Fast Machine, violinist Tessa Lark in Michael Torke’s Sky, and Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, performed side-by-side with YOSA and featuring the San Antonio Mastersingers and Children's Chorus of San Antonio. 

The orchestra’s Beethoven Celebration Part 1 takes place from January 8 to 10 and 15 to 17, 2027, at venues across the city, with programs pairing Beethoven’s first four symphonies, first three piano concertos, and his Triple Concerto with more recent works, such as the Texas premiere of Andrea Casarrubios’s Afilador, Mary Kouyoumdjian’s Tagh, and Britten’s Simple Symphony. Pianists Daniela Liebman, Jeneba Kanneh-Mason, and Kahane are featured on the series, as well as cellist Tommy Mesa alongside Kahane in the Triple Concerto, and guest conductor Stephanie Childress leading the first two programs. Kahane will also host an interactive special event, A Journey into Eroica, exploring Beethoven’s watershed Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major.

On February 13 and 14, 2027, at multiple venues around the city, San Antonio native Nancy Zhou joins Harmonium for Bach’s Violin Concerto in E Major and Mexican-American composer Juan Pablo Contreras’s scintillating new violin concerto La Minerva, which was nominated for a 2024 Latin GRAMMY® Award for Best Classical Contemporary Composition. In honor of Valentine’s Day, the program closes with Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2 in E minor, one of the crown jewels of late Romantic symphonic repertoire by a composer especially close to Kahane’s heart.

On February 20 and 21, 2027 at Stable Hall at The Pearl, harpsichordist David Belkovski will lead Bach’s complete Brandenburg Concertos. 

From February 26 to 28, 2027, at venues around San Antonio, Kahane leads Bach’s St. Matthew Passion with the San Antonio Chamber Choir under the direction of Rick Bjella, the Children's Chorus of San Antonio under the direction of Carolyn Cruse, and a distinguished cast of soloists. 

From March 19 to 21, 2027, Principal Guest Conductor Cosette Justo Valdés leads a program featuring pianist Inna Faliks in Clarice Assad’s Lilith; Derrick Skye’s Prisms, Cycles, Leaps; and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 in another side-by-side performance with YOSA.

On April 4, 2027, violinist Joshua Bell and soprano Larisa Martínez appear in a special concert at Lila Cockrell Auditorium. The first half features Joshua Bell performing sonatas, joined by Jeffrey Kahane at the piano. The second half features Bell and Kahane alongside Larisa Martínez in a program titled Voice and the Violin, interweaving classical works with musical theater numbers and selections by Latinx composers.

On April 14, 2027, celebrated pianist Emanuel Ax joins the orchestra for Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466, on a program that also includes Oswald Huynh’s Nu?c and Sibelius’s Symphony No. 2 in D Major.

Harmonium’s Beethoven Bicentenary Celebration continues with Part 2 from May 6 to 9 and May 13 to 16, 2027, with performances of Beethoven’s Symphonies Nos. 5, 6, 7, and 8 led by Michael Stern and Kahane, Piano Concertos Nos. 4 and 5 performed by Roman Rabinovich and Kahane, and Carlos Simon’s Fate Now Conquers. The celebration culminates at Lila Cockrell Auditorium on May 21, 2027 with the San Antonio premiere of Luciano Berio’s 1968 masterpiece Sinfonia, featuring Roomful of Teeth, paired with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, also featuring Roomful of Teeth alongside soloists to be announced, and the San Antonio Mastersingers.

Education and community engagement are central to Harmonium’s mission. Through its partnership with YOSA, Harmonium will provide advanced young musicians with multiple opportunities to rehearse and perform alongside professional colleagues, and to interact with the internationally acclaimed artists appearing with the orchestra. Harmonium will also collaborate with the San Antonio Mastersingers on major choral-orchestral works and will offer an adult education component, including interactive lecture-performances led by Kahane and distinguished guest artists for music lovers seeking a deeper understanding of the repertoire.

