NWS Season Announcements

The New World Symphony, America’s Orchestral Academy (NWS), and Artistic Director Stéphane Denève announce its 2026-27 season of adventurous programming that bring together the NWS Fellows, acclaimed guest artists and audiences through cross-disciplinary collaborations and digitally forward, immersive storytelling. The season reflects a singular vision: music that builds community through inspiration, reflection and joy, while expanding the Fellows’ artistic perspective and cultivating the versatility essential for their professional careers.

Beloved masterpieces by Beethoven, Ravel, Stravinsky, Mahler, and Mozart are paired with landmark works by today’s leading composers, including Billy Childs, Kevin Puts, Thomas Adès, Gabriela Ortiz, Carlos Simon, Anna Clyne and more, celebrating an evolving canon.

“Essential to the vibrancy and relevance of orchestral music is renewal, and New World Symphony’s 2026–27 season signals a bright future,” said Denève. Through innovative collaborations, immersive multimedia experiences, showcasing the brilliant voices of today’s living composers, and honoring the big, bold masterpieces that define the canon, the season reflects a dynamic evolution of the art form driven by a shared spirit of community and brought to life by the NWS Fellows, who carry this great tradition forward.”

“If we look beyond the 2026-27 concert season, there is a deeper story,” said NWS President and CEO Howard Herring. “We program for the Fellows music they need to investigate and perform in preparation for their auditions, the process that defines their transition to professional life. Their playing enriches the community, in Miami and globally through our online outlets. Our audiences are transformed by their performances, a combination of youth, excellence, and aspiration. And, they follow the transitions closely as Fellows-turned-alumni become leaders in orchestras, ensembles, faculties, and communities around the world. With our Fellows at the center of all that we do, we are honoring the past and shaping the future of classical music.” 

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

Stéphane Denève, Artistic Director

October 2026: Denève will lead the Fellows in nine programs, beginning with the 2026-27 season opening concert on October 3 & 4 at New World Center, featuring Kauyumari by Grammy- and Latin Grammy-winning Mexican composer Gabriela Ortiz and Fandango by Latin Grammy-winning composer Arturo Márquez, followed by French orchestral masterpieces Debussy’s Iberia and Ravel’s Boléro with custom visual projections by NWS Media enhancing the performance.

Ortiz’s Kauyumari, which means “blue deer” among the Huichol people of Mexico, draws on a spiritual journey in which the deer transforms into peyote, connecting humans to ancestors and the invisible world. Ortiz weaves an ancestral Huichol melody into a rich orchestral texture that evolves and transforms, mirroring the mystical and hallucinatory power of the blue deer. The piece illuminates music’s power to grant access to the intangible, heal wounds and connect listeners to what can only be expressed through sound. Kauyumari will be led by NWS Conducting Fellow Ziwei Ma, who holds NWS’s Judith Rodin Fellowship for an Outstanding Woman Musician.

Márquez’s violin concerto Fandango is a powerfully energetic concerto for violin and orchestra in three movements, commissioned by violinist Anne Akiko Meyers, who performs the piece and makes her NWS debut. Fandango won two Latin Grammy Awards (2024) for Best Classical Album and Best Contemporary Classical Composition.

Completed between 1905–1908 as part of his Images for Orchestra, Debussy’s Ibéria is a vivid, impressionistic portrait of Spain. Debussy captures the atmosphere through sparkling orchestration, lush harmonies, and evocative rhythms. Ravel’s Boléro is one of the most enduringly popular works in the classical canon, instantly recognizable from its extensive use in countless films, television shows, and commercials. It is famous for its hypnotic snare-drum rhythm and gradual crescendo.

On October 10 & 11 Denève leads the NWS Fellows in Beethoven’s epic Ninth Symphony, the composer’s revolutionary celebration of equality and humanity, featuring singers from the Master Chorale of South Florida integrated with the orchestra. 

