Juilliard Announces 2026–27 Music Season

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

 

Juilliard Announces 2026–27 Music Season 

 

Juilliard Music Showcases World Premieres, Renowned Guest Artists, Conductor Debuts, Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration, and More

 

All Performances Are Free or Low-Cost, Expanding Access to Extraordinary Artistic Experiences in a Welcoming Environment 

 

Member Presale Begins June 1; Tickets on Sale June 15

 

[NEW YORK, May 18, 2026]—Juilliard announces its 2026–27 season programming for the Music Division under its dean and director, David Serkin Ludwig. Across Orchestra, Chamber Music, Vocal Arts, Jazz, and Historical Performance, students, faculty, and renowned guest artists come together in an expansive array of performances and creative projects that illuminate the depth of talent and creativity across the division. 

 

Marking the centennial of the merger between the Institute of Musical Art (1905) and the Juilliard Graduate School (1924) that formed The Juilliard School in 1926, the season reflects the school’s enduring commitment to artistic excellence, creativity, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Programs also observe several major cultural milestones including America 250, the bicentennial of Beethoven’s death, and the 90th anniversary of Steve Reich’s birth. From fully staged operas to orchestra performances and intimate recitals, next season offers the opportunity for audiences to experience both new and established repertoire played by the world-class students of Juilliard. 

 

The 2026–27 season also marks the 25th anniversary of Juilliard’s world-renowned Jazz program. To celebrate the milestone, Juilliard Jazz will honor its deep history through performances at the school and across New York City. Performances will feature ensembles of all sizes and collaborations between students, alumni, and distinguished guest artists. Full details will be announced this summer. 

 

Ludwig said, “Our season reflects both the extraordinary inheritance of this art form and the future our students are creating together. At Juilliard, musicians learn from working with deeply committed guest artists and faculty, many of whom can trace their teaching lineage back to Beethoven and Brahms. At the same time, they are engaging with the work of living composers, collaborating across disciplines, and exploring a wide range of musical traditions and new technologies. As we celebrate so many important anniversaries the 2026-2027 season reflects both a deep respect for tradition and an openness to the ideas and movements shaping the future of music.” 

 

Juilliard continues be an incubator of creativity and experimentation, offering opportunities that are singular to the institution, such as working with Juilliard’s Arnhold Creative Associates and guest artists, participating in solo or chamber music master classes, premiering new work, and performing at the newly established Juilliard Station. Juilliard’s 2026–27 season offers a vivid glimpse into the future of the performing arts and the artists who will shape it. 

 

“As we approach the centennial of when Juilliard became Juilliard in 1926, our 2026–27 season reflects the breadth, ambition, and collaborative spirit that has been built as the school itself has grown over the last century,” said Juilliard President Damian Woetzel. “That artistic drive is matched by the imperative to connect with audiences, and with all performances offered free or low-cost, we are expanding access to extraordinary artistic experiences in a welcoming environment at the school and across New York City.” 

 

 

ORCHESTRA 
 

Debuts 

The Juilliard Orchestra welcomes four guest artists to its podium for the first time in 2026–27: American conductor Teddy Abrams (music director, Louisville Orchestra), Austrian conductor David Danzmayr (music director, Oregon Symphony), Costa Rican conductor Luis Castillo-Briceño (former Dudamel Fellow of the LA Phil), and Ukrainian-born Finnish conductor Dalia Stasevska (principal guest conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra). For their Juilliard debuts, each brings a thoughtful and varied program with a signature theme: 

• As part of the Fall Festival, Teddy Abrams leads a concert celebrating music of the Americas featuring the world premiere of Three Movements on Silence, a Juilliard commission by alum Elise Arancio (MM ‘25, composition), alongside a work by recent Pulitzer Prize winner Gabriela Lena Frank, Apu: Tone Poem for Orchestra and Copland’s El Salón México. The program will also recognize the centennial of the merger that created The Juilliard School with a performance of former Juilliard and Lincoln Center president William Schuman’s Symphony No. 3. 