“Harmonium is built on the idea that a great orchestra must be more than a performing institution,” says Kahane. “It should be a catalyst for educational experiences for people of all ages and backgrounds, an artistic home for musicians, a partner to existing cultural organizations, and a gathering place for a city. The generosity and encouragement this vision has already received have been deeply moving and reflect a shared belief in what orchestral music can mean for San Antonio. We are beginning with a season that reflects that vision: treasured masterworks, important new music, world-renowned artists, San Antonio-based talent, and meaningful opportunities for students to stand onstage with professionals.”

2026-2027 Season Calendar

Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Monday, July 27, 2026 at 8:00AM Central Time.

Tax-deductible donations can be made by contacting info@harmoniumoftexas.org. 

Opening Weekend: Tessa Lark and Carmina Burana
October 2, 2026 | Lila Cockrell Auditorium

John Adams: Short Ride in a Fast Machine
Michael Torke: Sky
Orff: Carmina Burana

    Jeffrey Kahane, conductor    
    Tessa Lark, violin
    Rachele Gilmore, soprano
    Brian Giebler, tenor
    Christopher Rodriguez, baritone
    San Antonio Mastersingers
    Children's Chorus of San Antonio
    Youth Orchestras of San Antonio

Beethoven Celebration Part 1
January 8-10, January 15-17, 2027 | Multiple Venues

Program 1:
Britten: Simple Symphony
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat Major
Beethoven: Symphony No. 1 in C Major

    Stephanie Childress, conductor
    Daniela Liebman, piano

Program 2:
Mary Kouyoumdjian: Tagh
Beethoven: Triple Concerto
Beethoven: Symphony No. 2 in D Major

    Stephanie Childress, conductor
    TBA, violin; Tommy Mesa, cello; Jeffrey Kahane, piano

Program 3:
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major
Andrea Casarrubios: Afilador [Texas Premiere]
Beethoven: Symphony No. 4 in B-flat Major

    Jeffrey Kahane, piano and conductor

Special Event: A Journey into Eroica
Led by Artistic Director Jeffrey Kahane with the full orchestra onstage, this interactive evening explores Beethoven’s watershed Symphony No. 3, “Eroica”

Program 4:
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor
Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major "Eroica"

    Jeffrey Kahane, conductor
    Jeneba Kanneh-Mason, piano

Nancy Zhou Plays Bach and Contreras
February 13 & 14, 2027 | Multiple Venues

Bach: Violin Concerto in E Major
Juan Pablo Contreras: La Minerva
Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2 in E minor

    Jeffrey Kahane, conductor
    Nancy Zhou, violin

The Complete Brandenburg Concertos
February 20 & 21, 2027 | Stable Hall at The Pearl

Bach: The Complete Brandenburg Concertos

    David Belkovski, harpsichord and leader
    Members of Harmonium

St. Matthew Passion
February 26-28, 2027 | Multiple Venues

Bach: St. Matthew Passion

    Jeffrey Kahane, conductor
    San Antonio Chamber Choir
          Rick Bjella, director
    Children's Chorus of San Antonio
          Carolyn Cruse, director
    Soloists TBA

Skye, Assad, and Tchaikovsky
March 19-21, 2027 | Multiple Venues

Derrick Skye: Prisms, Cycles, Leaps
Clarice Assad: Lilith Concerto for piano and orchestra
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5

    Cosette Justo Valdés, conductor
    Inna Faliks, piano
    Youth Orchestras of San Antonio

An Evening with Joshua Bell, Larisa Martínez, and Jeffrey Kahane
April 4, 2027 | Lila Cockrell Auditorium

    Joshua Bell, violin
    Larisa Martinez, soprano
    Jeffrey Kahane, piano

Emanuel Ax Plays Mozart
April 14, 2027 | Venue TBA

Oswald Huynh: Nu?c
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466
Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 in D Major

    Jeffrey Kahane, conductor
    Emanuel Ax, piano

Beethoven Celebration, Part 2
May 6-9; May 13-16; May 21, 2027 | Multiple Venues

Program 1:
Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 in F Major “Pastorale”
Carlos Simon: Fate Now Conquers
Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 in C minor

