Season announcement

Fort Worth Symphony lifts the curtain on dynamic 2026-27 season

Aristo Sham, 2025 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition

2025 Cliburn winner Aristo Sham (here with Marin Alsop and FWSO at the Cliburn Competition) will open the FWSO season.

Photo by Brandon Wade

The Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra's wide-ranging 2026-27 season opens with a Cliburn winner, closes with video game music, and features everything from a cello concerto world premiere to the music of Dolly Parton in between.

Don't say there's not something for everyone at the symphony.

"I am thrilled by the high standards of our performances, our rapidly developing reputation for artistic innovation, and the generosity of our patrons," says FWSO board chairman Mercedes T. Bass in a release. "I know that the 2026-2027 season will be one of our most exhilarating ever.”

Highlights will include:

2025 Cliburn Gold Medalist Aristo Sham opens the symphonic season with Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 under the direction of FWSO music director Robert Spano.
Jane Glover conducts Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings with tenor Ian Bostridge and FWSO Principal Horn Gerry Wood, plus Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 paired with Kimbell Art Museum landscapes.
Bruce Wood Dance Dallas returns to perform Mahler’s Songs of a Wayfarer with mezzo-soprano Kelley O’Connor.
The world premiere of a cello concerto by Christopher Theofanidis, performed by FWSO principal cello Allan Steele and conducted by Spano.
The annual gala stars mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, conducted by Jane Glover.
The Chamber Music series at the Kimbell Art Museum features Spano at the piano, a work he composed, FWSO musicians, and guest pianist Peter Takács.
The popular “Stars of the Symphony” performances showcase FWSO musicians as soloists.
Pops and Specials include live-to-film concerts (Hook, Batman, The Wizard of Oz), video game music programs, and the return of Pink Martini.

Excluded from the release was any mention of a summer series. The beloved Concerts in the Garden series has been gone from the schedule for the past few seasons; a spokeswoman says a summer series will be announced at a later time.

Here's a closer look at the schedule:

SYMPHONIC SERIES
All Symphonic Series concerts are presented at Bass Performance Hall.

Opening Weekend: Beethoven’s Fifth
September 11, 12, 13, 2026
Robert Spano, conductor
Aristo Sham, piano

BEETHOVEN: Egmont Overture
MOZART: Piano Concerto No. 23
BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 5

Brahms and Haydn, Together
September 25, 26, 27, 2026
Robert Spano, conductor
Dejan Lazić, piano

BRAHMS: Variations on a Theme by Haydn
BRAHMS: Double Concerto for Violin, Cello, and Orchestra (Piano Transcription)

HAYDN: Symphony No. 104, “London” The Classical Style
October 9, 10, 11, 2026
Robert Spano, conductor
Cafritz Young Artists of Washington National Opera
Peter Kazaras, director

MOZART: Symphony No. 35, “Haffner”
STUCKY: The Classical Style: An Opera (of Sorts)

Beethoven’s Pastoral
October 30, 31, November 1, 2026
Jane Glover, conductor
Ian Bostridge, tenor
Artwork courtesy of the Kimbell Art Museum

MAZZOLI: Orpheus Undone
BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 6, “Pastoral”
BRITTEN: Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings

Copland, Dvořák, and Rachmaninoff
November 20, 21, 22, 2026
Tomáš Netopil, conductor
Eric Lu, piano

DVOŘÁK: Carnival Overture
RACHMANINOFF: Piano Concerto No. 2
COPLAND: Symphony No. 3

Jane Glover Conducts Sibelius and Shostakovich
January 15, 16, 17, 2027
Jane Glover, conductor
Stella Chen, violin

SIBELIUS: Karelia Suite
SIBELIUS: Violin Concerto
SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphony No. 9

Mahler’s Sixth
January 29, 30, 31, 2027
Robert Spano, conductor
Kelley O’Connor, mezzo-soprano
Bruce Wood Dance Dallas
Joy Bollinger, choreographer

