Name: Lang Lang in Recital
Start: 2026-04-01T19:30:00
Location: Jones Hall

The Houston Symphony is set to transform Jones Hall into a musical wonderland in 2026, with an eclectic lineup that includes everything from the iconic tunes of Billy Joel to ground-breaking orchestral and operatic performances. Spanning genres from orchestral and opera to choral and family concerts, this season promises an unforgettable journey through some of music's most beloved and innovative works. With performances by world-class artists such as Tony DeSare, Lang Lang, and Jan Lisiecki, music lovers of all ages are in for a treat.

Houston Symphony's Spectacular 2026 Lineup: From Billy Joel to Beethoven

Dive into the enthralling world of music as the Houston Symphony presents a spectacular array of events this spring. From the timeless genius of Mozart and Beethoven to the groundbreaking compositions of Andy Akiho and John Adams, these performances promise to enchant audiences of all ages. Featuring renowned artists like Lang Lang, Joshua Bell, and the powerhouse duo of Capathia Jenkins and Ryan Shaw, this series is a celebration of music's transformative power. Each concert offers a unique experience, blending classical masterpieces with contemporary innovations, ensuring an unforgettable journey through the symphonic landscape.

Houston Symphony's Spring Series: A Musical Odyssey

Lang Lang

Houston Symphony

Mozart’s genius is on full display in his elegant and high-spirited Piano Concerto No. 9, and in the hands of Jan Lisiecki—recognized as one of today’s most astounding young talents—it promises pure magic. In his famous Enigma Variations, Elgar lovingly renders those nearest and dearest to him, creating a musical photo album filled with heartfelt warmth and profound emotional depth. The concerts open with romantic music from the 1939 film adaptation of Wuthering Heights.

Mozart + Elgar’s Enigma Variations

Jones Hall

The most famous four notes in history launch a towering masterpiece for the ages in Beethoven’s legendary Fifth Symphony. Award-winning composer Andy Akiho is known for bold, immersive music that shatters preconceptions, and you do not want to miss the world premiere of his Timpani Concerto, written especially for Houston Symphony Principal Timpanist Leonardo Soto.

Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony + Timpani World Premiere

Featuring the ethereal “Morning Mood” and the hair-raising “In the Hall of the Mountain King”—both pop-culture staples you’ll recognize instantly—Grieg’s Peer Gynt is one of classical music’s most enduringly popular works. Prepare for a magical theatrical experience bringing the Peer Gynt story to vivid life. Bewitching works by Sibelius and William Grant Still round out a concert steeped in legend and enchantment.

Grieg’s Peer Gynt

“The hottest artist on the classical music planet” (The New York Times). Superstar pianist Lang Lang performs a one-night-only recital at Jones Hall, featuring works by Chopin, Schumann, and more.

Lang Lang in Recital

This Easter weekend, treat the entire family to the classic that’s captivated generations—Disney’s Fantasia. Stunning animation fills the giant screen at Jones Hall while the Symphony brings the soundtrack to life, including favorites like Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, Pomp and Circumstance, Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite, and, of course, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.

Disney’s Fantasia In Concert

One of the most astounding pianists in the world meets one of the greatest musical geniuses of all time as the “breathtakingly brilliant” (Gramophone) Víkingur Ólafsson shares an evening of Beethoven’s legendary final piano sonatas.

Víkingur Ólafsson in Recital

Piano concertos don’t get any more fun than John Adams’s Must the Devil Have All the Good Tunes?, a showstopping whirlwind filled with funky grooves, propulsive rhythmic drive, and pop music influences from bebop to honky-tonk. Conducted by the composer himself, it’s the perfect showcase for Víkingur Ólafsson’s breathtaking piano prowess. To close this special celebration of American music, Adams leads Copland’s beloved Appalachian Spring, culminating in the stirring Shaker Hymn, “Simple Gifts.”

Adams Conducts Adams & Appalachian Spring

Elvis. Prince. Michael Jackson. Diana Ross. Whitney Houston. Stevie Wonder. Celebrate the greatest voices of all time in this powerhouse concert. Houston favorites Capathia Jenkins and Ryan Shaw join forces with the Symphony for the biggest hits by the most iconic artists of all time, including beloved songs like “Purple Rain,” “Signed, Sealed, Delivered,” “Lady Marmalade,” and “Hey Jude.”

Icon: The Voices that Changed Music

Abracadabra! Grab your magic wands (or batons) for a spellbinding musical adventure—we’re conjuring up a morning of magical musical fun! Bring your little wizards and witches to Jones Hall and have your magic conducting batons at the ready for magical moments from Harry Potter, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, and more that will delight little wizards and their families.

Abracadabra! A Magical Musical Adventure

Grammy Award-winning violin icon Joshua Bell unleashes cosmic grandeur and world-shaking virtuosity in The Elements, a stunning sound-plus-video experience which summons the elemental power of Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Space through spellbinding music and immersive video projections. Eternal questions of love, death, and the hereafter are explored through soaring, transcendent music of Wagner and Strauss.

Joshua Bell Returns: The Elements in Concert

Houston favorite Augustin Hadelich returns for one of the most treasured works in all of music, Tchaikovsky’s lushly romantic (and dizzyingly difficult) Violin Concerto. Be transported to a world of soaring beauty and limitless possibility in Jennifer Higdon’s blue cathedral, which, in Higdon’s words, represents an imaginary journey “through a glass cathedral in the sky.” Then, fasten your seatbelts and blast off to menacing Mars, jolly Jupiter, and beyond as the Symphony performs Holst’s sonic, celestial showpiece, The Planets.

The Planets + Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto

For the grand finale to our classical season, Music Director Juraj Valčuha leads Mahler’s final completed work, the extraordinary Symphony No. 9. To hear one of Mahler’s symphonies live is to feel why it’s an experience unlike anything else in music, and the Ninth is one of his most remarkable—a monumental journey of epic proportions, ending with music of rare transportive power and time-altering beauty.

Lang Lang in Recital

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