November 2026: Denève has a special affinity for Sergei Prokofiev, having made three recordings of the composer’s works: the critically acclaimed Prokofiev: Romantic Suites with the Brussels Philharmonic in 2017 (Deutsche Grammophon); the Violin Concerto No. 2 with the Stuttgart Radio Symphony, performed by Gil Shaham in 2016 (Canary Classics); and The Love for Three Oranges with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra in 2005 (Naxos Records). On November 21 & 22 at New World Center, Denève is joined by violinist James Ehnes for an all-Prokofiev program including the composer’s Violin Concertos No. 1 & No. 2. The two concertos are extremely different, written 18 years apart (1917 and 1935) and representing separate stages in the composer's career. No. 1 is poetic, heavenly, and dream-like, whereas No. 2 sets an earnest and somber tone from the opening melody. The program also includes the Symphony No. 1, “Classical,” conducted by Ziwei Ma, and the Suite from The Love for Three Oranges, a satirical French-language opera about a sweet young prince, cursed by a sour witch and forced to voyage into distant lands in search of three oranges, each of which contains a princess.

December 2026: Since Denève’s inaugural 2023-24 season with NWS, and throughout his career, he has been passionate about discovering and championing today’s Modern Masterworks. Driven by the belief that the art form depends on continually enriching the canon, Denève seeks to identify the works of today that will become the classics of tomorrow.

“I love collaborating with the composers of our time,” said Denève. “Together, we reflect on our shared world and exchange ideas through music to better understand ourselves and one another. Great composers help us understand who we are and where we’re going, creating timeless works that can inspire future generations.”

On December 12 & 13, 2026, as part of the Modern Masterworks series, Denève and NWS Fellows perform Kevin Puts’ Contact with acclaimed string trio Time for Three in its NWS debut. Written for the ensemble—Nick Kendall and Charles Yang, violinists and Ranaan Meyer, bassist—the work is a triple concerto. The title refers to both science-fiction and the pandemic-era need for human contact, expressing a sense of longing for human connection and reflecting on ideas of isolation. Denève opens the program conducting Brahms Symphony No. 3; Ziwei Ma leads Missy Mazzoli’s Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres), also inspired by space and the universe.

February 2027: Denève will lead his first Mahler performance with NWS on February 20 & 21, 2027 with the composer’s Symphony No. 1, “Titan,” a sweeping journey through nature, memory, and human emotion. Ziwei Ma opens the program with Grażyna Bacewicz’s Overture and pianist Gabriela Montero joins Denève for Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 1 and one of her signature improvisations.

May 2027: Denève closes the 2026-27 season on May 1 & 2, 2027 with Gershwin, Adams & Connesson, a program that pulses with energy, motion and rhythm. From the mechanical drive of Arthur Honegger’s Pacific 231 and the exhilarating rush of John Adams’ Short Ride in a Fast Machine to jazz-inspired and dance-infused works by Guillaume Connesson, Carlos Simon and George Gershwin, each piece transforms the orchestra into a vibrant vehicle of expression. Honegger, a Swiss composer who was born in France, composed Pacific 231 in 1923. It is the most exciting representative of European music’s brief fascination with the age of the machine. The performance of this work will be accompanied by Jean Mitry's Palme d'Or-winning short film of the same name.

Written in 1986 and commissioned by NWS’s Co-Founder and Artistic Director Laureate Michael Tilson Thomas, John Adams’ Short Ride in a Fast Machine is a joyfully exuberant piece. A thrilling four-minute sprint of color and rhythm, the piece unfolds as a propulsive, high-energy fanfare.

Guillaume Connesson’s A Kind of Trane (2015) is a three-movement saxophone concerto honoring jazz legend John Coltrane. Blending classical virtuosity with jazz, it explores Coltrane’s influence through the soprano and alto saxophone, featuring intense, rhythmic, and lyrical passages that pay homage to his “A Love Supreme” era (1964-1965) and beyond. Although Connesson doesn’t quote Coltrane directly, the music reflects his evolving styles in bebop, modal, and free jazz, and requires an alert orchestra to complement the saxophone’s slippery maneuvers. Saxophonist Steven Banks reunites with Denève after their 2025 performance of the piece with The Cleveland Orchestra. Bachtrack noted, “the highlight of the evening was an additional treat: A Kind of Trane…This was due largely to a dazzling performance by saxophonist Steven Banks, a young musician and composer devoted to diversifying classical music…Banks showed both the intensity that characterized Coltrane and the finesse of a classically trained soloist.”