MAHLER: Songs of a Wayfarer
MAHLER: Symphony No. 6

Dvořák and Korngold
March 19, 20, 21, 2027
Anna Skryleva, conductor
Philippe Quint, violin

SMETANA: Vltava (The Moldau)
KORNGOLD: Violin Concerto
DVOŘÁK: Symphony No. 8

Beethoven and Rachmaninoff
April 30, May 1, 2, 2027
Robert Spano, conductor
Inon Barnatan, piano
Jake Fridkis, flute

GLUCK: Minuet & Dance of the Blessed Spirits
BEETHOVEN: Piano Concerto No. 4
RACHMANINOFF: Symphony No. 2

Ravel and a World Premiere
May 14, 15, 16, 2027
Robert Spano, conductor
Allan Steele, cello

RAVEL: Mother Goose Suite
THEOFANIDIS: Cello Concerto (World Premiere)
RAVEL: Valses nobles et sentimentales
RAVEL: Daphnis and Chloé Suite No. 2

Allan Steele will debut new cello concerto. Photo courtesy of Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra

POPS SERIES
All Pops Series concerts are presented at Bass Performance Hall.

Infinity Rising – The Music of Journey
September 4 & 5, 2026

Oz with Orchestra
November 13 & 14, 2026

Home for the Holidays
November 27 & 28, 2026

Pink Martini
January 8 & 9, 2027

Toy Story in Concert
February 5 & 6, 2027

A Night at Hogwarts: The Music of Harry Potter
March 26 & 27, 2027

Pink Martini returns to the Fort Worth stage. Photo courtesy of Pink Martini

SPECIALS

Stars of the Symphony
August 21, 2026
Bass Performance Hall
Alex Amsel, conductor
Adriana Voirin DeCosta, violin
Tamer Edlebi, oboe
Ivan Petruzziello, clarinet
Cody McClarty, trumpet

Batman (1989) in Concert
Full Feature Film with Live Orchestra
October 24, 2026
Will Rogers Auditorium

Hook in Concert
Full Feature Film with Live Orchestra
December 12, 2026
Will Rogers Auditorium

Country Jukebox: Kenny, Dolly & Friends
February 13, 2027
Will Rogers Auditorium

The Music of SQUARE ENIX – Magic, Memories, and Melodies
April 9 & 10, 2027
Bass Performance Hall
Eric Roth, conductor

Gala Concert Starring Joyce DiDonato
February 20, 2027
Bass Performance Hall
Jane Glover, conductor
Joyce DiDonato, mezzo-soprano

Joyce DiDonato will be the featured artist at the FWSO Gala. Photo courtesy of The Dallas Opera

THE PAUL WEHBA FAMILY SERIES
All Family Series concerts are presented at Bass Performance Hall at 11 AM. All ages are welcome.

When Instruments Roamed the Earth!
November 14, 2026

Harry Potter Favorites
February 6, 2027 – Sensory-Friendly

Tchaikovsky Discovers America
March 27, 2027

Subscription renewals are on sale now. Subscriptions go on sale to the public April 7, and single tickets go on sale July 7. For more information about the season and ticket options, visit the Fort Worth Symphony website.

Theater Critic Picks

10 theater shows you shouldn’t miss in Dallas-Fort Worth this January

Circle Theatre presents A Night With Janis Joplin

Photo by Evan Michael Woods

Circle Theatre will let audiences spend "A Night With Janis Joplin."

Need a little breathing room, some time to recover from the holidays? The theaters in Dallas-Fort Worth know this, and have thoughtfully held off on most openings until the middle of end of the month.

But once they get going, they get going. From a new musical to an intimate concert from one of music's most iconic characters, Shakespeare kings to Tudor queens, and plenty of provocative plays, the options are varied and very, very good.

