Music
A Look Ahead at The Upcoming Classical Season
In January, a rare event with the New World Symphony: John Adams joins forces with Víkingur Ólafsson (pictured) and Stéphane Denève. It is just one of the highlights of the South Florida classical music season. (Photo by Ari Magg, courtesy of NWS).
From grand symphonic blockbusters to intimate chamber music gems, the 2025–26 classical season in South Florida promises excitement, artistry, and musical riches. Highlights include Verdi’s monumental Requiem featuring the incandescent soprano of the day Asmik Grigorian, Kevin Puts’ Pulitzer-winning opera “Silent Night,” a star turn by tenor Juan Diego Flórez, and high-stakes orchestral visits from the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic.
There are also notable collaborations, including the New World Symphony and Miami City Ballet, as well as a special appearance by composer John Adams with Víkingur Ólafsson.
Below is a selection of what will be presented in Miami between October 2025 and May 2026.
Knight Masterworks at the Arsht Center
The Adrienne Arsht Center’s Knight Masterworks Classical Series features four unmissable evenings. The series begins with two legendary orchestras: the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on Jan. 18, under Vasily Petrenko, and the Philadelphia Orchestra on Feb. 19, led by its charismatic music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin, now artistic director of New York’s Metropolitan Opera. The Royal Philharmonic’s program includes Nielsen’s Helios Overture, Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with virtuoso Ray Chen, and Sibelius’s Symphony No. 2. The Philadelphia Orchestra counters with an all-Brahms program, sure to satisfy lovers of the great Romantic repertoire.
Juan Diego Flórez. (Photo by Kristin Hoebermann, courtesy of the Arsht Center).
The season’s vocal event arrives Feb. 15, when Juan Diego Flórez, one of today’s few truly global opera stars, offers an evening of favorite arias and Spanish-language songs, accompanied by guitar.
The series concludes with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields on April 8, with Joshua Bell both conducting and performing Saint-Saëns’ Violin Concerto No. 3, paired with Schumann’s perennial Spring Symphony.
The Cleveland Orchestra Residency
Miami’s winter residency by The Cleveland Orchestra remains a cornerstone of the local musical landscape. This season opens Jan. 23–24 with an awaited performance of Verdi’s Requiem, featuring Lituanian soprano Asmik Grigorian, mezzo Deniz Uzun, tenor Joshua Guerrero, bass Tareq Nazmi, and conductor Franz Welser-Möst.
Asmik Grigorian. (Photo by Olivia Kahler, courtesy of the Cleveland Orchestra).
Later programs include Itzhak Perlman Cinematic Serenade, Yefim Bronfman in Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto alongside Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony, and a bold closing concert pairing Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring with Sergey Khachatryan performing Sibelius’s Violin Concerto, conducted by Rafael Payare.
Florida Grand Opera’s Trio of Productions
Florida Grand Opera opens its season Nov. 15 with Kevin Puts’ Silent Night, a moving opera based on the WWI Christmas truce. With a libretto by Mark Campbell and production by Tomer Zvulun, the work solidified Puts’ reputation following his success with The Hours at the Met.
In January, Johann Strauss II’s beloved operetta Die Fledermaus arrives in a intriguing “Florida-flavored” production conducted by new music director Pablo Mielgo, who also leads the season’s final opera: Puccini’s Turandot, scheduled for early March.
Miami Symphony Orchestra Highlights
The Miami Symphony Orchestra, led by Eduardo Marturet, launches its season Nov. 16 with a powerful program: Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2, Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde Prelude and Liebestod, and Dvořák’s Cello Concerto featuring Anna Litvinenko.
February’s “Latin American Landscapes” explores music by Carreño, Vollmer, Bonora, Marqueza, and Marturet. On March 8, the orchestra celebrates 250 years of U.S. history with world premieres by Lefrak and Campos Sala, concluding with Dvořák’s New World Symphony. The season finale on May 3 features Britten’s Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, Brahms’ Symphony No. 2, and the premiere of Chick Corea’s Concerto for Double Bass, arranged by Marturet.
New World Symphony: Innovation Meets Tradition
At the New World Center, Stéphane Denève and the New World Symphony’s season kicks off October 4–5 with Beethoven’s Eroica, Copland’s Lincoln Portrait narrated by Joshua Malina, and the immersive Chuphshah! Harriet’s Drive to Canaan.