• David Danzmayr will conduct composition alum Lera Auerbach’s (BM ’96, piano; MM ’99, composition) Icarus, Elgar’s Cello Concerto, and Mahler’s titanic First Symphony.  

• Luis Castillo-Briceño makes his New York debut, leading Britten’s Sinfonia da Requiem, Juilliard alum Lowell Liebermann’s (BM ’82, MM ’84, DMA ’87, composition) Flute Concerto No. 1 and Shostakovich’s towering Symphony No. 5. 

• Dalia Stasevska conducts Sibelius’ Second Symphony, paired with music by Beethoven and Anna Thorvaldsdottir. 

 

Returning conductors include: 

• Gemma New, who will conduct the winner of the viola concerto competition performing Aaron Jay Kernis’s Viola Concerto alongside music by Kelly-Marie Murphy and Brahms; 

• Louis Langrée, who leads a program of music by Ravel featuring Rapsodie espagnole, Shéhérazade, and L'heure espagnole; 

• Juilliard faculty and alum Jeffrey Milarsky (BM ’88, MM ’90, percussion) leading two concerts: the first features two works by Prokofiev and Rachmaninoff, with Juilliard faculty Valerie Coleman’s Renaissance Concerto inspired by the Great Migration and the Harlem Renaissance as its centerpiece; Milarsky then leads the annual Juilliard Composers Concert, featuring the works of four of Juilliard’s student composers that have been selected by a panel of outside judges for a performance by the Juilliard Orchestra; 

• Juilliard’s Director of Conducting Studies David Robertson leads two programs: the first at David Geffen Hall with a program featuring the U.S. premiere of a previously unpublished work by Pierre Boulez—Dérive 3—constructed from the composer’s manuscript, Bartók’s Violin Concerto No. 2 with the violin competition winner, and Wynton Marsalis’ Symphony No. 4, “The Jungle,” performed with the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra; and the second featuring Beethoven’s iconic Symphony No. 9 and Ives’ monumental Symphony No. 4, with students of the Vocal Arts program and the Juilliard Community Chorus at Carnegie Hall;  

• Xian Zhang (2023 recipient of an honorary doctorate from Juilliard and recently-appointed music director of Seattle Symphony), conducts the Commencement concert, with the world premiere of a Juilliard commission from alum Vivian Fung (BM ’96, MM ’97, DMA ’02, composition) alongside Kodály’s Dances of Galánta and Strauss’ Suite from Der Rosenkavalier 

 

In August, the Juilliard Orchestra performs a special concert at the BBC Proms, joining forces with the Royal Academy of Music Orchestra in London under the baton of Esa-Pekka Salonen. The combined orchestras perform Stravinsky’s Symphony in Three Movements, Berg’s Violin Concerto with soloist Vilde Frang, and Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra at Alice Tully Hall on August 7, before playing in the historic Royal Albert Hall in London on August 10. 

 

As in previous seasons, the Juilliard Wind Orchestra performs three concerts and the conductor-less Juilliard Chamber Orchestra makes its annual appearance at Alice Tully Hall. 

 

 

VOCAL ARTS 

 

Juilliard’s Opera season begins with a double bill of Italian one-act operas in the fall: Rossini’s La scala di seta and Nino Rota’s I due timidi. In addition to his 10 operas, Rota is best known for his score to the iconic film, The Godfather and the complete films of Fellini. I due timidi was a radio opera that premiered in 1950 and was turned into a staged production in London in 1952. Patrick Furrer conducts the Juilliard Orchestra and Juilliard faculty member John Matsumoto Giampietro directs. 

 

Handel’s opera, Agrippina, is full of scandal and politics, telling the story of the mother of Nero as she plots the downfall of the Roman emperor Claudius and the installation of her son as emperor. Juilliard’s spring production is performed with the Juilliard415 orchestra, conducted by Juilliard alum David Belkovski and directed by Katherine M. Carter. 