Here are 10 shows appearing in Dallas-Fort Worth theaters in January, listed in order of start date:

Kimberly Akimbo
Broadway Dallas, January 6-18
A new musical about growing up and growing old (in no particular order), Kimberly Akimbo is the winner of five Tony Awards including Best Musical. Kimberly is about to turn 16 and recently moved with her family to a new town in suburban New Jersey. She is forced to navigate family dysfunction, a rare genetic condition, her first crush … and possible felony charges. Ever the optimist, she is determined to find happiness against all odds and embark on a great adventure.

Silhouettes
Echo Theatre, January 16-17
In this new musical, two women meet in a Chicago clinic and face decisions about abortion, motherhood, and personal autonomy. Matters of choice echo through decades in the 75-minute musical for two, plus a chorus.

Macbeth
Shakespeare Dallas, January 16-February 1
Also referred to superstitiously as "The Scottish Play," this Shakespearean tragedy involves three witches telling a Scottish general that he will be King of Scotland. Encouraged by his wife, Macbeth slays the king and becomes the new king, resulting in civil war and deep unrest.

The Graduate
WaterTower Theatre, January 20-February 8
Seduction. Rebellion. The moment that changed everything. The Graduate is a bold reimagining of the classic film that follows recent college graduate Benjamin Braddock as he is drawn into a scandalous affair with the iconic Mrs. Robinson. As passion turns to chaos, The Graduate remains as sharp, provocative, and thrilling as ever.

Lungs
Mac Welch for AT&T Performing Arts Center's Elevator Project, January 22-25
“Ten thousand tons of CO2. That’s the weight of the Eiffel Tower. I’d be giving birth to the Eiffel Tower.” This humorous remark captures the tone of Duncan Macmillan’s striking yet occasionally frustrating play. M and W, a young couple, find themselves examining the scope of their lives together and the world around them when they begin considering starting a family.

Six
Broadway Dallas, January 27-February 1
Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived. From Tudor queens to pop icons, the six wives of Henry VIII take the microphone to remix 50 years of historical heartbreak into a euphoric celebration of 21st-century girl power.

Deer
Theatre Three, January 29-February 22
Empty-nesters Ken and Cynthia hit a deer while driving to their weekend house in the Poconos. As their lifeless, bloody new pet takes over their lives, Ken and Cynthia will either rekindle their love or kill each other.

Fat Ham
Dallas Theater Center, January 30-February 8
In this regional premiere of the Pulitzer Prize-winning, hit Broadway comedy, Juicy’s got a lot on his plate — his mom just married his uncle. All he wants is to make his own way as a queer Black man in a Southern family. But here’s the rub: His father’s ghost just turned up at a backyard barbecue demanding vengeance. In this delicious and sizzling reinvention of Shakespeare’s masterpiece, a young man vows to break the cycles of violence in service of his own liberation and joy.

A Night With Janis Joplin
Circle Theatre, January 29-February 14
A vibrant‭, ‬electrifying tribute to the legendary rock and blues singer‭, this concert-style show ‬celebrates her life‭, ‬her influences‭, ‬and the raw power of her music‭. Janis shares the stage with the voices of trailblazing women who shaped her sound, ‬from Aretha Franklin to Bessie Smith‭.

Where We Stand
Stage West Theatre, January 29-February 15
Your town stands at a crossroads. A neighbor, desperate and out of options, has struck a dangerous bargain. Now their fate lies in your hands. In this interactive play presented as a town hall gathering, the audience must choose: mercy or justice? Broadway actor and Dallas legend Liz Mikel plays a lone storyteller who weaves a world through music and magic. The play, making its regional premiere, will be a co-production with Dallas Theater Center.

musicals plays shakespeare macbeth six musical national tour broadway dallas shakespeare dallas dungeons & dragons kimberly akimbo fat ham dallas theater center stage west circle theatre theatre three theater

Season announcement

Fort Worth Symphony lifts the curtain on dynamic 2026-27 season

Theater Critic Picks

10 theater shows you shouldn’t miss in Dallas-Fort Worth this January

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