Palm Beach Symphony Wraps Season with Guest Pianist Emanuel Ax on May 17

West Palm Beach, Fla. (April 7, 2026) – Palm Beach Symphony’s breathtaking season finale will be led by a true icon of the concert stage, legendary pianist Emanuel Ax. He’ll bring his poetic touch to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 22 in E-Flat Major, K. 482 in a concert that also features Ludwig Van Beethoven’s heroic Egmont Overture, Op. 84 and Gustav Holst’s spellbinding cosmic journey, The Planets, Op. 32. The Sunday, May 17 matinee concert, generously sponsored by Impresario Society member Suzanne Mott Dansby, begins at 3 p.m. in Dreyfoos Hall at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach.

Born to Polish parents in what is today Lviv, Ukraine, Ax moved to Winnipeg, Canada with his family when he was a young boy and made his New York debut in the Young Concert Artists Series. He won the first Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Competition in Tel Aviv in 1974, Michaels Award of Young Concert Artists in 1975 and Avery Fisher Prize in 1979.

“Manny Ax plays with intellect and intuition,” said Music Director Gerard Schwarz. “He’s a remarkably versatile artist who can play music old and new, from Chopin to Bach to Mozart to Beethoven. We’re so lucky to have him with us this season for Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 22.”

Ax has been a Sony Classical exclusive recording artist since 1987 and following the success of the Brahms Trios with Leonidas Kavakos and Yo-Yo Ma, the trio launched an ambitious, multi-year project to record all the Beethoven Trios and Symphonies. He has received Grammy Awards for the second and third volumes of his cycle of Haydn’s piano sonatas and has also made a series of Grammy-winning recordings with Yo-Yo Ma of the Beethoven and Brahms sonatas for cello and piano. During the 2004-2005 season, Ax contributed to an International Emmy Award winning BBC documentary commemorating the Holocaust that aired on the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. In 2013, his recording, Variations, received the Echo Klassik Award for Solo Recording of the Year.

Ax is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and holds honorary music doctorates from Skidmore College, New England Conservatory of Music, Yale University and Columbia University.

The stars have aligned for Palm Beach Symphony to also play Holst’s most famous work, The Planets. The audience will be launched into the solar system while transported through the notes. “He uses not only an orchestra, but also a chorus. In the last movement, we’ll have a chorus off-stage singing this ethereal music. There aren’t lyrics, only sounds,” teased Maestro Schwarz. “As the piece ends, the doors will close, and the chorus will disappear. It also has two sets of timpani and calls for huge brass and woodwind sections. The Planets is very difficult to play, yet among the most popular symphonic works of the 20th century by one of the great English composers.”

The vocals during the Holst piece will be performed by Young Singers of the Palm Beaches. The chorus is made up of a double trio, which means there are six different parts, four singers per part, for a total of 24 voices. Young Singers of the Palm Beaches is a dynamic and inspiring community-based children's choir that has been igniting the passion of children in grades 2-12 for two decades. Prior to their participation in this final Masterworks Concert of the season, Young Singers of the Palm Beaches will give the Overture Series Pre-Concert Performance from 2 to 2:45 p.m. in the Kravis Center lobby. Since 2003, the organization’s commitment to creating a supportive and nurturing environment for its singers is evident in every activity it undertakes, from its highly acclaimed performances to its innovative education initiatives. Using music as a common denominator, Young Singers gives children the tools to thrive musically, academically and personally. In June 2024, the choir performed as the Spotlight Choir at Carnegie Hall in “A Light Shines.” Young Singers of the Palm Beaches, or YSPB as it is fondly known, rehearses at the Kravis Center, in Boynton Beach and in North Palm Beach. For more information visit yspb.org.

Tickets range in price from $27.50 to $104.50. Tickets may be purchased online at PalmBeachSymphony.org, by phone at (561) 281-0145 and at the Palm Beach Symphony Box Office weekdays from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at 700 South Dixie Highway, Suite 100, West Palm Beach.

Maestro Schwarz will host the final Symphony Session: Lunch & Learn of the season on Thursday, May 14 from noon to 1:30 p.m. Individual tickets are $125. These informal and informative sessions take place in the Symphony's conference room located in the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties building, 700 S. Dixie Hwy. in West Palm Beach. Guests will enjoy a three-course gourmet lunch catered by SandyJames Fine Food & Productions and a selection of wines curated by Palm Beach Symphony sponsor Private Cask Imports while deepening their connection with the musicians and performances through a glimpse behind the curtain of how the Symphony prepares for concerts, selects repertoire and more. Attendees will learn about the subject matter and composers that will be performed during the upcoming concert, while enriching their concert experience. Complimentary valet parking is provided.

Maestro Schwarz is recognized internationally for his moving performances, innovative programming, and a lifelong dedication to music education. He is the Music Director of the All-Star Orchestra, Eastern Festival of Music, Palm Beach Symphony and The Frost Symphony Orchestra. He is also Conductor Laureate of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra and Conductor Emeritus of the Mostly Mozart Festival. Maestro Schwarz is the Distinguished Professor of Music, Conducting and Orchestral Studies at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami.