 

The matinee performance of all operas are livestreamed via the Juilliard website. 

 

Students of the Ellen and James S. Marcus Institute for Vocal Arts will also participate in the Liederabend recital series; the annual New York Festival of Song (NYFOS) at Juilliard; the annual Vocal Arts Honors Recital; collaborations with Historical Performance and the Orchestral Studies departments; and master classes with visiting artists. Vocal Arts will also present soprano Kathleen O’Mara in the Alice Tully Vocal Recital at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall in January. 

 

 

NEW MUSIC  

 

The music of our time takes center stage throughout the season at Juilliard, as the school invests in the future of music through programs featuring modern masterpieces and newly commissioned works, including new music for traditional ensembles and those that incorporate cutting-edge technology.  

 

Celebrating its fifth season, The New Series explores the music of our time through interdisciplinary collaboration, co-curated with guest artists who are among today’s leading artistic voices. Each New Series event pairs dynamic programming with engaging discussions, aspiring to create personal and memorable experiences for students and audiences alike. 

 

The New Series begins as part of the Fall Festival with a celebration of composer Steve Reich for his 90th birthday, including the seminal work Different Trains. The season continues with a theatrical Halloween program, a concert featuring the PRISM Saxophone Quartet performing works by the Juilliard composition department, and ends with the fourth annual Juilliard Pride Songbook that celebrates the contributions of Juilliard’s LGBTQIA  community. 

 

The AXIOM new music ensemble, led by music director Jeffrey Milarsky, performs three concerts this season, featuring groundbreaking works such as John Cage’s 4’33”—celebrating its 75th anniversary; Messiaen’s Des canyons aux étoiles ..., which was commissioned by Alice Tully herself for the U.S. bicentennial; and John Adams’ Gnarly Buttons, as well as music by Arlene Sierra, a Juilliard co-commission by chamber music faculty Curtis Stewart, and the world premiere of a work by AXIOM competition winner Jacky Jiaqi Liu (BM ’26, composition). 

 

With a continued focus on commissioning new works, music by living composers is woven throughout the full offerings of the season.  

 

The Center for Creative Technology offers the annual weeklong Future Stages Festival in March 2027. Offerings include a mixed-reality experience featuring students and alumni from the Drama, Dance, and Music divisions; Music in Imaginary Spaces, a multimedia concert featuring new works by Juilliard composers; and Sonic Architectures, featuring masterworks of electro-acoustic music. 

 

Concluding the 2026–27 season is the annual Art of the Score at Film at Lincoln Center, a screening of short films by filmmakers from around the world with original music by Juilliard students.  

 

 

HISTORICAL PERFORMANCE 

 

The Historical Performance program specializes in music from the 17th and 18th centuries. Juilliard415—the school’s period-instrument ensemble—partners with departments across Juilliard for a variety of presentations. Major projects in the Historical Performance department include: 

• a Fall Festival season kickoff performance, Shakespeare Restored, led by former faculty member Rachel Podger, and featuring singers from Vocal Arts in incidental music from Shakespeare’s plays written after the Restoration; 

• Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, with regular choral partners Yale Schola Cantorum, with performances in NYC and at Yale, conducted by Grete Pedersen; 

• Handel’s Messiah, performed by Juilliard415, TENET Vocal Artists, and the Juilliard Community Chorus; 

• Music curated by Juilliard Arnhold Creative Associate and Carnegie Hall Debs Composer’s Chair Caroline Shaw, a collaboration between Juilliard415 and Vocal Arts and part of the Carnegie Hall Presents Juilliard at Zankel Hall series; 

• The annual Music Before 1800 series performance by Juilliard415, this season featuring the theme of the Invention of the Orchestra, with music by Lully, Corelli, and Muffat; 

• Chamber music performances at the Frick Collection and Metropolitan Museum of Art from the Italian, German, and French Baroque periods. 

 

In addition, Historical Performance students will engage in an exchange collaboration with Schola Cantorum Basel, with performances in New York and Basel featuring students from both programs. 