The program concludes with Carlos Simon’s Four Black American Dances and George Gershwin’s Catfish Row Suite from Porgy and Bess. Dance has long been central to culture, especially in Black American communities, where it has been the fabric of social gatherings. Four Black American Dances is an orchestral study of the music that is associated with the Ring Shout, waltz, tap, and Holy Dance, a mere representation of the wide range of cultural and social differences within the Black American communities. During the original run of Porgy and Bess in 1935, George Gershwin contemplated a method of prolonging the life of the work he held so close to his heart. His solution was the creation of this orchestral suite, which synthesized the original score into five movements, becoming a popular method of bringing the music of Porgy and Bess into the concert hall.

New World Symphony’s I Dream a World Festival Returns

For the past six years, New World Symphony’s I Dream A World Festival has celebrated the legacy and contemporary voices of Black artists. The 2026-27 Festival spotlights living composers, their creative journeys and the experience of being artists of color today. Conductor Kellen Gray, in his NWS debut, leads an orchestral concert with Demarre McGill, principal flute of the Seattle Symphony, and his brother Anthony McGill, principal clarinet of the New York Philharmonic, performing composer Billy Childs’ new double concerto. The program also includes Grammy Award-winning Jessie Montgomery’s Strum, a vibrant, rhythmically charged work drawing on American folk idioms and the spirit of dance and movement, Tania León’s Stride, a Pulitzer Prize-winning (2021) work commissioned by the New York Philharmonic for Project 19, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, written in honor of Susan B. Anthony, and GRAMMY-nominated composer Carlos Simon’s Tales: A Folklore Symphony, a work that explores African American folklore as well as Afrofuturist stories. Additional programming to be announced.

Cleveland Orchestra Side-by-Side Concert

On March 20, 2027 at the Adrienne Arsht Center, Denève will lead the NWS Fellows in a joint side-by-side concert with The Cleveland Orchestra (TCO) in Respighi’s Pines of Rome and Fountains of Rome. This program celebrates the ongoing collaboration between TCO and NWS, a partnership that builds on an important relationship launched in November 2022 with NWS Artistic Director Laureate Michael Tilson Thomas to create meaningful impact both in the Miami community and across the orchestral field. The connection between the ensembles is deep: Ten current Cleveland Orchestra musicians are alumni of the New World Symphony, underscoring the shared commitment to artistic excellence that defines the collaboration.

Chamber Music Series

New World Symphony presents five chamber music concerts this season, showcasing the artistry of the Fellows as they perform classical and contemporary works that highlight the interplay and nuance of small ensemble performance in the intimate and acoustically exceptional New World Center. On October 18th, 2026, NWS alum and clarinetist Miles Haskins (2013-16) joins the Fellows for “The Baroque + Neo-Baroque” performing works by Sigismund von Neukomm, Matthias Weckmann, Ernest Bloch, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, Alban Berg, and Thomas Adès. On November 8, 2026, one of today's most talented rising artists, violinist Sean Lee, makes his NWS debut for “Debussy’s Influence,” featuring works by Camille Saint-Saëns, Tōru Takemitsu, Debussy, Jeffrey Mumford, and Jean Françaix. On December 20, 2026, Romantic meets modern in “Remembering MTT” with works by NWS's late Co-Founder, his mentors Leonard Bernstein and Aaron Copland, Robert Schumann, David Del Tredici, and Amy Beach. Conductor Brad Lubman, founding co-artistic director and conductor of the NY-based Ensemble Signal, leads “Steve Reich at 90” on March 14, 2027, celebrating the composer’s 90th birthday with a performance of Reich/Richter, alongside works by Anton Webern and Johannes Brahms. “Mozart, Glass & Smetana” offers a journey of chamber music through the centuries with works by Hans Werner Henze, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Camille Pépin, Philip Glass, and Bedřich Smetana.