    Michael Stern, conductor

Program 2:
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat Major
Beethoven: Symphony No. 8 in F Major

    Michael Stern, conductor
    Roman Rabinovich, piano

Program 3:
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major
Piazzolla (arr. John Adams): Three Tangos
Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 in A Major

    Jeffrey Kahane, conductor and piano

Program 4:
Luciano Berio: Sinfonia
Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 in D minor

    Jeffrey Kahane, conductor
    Roomful of Teeth, Artistic Partner
    Soloists TBA
    San Antonio Mastersingers

About Harmonium of Texas
Harmonium of Texas is a new orchestra and educational initiative founded in San Antonio by acclaimed pianist and conductor Jeffrey Kahane. Guided by Kahane’s expansive artistic vision and decades of experience as a music director, soloist, chamber musician, and dedicated educator, the orchestra brings together exceptional musicians from across Texas and beyond to present performances of the highest caliber. Through partnerships with organizations including YOSA and the San Antonio Mastersingers, and with guest artists drawn from among the world’s most celebrated musicians, Harmonium of Texas is dedicated to enriching and elevating San Antonio’s cultural landscape through world-class orchestral, chamber, and cross-genre performances; meaningful educational opportunities for young musicians and audiences of all ages; and lasting community connections. Learn more at www.harmoniumoftexas.org.  

About Jeffrey Kahane
Celebrated for his “imagination, devotion and supreme musicianship” (Los Angeles Times), Jeffrey Kahane is now in the fifth decade of an expansive and eclectic musical career. His career highlights as a pianist, conductor, and scholar run the gamut from concertos with the New York Philharmonic and San Francisco Symphony, to recitals with Yo-Yo Ma and Joshua Bell, European tours at the podium of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, lectures and performances of Beethoven symphonies informed by his immersion in ancient literature, and collaborations with the Emerson, Miró, Dover, Attacca and Calidore String Quartets. 

Following a decades-long association with the San Antonio Symphony and having maintained close ties to the musicians since his conducting debut with the orchestra in 1992, Kahane served as the first Music Director of the newly re-formed San Antonio Philharmonic from 2024 to 2026. He also served as Music Director of the Sarasota Music Festival for nine seasons.

During his 20 seasons as Music Director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, he led the orchestra on an East Coast tour, including a sold-out Carnegie Hall concert with bass-baritone Thomas Quasthoff, as well as an eight-city European tour. He was instrumental in the creation of several new series, including his signature “Discover” concerts, each of which illuminated a major work via a lecture-demonstration and performance. Among his proudest achievements from his LACO tenure was the introduction of a commissioning club, “Sound Investment,” that allowed club members to follow a composer’s process from conception to premiere. 

In addition to the dozens of works commissioned or premiered by the orchestras where he has served as music director, Kahane has premiered piano concertos written for him by composers Kevin Puts and Andrew Norman. He has also given many performances of Heirloom, a new concerto written for him by his son, composer Gabriel Kahane, as a way of tracing the connections between music and three generations of family history. 

Continuing his pursuit of a lifelong passion for the study of languages and literature, he went back to school in 2009 to study ancient Greek and Latin, earning a Master’s degree in Classics in 2011 from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Classics at the University of Southern California. He is fluent in several modern languages and has seriously studied several others.

Kahane teaches a small class of gifted pianists, coaches chamber music, and occasionally teaches academic courses at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music, and occasionally guest conducts the USC Thornton Symphony. In cooperation with the USC Classics department, he recently developed and co-taught a general education course for undergraduates exploring the connections between classical music and ancient literature. 

Kahane and his wife, Martha – a psychologist, choral singer, and writer – met at summer camp at age ten. Their daughter Annie is an accomplished choreographer, dancer, and writer, while their son Gabriel is a widely acclaimed singer-songwriter-composer. Learn more at www.jeffreykahane.net.

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