Denève returns to lead Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider in Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto and Florence Price’s majestic Symphony No. 3. November welcomes Johannes Moser and Domingo Hindoyan with Glanert’s Cello Concerto and Dvořák’s New World Symphony, while Carlos Miguel Prieto conducts “Music of the Americas” with works by Bernstein, Ginastera, Contreras, and Castellanos.
Stéphane Denève and the New World Symphony performing at the New World Center in Miami Beach. (Photo by Alex Markow, courtesy of NWS)
December features Mahler’s Fourth Symphony with Manfred Honeck, and in January, a rare event: John Adams joins forces with Víkingur Ólafsson and Stéphane Denève for Adams’ new piano concerto composed for the Icelandic world famous pianist.
In February, Ryan Bancroft leads an all-American program, and the astonishing Davóne Tines returns with Second Concerto: ANTHEM, under Kalena Bovell. March brings a Strauss-Korngold mini-festival, and the season ends in April with “American Dance Odyssey” in collaboration with Miami City Ballet, and a festive Bernstein-Gershwin celebration featuring Jean-Yves Thibaudet.
Additional concerts at the Arsht Center include:
- Denève conducts The Best of John Williams (Oct. 18),
- Rhapsody in Blue with the Marcus Roberts Trio (Jan. 10), and
- A March 7 performance of Peter Lieberson’s Neruda Songswith Kelly O’Connor, plus Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé.
South Florida Symphony Returns to the Beach
Sebrina María Alfonso leads three concerts at the New World Center, starting with Barber, Prokofiev, and Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G Major performed by Svetlana Smolina. The second concert features Mozart and Rimsky-Korsakov plus premieres by Simon and Joachim. The final concert pairs Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony with Rossini’s Stabat Mater.
Sebrina María Alfonso and the South Florida Symphony Orchestra. (Photo by Steven Shires, courtesy of the South Florida Symphony Orchestra).
Other Highlights
The acclaimed vocal ensemble Seraphic Fire, founded by Patrick Dupré Quigley, continues its tradition of excellence. The season opens in October with “The Best of Seraphic Fire,” featuring works by Ticheli, Lauridsen, and Alvaro Bermúdez, conducted by James Bass.
November brings a full Bach motet program with the Seraphic Fire’s Period Orchestra period instruments. After the traditional Xmas holiday concerts, January introduces a gospel program led by Jason Max Ferdinand, and February’s “American Folk” explores spiritual and folk traditions including Ingram Marshall’s Hymnodic Delays, conducted by Quigley. In March, Arianne Abela debuts with a candlelight concert, and April closes with “Surround Sound,” inspired by Venetian polyphony.
Friends of Chamber Music: A Legacy Continues
The venerable organization, which has brought musical greats since 1955, is preparing for its first season without its founder, the unforgettable Julian Kreeger. The 70th season begins on Oct. 24 at the FIU Werther Performing Arts Center, with soprano Laura León accompanied by Ken Noda. Benjamin Beilman and Gloria Chien will follow on violin and piano (at Coral Gables Congregational Church), and the return of renowned pianist Benjamin Grosvenor in December at FIU, prior to the gala tribute to its founder on Dec. 20 at the UM Knight Center for Music Innovation.
On Feb. 9, at Coral Gables Congregational Church, the New York Philharmonic Quartet will perform with clarinetist Alexander Fiterstein, and on March 29, at Temple Bet Shira, the Goldmund Quartet will perform, followed by the Balourdet String Quartet and pianist Asiya Korepanova. The season closes at UM with the Fiterstein-Ngwenyama-Brown Trio on May 19.
With a program inspired by Olga de Amaral’s exhibition, the ICA (Institute of Contemporary Art) opens its 12th season on Sept. 26 with Álvaro Bermúdez, Alan Johnson, and Catalina Cuervo. The program continues on Nov. 6 at the Lowe Museum with “Naples: Sacred and Profane,” and on Jan. 23 with “Songs of the Earth” at the Miami Beach Botanical Garden, featuring the multimedia work of Juraj Kojs. Finally, on March 20, the ICA opens with “Emerging Artists” at UM’s Knight Hall.
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