 

 

CHAMBER MUSIC/RECITALS 

 

Juilliard offers chamber music recitals throughout the year featuring student ensembles performing a wide variety of repertoire. Next season, Juilliard hosts the annual ChamberFest week with performances and master classes in January where students play side-by-side with Juilliard faculty and distinguished guests. Chamber Music Sundays, Wednesdays at One, and chamber music seminars by the Juilliard String Quartet (JSQ) and American Brass Quintet (ABQ) offer current students unparalleled chances to nurture their talents in a range of performance settings. 

 

The Daniel Saidenberg Faculty Recital Series features the storied JSQ in two annual performances at Alice Tully Hall, as well as several recitals by Juilliard faculty. Prize-winning alumni make their Carnegie Hall debuts next season, as pianist Anthony Ratinov performs the Leo B. Ruiz Memorial Recital and Tianyou Ma gives the Gerschen Cohen Violin Recital. The annual Lisa Arnhold Memorial Recital returns to Weill Hall in May with the Dönum Quartet, the new Juilliard graduate string quartet.  

 

Tickets to all 2026–27 season events go on sale to the public on Monday, June 15. Members receive exclusive presale access; Ovation Society members can purchase tickets on Monday, June 1, and Juilliard Association members can access tickets on Monday, June 8. All programs can be viewed on the Juilliard performance calendar. 

 

 

Juilliard’s Creative Enterprise programming, including the Creative Associates program, is generously supported by Jody and John Arnhold and the Arnhold Foundation. 

 

Juilliard’s Ellen and James S. Marcus Institute for Vocal Arts was established in 2010 with the generous support of Ellen and James S. Marcus.  

  

ChamberFest is generously supported, in part, by generous gifts in memory of Edwin S. Marks. These funds also established the Edwin S. and Nancy A. Marks Chair in Chamber Music Studies.  

  

Juilliard Historical Performance is grateful for endowment and performance support from the Sidney J. Weinberg Foundation, and an anonymous donor for the Robert Mealy Instrument Fund. Juilliard's full-scholarship Historical Performance program was established and endowed in 2008 by the generous support of Bruce and Suzie Kovner.  

  

Juilliard gratefully acknowledges the Talented Students in the Arts Initiative, a collaboration of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Surdna Foundation, for their generous support of Juilliard Jazz. 

 

 

About The Juilliard School 

Founded in 1905, The Juilliard School is a world leader in performing arts education. The school’s mission is to cultivate excellence through the highest caliber of education in music, dance, and drama for gifted students from around the world, so they may achieve their fullest potential, expanding the reach and elevating the impact of the arts. Juilliard is led by Damian Woetzel, seventh president of the school, who has prioritized affordability and access to the highest level of artistic education while championing Juilliard’s tradition of excellence. 

 

Located at Lincoln Center in New York City, Juilliard offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in dance, drama (acting and playwriting), and music (classical, jazz, historical performance, and vocal arts). More than 800 artists from 42 states and 50 countries and regions are enrolled in Juilliard’s College Division, where they appear in more than 800 annual performances in the school’s five theaters; at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully and David Geffen halls and at Carnegie Hall; as well as at other venues around New York City, the U.S., and the world. The continuum of learning at Juilliard also includes nearly 400 students from elementary through high school enrolled in the Preparatory Division—Pre-College and Music Advancement Program (MAP); MAP serves students from diverse backgrounds often underrepresented in the classical music field. More than 1,200 students are enrolled in Juilliard Extension, the flagship continuing education program taught both in person and remotely by a dedicated faculty of performers, creators, and scholars. Beyond its New York campus, Juilliard is defining new directions in performing arts education for a range of learners and enthusiasts through a global K–12 educational curricula and preparatory and graduate studies at The Tianjin Juilliard School in China. 

 

juilliard.edu @juilliardschool 
 

 

CONTACTS: 

Brendan Padgett 

Madeleine Jennings 
news@juilliard.edu 

 

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