With spring comes announcements of arts calendars to come, and among them is the Austin Symphony Orchestra. The orchestra has announced its 2026-2027 season with 13 programs including a visit from famous cellist Yo-Yo Ma and performances of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 ("Ode to Joy") and Jurassic Park in Concert.

This is a very important season for the ASO, as it is musical director and principal conductor Peter Bay's last season before stepping down. He will remain with the orchestra in some capacity, but he will no longer be in his prominent position of 30 years. That makes this his last chance in this tenure to make a big impression.

Symphony-goers can look forward to the following programs in the upcoming season:

• Brahms & the Nordic Masterpiece, September 11 & 13, 2026: Violinist Geneva Lewis plays Rainbow Body by Christopher Theofanidis, Johannes Brahms' Violin Concerto in D Major, and Jean Sibelius' Symphony No. 5.
• To Have and to Hold, October 23 & 25, 2026: Director and narrator Jamie Bernstein, daughter of Leonard Bernstein, presents pianist Alex Maynegre-Torra playing Leonard Bernstein's Trouble in Tahiti, J. Strauss, Jr.'s Champagne Polka, Ernst von Dohnányi's No. 4 "Wedding Waltz" from The Veil of Pierrette, Camille Saint-Saëns' Wedding Cake, Edward Elgar's Salut d’Amour, Edvard Grieg/Huppertz's Wedding Day at Troldhaugen, and Felix Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night’s Dream, "Wedding March."
• Fire & Folklore, January 15 & 17, 2027: pianist Yifei Xu plays Johannes Brahms/Rubbra's Variations on a Theme of Handel, Franz Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 2 in A Major, and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 2 in C Minor (Ukrainian).
• Joshua Bell Returns, February 19 & 20, 2027: violinist Joshua Bell plays Giuseppe Verdi's La forza del destino: Overture, Witold Lutoslawski's Concerto for Orchestra, and L.v. Beethoven's Violin Concerto in D Major.
• Gloria & Daphnis, March 5 & 6, 2027: Chorus Austin performs Missy Mazzoli's The Shield of the Heart is the Heart (for string orchestra), Francis Poulenc's Gloria, and Maurice Ravel's Daphnis et Chloé.
• Mahler's Ninth, April 9 & 10, 2027: The orchestra plays Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 9 in D Major.
• Ode to Joy, May 14 & 15, 2027: Chorus Austin performs W.A. Mozart/Boss' The Boy Who Said Wow, (Masonic Funeral Music), L.v. Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, Choral.
• With Love and Gratitude, June 11 & 12, 2027: pianists Jon Kimura Parker and Anton Nel play Kevin Puts' “… this noble company,” W.A. Mozart's Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra in E-flat Major, and Sergei Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances.

A change this fall brings the first three Masterworks Series programs (the classical ones listed above) to a different time slot: Sunday matinees at 2 pm. A release says the shift is to give symphony-goers "more flexibility during Austin’s busy season."

Aside the Masterworks, there's the Butler Pops Series playing cinematic scores. They are:

• October 16 & 17, 2026: Batman in Concert (1989) with music by composer Danny Elfman
• December 15 & 16, 2026: Elf in Concert with music by composer John Debney
• April 2 & 3, 2027: Jurassic Park in Concert with music by composer John Williams
• May 21 & 22, 2027: Star Wars: The Force Awakens in Concert with music by composer John Williams

Finally, audiences will enjoy An Evening with Yo-Yo Ma on November 18. The Massachusetts-based cellist will perform Antonín Dvořák's Cello Concerto. Tickets will first be available to renewing and new subscribers; then they'll be released to the general public.

Other special events include the Halloween Children’s Concert on October 18, Handel’s Messiah on December 1, and ASO About Town on April 15, 2027, with Nico Muhly and Brooklyn Rider.

The Austin Symphony Orchestra plays at 1113 Red River St.