Digital Technology Meets Immersive Programming

 In January 2026, New World Center celebrated its 15th anniversary. From its inception, the building was designed to push the boundaries of artistic expression through advanced projection and digital technology, reimagining the way music is taught, presented, and experienced, from the stage to the screen. Established in 2008, the Knight New Media Center at New World Center continues to drive innovation at New World Symphony, serving not just as a physical space but as a hub of creativity fueled by ingenuity. Throughout the 2026-27 season, NWS offers many opportunities to experience the full breadth of its state-of-the-art digital capabilities. 

On January 30 & 31, 2027, New World Center will transform into an immersive opera house for Strange Magic: Ravel + Stravinsky, bringing Pétrouchka and L’enfant et les sortilèges to life through live puppetry, projection and vivid animation. Denève will lead the orchestra in Stravinsky’s ballet masterpiece, a timeless tragedy about the human condition told through the love triangle between three puppets and their desires to become flesh and blood. 

 Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges is a whimsical fantasy opera in which a teapot and a cup foxtrot and sing ragtime, and two cats sing a duet in authentic cat language. In this production, mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard, and other soloists to be announced, will be transformed into these fantastical characters through live projections - essentially a custom, modern-day digital filter that animates the singers in real time as they perform onstage. The production will also feature an adult and children’s chorus. 

On Saturday, March 27, 2027, documentary film meets a live original score in Trees: A Live Cinema Documentary, from Academy Award–nominated director Sam Green, who will narrate live from the stage. Featuring music by Pulitzer Prize–winning composer Caroline Shaw and co-written by National Book Critics Circle Award recipient and environmentalist Rebecca Solnit, TREES is the latest in Green’s singular yet collective live cinema experiences. 

TREES (Working Title) is a profoundly moving, “unique and ephemeral” (The New York Times) study of humankind’s relationship to our Earthly cohabitants, the silent witnesses to all of humanity across countless events and generations, putting humanity’s place into perspective. Featuring actress Judi Dench, Poet Laureate Ada Limon, scientists and stories from around the world, TREES marks Green’s most ambitious film yet. This one-night-only performance is led by Denève.

On January 9, 2027 at the Adrienne Arsht Center, in its first ever live-to-film concert, New World Symphony presents Disney’s Fantasia in Concert, featuring highlights from two of Disney’s most extraordinary and groundbreaking animated features, Fantasia and its sequel Fantasia 2000 in concert live to film. Conducted by Anthony Parnther, scenes from each of the two iconic films will be projected in high definition on a large screen above the orchestra as they perform classical selections including Beethoven’s “The Pastoral Symphony,” Debussy’s “Clair de Lune,” Ponchielli’s “Dance of the Hours,” Elgar’s “Pomp and Circumstance,” Respighi’s “Pines of Rome,” and Dukas’ “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” and more. Released to great acclaim in 1940, Walt Disney’s Fantasia was his boldest experiment at the time and culminated in the creative visionary’s desire to blend animated imagery with classical music.

YouTube Series

New World Symphony has released three YouTube series: My Miami, a collection of short performances by NWS Fellows at beloved locations across the city; Chasing Crescendos, a four-episode documentary-style series produced in partnership with Great Performances, spotlighting Fellows shaping the future of the field; and Modern Masterworks, launching May 29, 2026. 

Modern Masterworks is a new digital series exploring works by today’s leading composers through performances and conversations with Stéphane Denève, the composers, and NWS Fellows. The first episode spotlights Jennifer Higdon’s blue cathedral, followed by Anna Clyne’s PALETTE, John Adams’ The Chairman Dances and Dr. Atomic Symphony, and Kevin Puts’ Contact featuring Time for Three.

In the 2025-26 season, NWS has grown its YouTube subscriber base from 2,500 to over 120,000. With original content series like Chasing Crescendos and My Miami and millions of views on its 4K concert videos, NWS is on track to become one of the most visible orchestral institutions on YouTube.

NWS’s digital explorations are made possible with support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation as together they reimagine classical music in the digital age.