Maestro Schwarz’s discography of over 350 albums showcases his collaborations with the world’s greatest orchestras, including The Philadelphia Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Czech Philharmonic, Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, Tokyo Philharmonic, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, New York Chamber Symphony and Seattle Symphony Orchestra. In the 2023-24 season, Maestro Schwarz recorded Arthur Foote’s long-forgotten cello concerto with his son Julian Schwarz and the Buffalo Philharmonic. It will be released on Delos Records.

Maestro Schwarz has commissioned and performed more than 300 world premieres. As Music Director of the Eastern Music Festival, he initiated the Bonnie McElveen-Hunter Commissioning Project in 2013, celebrating American composers. The project has commissioned works by John Corigliano, Richard Danielpour, André Previn, HyeKyung Lee and Lowell Liebermann, among many others. His commissioning project for the 100th anniversary of the University of Miami and the Frost School of Music has included works by Paul Moravec, Bernard Rands, Augusta Read Thomas, Carlos Rivera, Etienne Charles and Dorothy Hindman.

In more than five decades as a respected classical musician and conductor, Maestro Schwarz has received eight Emmy Awards, 15 GRAMMY® nominations, eight ASCAP Awards, eight Emmy Awards, and numerous Stereo Review and Ovation Awards. He holds the Ditson Conductor’s Award from Columbia University and was the first American named Conductor of the Year by Musical America. He has received numerous honorary doctorates, including from The Juilliard School, his alma mater. In 2002, ASCAP honored Maestro Schwarz with its Concert Music Award and in 2003, the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences gave Schwarz its first “IMPACT” lifetime achievement award. Maestro Schwarz’s memoir, Behind the Baton: An American Icon Talks Music, was published by Hal Leonard in 2017.

Proud sponsors of Palm Beach Symphony include Cindy and Jerome Canty, Mrs. James N. Bay, Carol and Harold Baxter, C. Kenneth and Laura Baxter Foundation, Inc., Kathy Lee Bickham and John Bickham, Leslie Rogers Blum, Je?rey and Tina Bolton, James R. Borynack and Adolfo Zaralegui / FINDLAY Galleries, Jerome J. Claeys, Thomas and Carol Bruce, Amy and John T. Collins, The Colony Hotel, Suzanne Mott Dansby, The David Minkin Foundation, Michelle DuBois and James Roiter, Ray K. Farris, Mary and Will Demory, Herbert H. and Barbara C. Dow Foundation,  Willard H. Dow and Kelly Winter, Dr. Richard and Diane Farber, Bill and Kem Frick/The Frick Foundation, Inc., Edith Hall Friedheim/Eric Friedheim Foundation, Gerry Gibian and Marjorie Yashar, Paul* and Sandra Goldner, Douglas and Jo Gressette, Irwin and Janet Gusman, Walter Harper, Thomas E. Harvey & Cathleen P. Black Foundation, Doris Hastings Foundation, Carol S. and Joseph Andrew Hays, John Herrick, Addison Hines Charitable Trust, Lisa and George Hines, HSS Florida, Charles and Ann Johnson/The C and A Johnson Family Foundation, Elaine Kay, Aban and Percy Kavasmaneck, Leonard and Norma Klor?ne Foundation, The Kovner Foundation, Gary and Linda Lachman/The Lachman Family Foundation, Patricia Lambrecht/The Lambrecht Family Foundation, Donald C. McGraw Foundation, The Honorable Bonnie McElveen-Hunter, The McNulty Charitable Foundation, Tish Messinger, David Moscow, Palm Beach Design Masters, Park Foundation, Patrick and Milly Park, Nancy and Ellis J. Parker, III, PNC Private Bank, Lois Pope, Provident Jewelry, Ari Rifkin/The Len-Ari Foundation, Dr. Martha Rodriguez and Dr. Jesus Perez-Mendez, Annette Urso Rickel Foundation, Karen Hunt Rogers, The Honorable Ronald A. Rosenfeld, David Schafer, Seth Sprague Foundation, Robin B. Smith, Kimberly V. Strauss, Don and Mary Thompson, Jerome and Carol Trautschold, Sieglinde Wikstrom/The Wikstrom Foundation, and The Ann Eden Woodward Foundation/James and Judy Woods.

*Deceased

ABOUT PALM BEACH SYMPHONY

Palm Beach Symphony is South Florida’s premier orchestra known for its diverse repertoire and commitment to community. Founded in 1974, this 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization adheres to a mission of engaging, educating, and entertaining the greater community of the Palm Beaches through live performances of inspiring orchestral music. The orchestra is celebrated for delivering spirited performances by first-rate musicians and distinguished guest artists. Recognized by The Cultural Council for Palm Beach County with a 2020 Muse Award for Outstanding Community Engagement, Palm Beach Symphony continues to expand its education and community outreach programs with children’s concerts, student coaching sessions and master classes, instrument donations and free public concerts that have reached more than 90,000 students in recent years. For more information, visit www.palmbeachsymphony.org.

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