Name: The Human Element
Start: 2026-04-18T19:30:00
Location: Zeiterion Performing Arts Center

The New Bedford Symphony Orchestra is set to enchant audiences with a diverse lineup of concerts in 2026. From chamber music to grand orchestral performances, these events promise to captivate music lovers with a stunning array of performances. Notable musicians such as Emma Powell, Yaniv Dinur, and Michel Camilo will showcase their talents, bringing to life works from composers like Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky, and Brahms. Each event is uniquely tailored to provide an unforgettable experience, celebrating both classic and contemporary compositions.

Discover the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra's 2026 Lineup: A Celebration of Musical Mastery

Embark on a musical journey with the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra as they present a season filled with captivating performances. From orchestral masterpieces to enchanting chamber music, this season features a diverse range of events showcasing the talents of acclaimed performers and composers. With highlights such as Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Violin Concerto and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, the orchestra promises an unforgettable experience that celebrates boldness, human connection, and the joy of music.

A Symphony of Stories: Exploring New Bedford Symphony Orchestra's Remarkable Season

The New Bedford Symphony Orchestra is all set to enthrall audiences with a captivating lineup of performances through its 2026 season. Spanning from the orchestral elegance of 'Romantic Revelations' to the chamber intimacy of 'Foursomes,' each event showcases a rich tapestry of genres, renowned conductors, and virtuoso soloists. With performances featuring works by Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, and contemporary composers like Missy Mazzoli, the orchestra promises a journey into the heart of musical brilliance. Join us as we dive into the details of these unforgettable events that promise to captivate the soul and stir the imagination.

A Symphony for the Senses: Exploring New Bedford Symphony Orchestra's 2026 Season

The New Bedford Symphony Orchestra is set to captivate audiences in 2026 with a series of diverse and enthralling concerts. From the bold orchestral tones of 'Boldness Unbound' to the intimate chamber melodies of 'Story Time' and 'Foursomes', these events promise to offer something for every music lover. Led by the dynamic conductor Yaniv Dinur and accompanied by a host of talented musicians, each performance is expected to stand out with unique compositions and engaging atmospheres.

Exploring New Bedford Symphony's 2026 Musical Odyssey

Yaniv Dinur

Michel Camilo

New Bedford Symphony Orchestra

Marking his 10th season with the NBSO, Yaniv returns to his audition piece that got him the job—Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4. Opening with the “fate” motif, the eternal ballet composer’s most original symphony consists of numerous surprises, like an entire movement of just string plucking, cymbals and bass drum only in the last movement (making so much noise) and an unhinged piccolo solo, to name just a few. Sydney Lee returns to the NBSO to perform Dvořák’s Cello Concerto, the Mount Everest of the cello repertoire. We open our season with Revueltas’ stirring Sensemayá, or as Yaniv likes to call it: “the Latin version of The Rite of Spring in seven minutes.”

Opening Night: Fatal Beauty

Zeiterion Performing Arts Center

Rising star violinist Randall Goosby performs Brahms’ Violin Concerto, a piece of unmatched beauty, drama, and, of course, some Hungarian dancing. It is paired with music from the Americas—the intoxicating rhythms and sounds of Mexican composer Gabriela Ortiz, alongside Samuel Barber’s First Symphony, a tragic, poignant, and restless piece, written in one sweeping movement.

Goosby Plays Brahms

Round up your favorite people—kids, grandparents, neighbors, friends—and celebrate the season together at Holiday Pops. It’s festive, high-spirited, and just the right mix of laughter, nostalgia, and music you’ll be humming all the way home.

The hall sparkles, the energy is contagious, and the music delivers that unmistakable holiday glow. The Showstoppers join forces with members of the Southeastern Massachusetts Youth Orchestra alongside Yaniv and your NBSO musicians for a feel-good celebration that brings every generation together.

Holiday Pops

This all-John Williams program surrounds you with music that has shaped generations, not just as soundtracks, but as emotional touchstones. Hearing these iconic themes vividly brought to life by a full symphony orchestra is an incredibly powerful experience.

From the awe of Jurassic Park to the suspense of Jaws, the magic of Harry Potter, and the soaring hope of E.T., each piece opens a door back to imagination, nostalgia, and joy. After intermission, the journey continues with the adventure and heart of Hook and Indiana Jones, the quiet beauty of The Terminal, and the powerful, unmistakable themes of Star Wars.

Movie Pops: All John Williams

Commemorating the 200th Anniversary of Beethoven’s death, beloved pianist Alexander Korsantia returns to the NBSO to perform Beethoven’s Fourth—perhaps the most perfect piano concerto in the repertoire. Beethoven was a fervent advocate for the ideals of the French Revolution, and in that spirit, the second half of this concert is all French. And while Beethoven’s piece is the epitome of 19th-century Viennese music, Ravel’s La valse represents its unravelling, a magnificent farewell letter to the Viennese Waltz and to a world that would never be the same after the First World War. Connesson’s brilliant depiction of Beethoven the man will make the orchestra sound like you’ve never heard it before.

Requiem for a Dream

World-renowned pianist Stephen Hough, and one of Twenty Living Polymaths (as named by The Economist), joins us to play his own Piano Concerto. Titled “The World of Yesterday”, Hough’s piece takes us on a rollercoaster ride to nostalgic memories of some good-old dances like the waltz and tarantella. You will hum along with Percy Grainger’s arrangements of famous tunes like “Oh Danny Boy”, and might shed a tear when you hear “Nimrod” from Elgar’s Enigma Variations in this concert dedicated to great British music.

Cuppa Tea

Bernstein’s Prelude, Fugue and Riffs turns the orchestra into a jazz band that gets out of control. Mezzo-soprano Rinat Shaham sings the theatrical Folk Songs of Berio in nine languages and dialects. Beethoven’s 5th Symphony never ceases to shatter the heart, from its rattling opening to the victorious finale. Don’t miss this spectacle of words and sounds from faraway places, and the most famous four opening notes that forever changed the music world—all on one stage with your New Bedford Symphony.

The Human Element

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