Commitment to Access 

NWS continues to deliver on its vision to redefine, reaffirm, express, and share the traditions of orchestral music with as many people as possible. Nearly 30% of NWS’s 60+ performances are free or pay-what-you-wish for the public. Throughout the 2026-27 season, NWS will present a series of WALLCAST® Concerts in SoundScape Park, where audiences experience live NWS performances through a striking use of visual and audio technology on the soaring, 7,000-square-foot projection wall of the New World Center. 

NWS’s Mobile WALLCAST® Concert Series is an essential part of its commitment to make symphonic music accessible to audiences beyond the New World Center. The series brings NWS’s groundbreaking WALLCAST® concerts and live Fellow performances on the road and into communities around Miami. Currently the largest mobile wall in South Florida, the 23x13 screen consists of state-of-the-art LED panels and sound system, offering a local and captivating way to experience WALLCAST® concert content. 

NWS will continue to livestream select concerts throughout the season on NWS Inside, its concert streaming platform, available to worldwide audiences for free, making world-class music accessible to everyone. Featuring performances from NWS’s talented roster of Fellows, NWS Inside gives viewers a front-row seat to the future of music. Also included is access to archival concerts from seasons past, and behind-the-scenes interviews with guest artists, Fellows, and staff.

NWS provides family-friendly performances with a two-concert series for children aged 4-9 on November 1, 2026 and April 11, 2027, led by Ziwei Ma at New World Center. 

Voices of the Future

The New World Symphony is a global leader in orchestral and artistic training. Talented musicians, aged typically between 22-30, are awarded three-year fellowships that consist of a robust curriculum of musical, entrepreneurial, and community engagement training. Each season, Fellows are mentored by over 250 visiting faculty members and guest artists, and design and execute their own entrepreneurial projects. Fellows in various stages of their three-year fellowship make up the orchestra each season. NWS has over 1,300 alumni transforming communities in over 30 countries.

Eighty-seven Fellows comprise the New World Symphony across 17 instruments and three non-instrumental positions. The Fellows are selected for this highly competitive opportunity based on their musical achievement and promise, as well as their passion for the future of classical music.

35 Fellows and alumni have won positions in the 2025-26 season with renowned orchestras and institutions including The Cleveland Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Washington National Opera, Houston Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, and Atlanta Symphony, solidifying NWS’s reputation for cultivating and launching the careers of today’s exceptional young musicians. 

NWS BLUE Projects 

Standing for Build, Learn, Understand, and Experiment, NWS’s BLUE program is a combination of sophisticated leadership and entrepreneurship training and hands-on experimentation that provides NWS Fellows and alumni with a comprehensive skill set to complement their musical training.  

 NWS BLUE Projects during the 2026-27 season will take place at the New World Center, across South Florida, and online. 

Celebrating Today’s Composers and Artists 

An important part of the NWS fellowship is the opportunity to discover and perform works by today’s most distinguished composers. Throughout the 2026-27 season, NWS Fellows will perform music by Thomas Adès, John Adams, Billy Childs, Anna Clyne, Guillaume Connesson, Caroline Shaw, Philip Glass, Gabriela Ortiz, Tania León, Arturo Márquez, Missy Mazzoli, Jeffrey Mumford, Jessie Montgomery, Kevin Puts, Camille Pépin, Steve Reich, and Carlos Simon. Many of these composers will mentor the Fellows, offering insights into their craft and compositions.

Each season, NWS welcomes renowned special guests who come to collaborate and perform with the NWS Fellows. Violinist Jennifer Koh is featured a program of Steve Reich, Stravinsky and Philip Glass. Conductor Stephanie Childress leads NWS and the Master Chorale of South Florida in NWS’s first ever performance of Mozart’s Requiem at the Adrienne Arsht Center. Conductor Leonard Slatkin leads a program of Anna Clyne, Rachmaninoff and William Walton’s Cello Concerto with soloist Steven Isserlis. Conductor Jeannette Sorrell returns to lead a program of Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos, alongside works by Vivaldi and Mozart. Conductor Sir Mark Elder makes his NWS debut, joining soprano Christine Goerke for a program of Elgar and Wagner. Conductor Brad Lubman leads a chamber music program celebrating 90 years of Steve Reich. Conductor Xian Zhang and pianist Joyce Yang return to NWS for a performance of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto. 

Tickets and subscription packages

Subscriptions for the 2026-27 season are now available for current subscribers, who can renew online at nws.edu/subscribe; new subscriptions are available and online starting April 15; single tickets go on sale in July 2026. Subscription packages include three orchestral series, three concerts at the Arsht Center, chamber music at the New World Center, and a series of Concerts for Kids tailored for children aged 4-9. 

 

NEW WORLD SYMPHONY'S 2026-27 SEASON

Events take place at the New World Center unless noted otherwise.

RAVEL’S BOLÉRO
Saturday, October 3, 2026 at 7:30 PM 
Sunday, October 4, 2026 at 2:00 PM
Stéphane Denève, conductor
Anne Akiko Meyers, violin
Ziwei Ma, NWS Conducting Fellow*
Gabriela Ortiz:  Kauyumari*
Arturo Márquez:  Fandango
Claude Debussy:  Iberia
Maurice Ravel:  Boléro

DENÈVE: BEETHOVEN 9
Saturday, October 10, 2026 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, October 11, 2026 at 2:00 PM
Stéphane Denève, conductor
Demarre McGill, flute
Ellie Dehn, soprano
Tamara Mumford, mezzo-soprano
Sean Panikkar, tenor
Dashon Burton, baritone
Master Chorale of South Florida
Brett Karlin, chorus master
Michael Tilson Thomas:  Notturno
Gustav Maher:  Adagietto from Symphony No. 5
Ludwig van Beethoven:  Symphony No. 9

CHAMBER MUSIC: THE BAROQUE + NEO-BAROQUE
Sunday, October 18, 2026 at 2:00 PM
Erik Rynearson, viola and NWS alum (2005-09)
Miles Haskins, basset clarinet and NWS alum (2013-16)
Sigismund von Neukomm:  Quintet in C major
Matthias Weckmann:  Sonata No. 4
Ernest Bloch:  Concertino
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach: Sinfonia in G major
Alban Berg:  Adagio for Violin, Clarinet and Piano
Thomas Adès:  Alchymia

REICH, STRAVINSKY & GLASS
Saturday, October 24, 2026 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, October 25, 2026 at 2:00 PM
Daníel Bjarnason, conductor
Jennifer Koh, violin
Steve Reich:  Three Movements for Orchestra
Igor Stravinsky:  Symphony in Three Movements
Philip Glass:  Violin Concerto No. 1

CONCERT FOR KIDS: SPOOKY SYMPHONY
Sunday, November 1, 2026 at 11:30 AM
Ziwei Ma, NWS Conducting Fellow

CHAMBER MUSIC: DEBUSSY’S INFLUENCE
Sunday, November 8, 2026 at 2:00 PM
Sean Lee, violin
Camille Saint-Saëns:  Septet
Tōru Takemitsu:  Rain Spell
Claude Debussy:  Violin Sonata
Jeffrey Mumford:  through a stillness brightening
Jean Françaix:  Quintet No. 2 

MOZART’S REQUIEM
Saturday, November 14, 2026 at 8:00 PM (Adrienne Arsht Center)
Stephanie Childress, conductor
Master Chorale of South Florida
Ralph Vaughan Williams:  Towards an Unknown Region
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart:  Requiem

DENÈVE: PROKOFIEV’S VIOLIN
Saturday, November 21, 2026 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, November 22, 2026 at 2:00 PM
Stéphane Denève, conductor
James Ehnes, violin
Ziwei Ma, NWS Conducting Fellow*
Music by Sergei Prokofiev: 
   Symphony No. 1, “Classical”*
   Violin Concerto No. 1
   Violin Concerto No. 2
   Suite from The Love for Three Oranges

DENÈVE: BRAHMS 3
Saturday, December 12, 2026 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, December 13, 2026 at 2:00 PM
Stéphane Denève, conductor
Time for Three
Ziwei Ma, NWS Conducting Fellow*
Johannes Brahms:  Symphony No. 3
Missy Mazzoli:  Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres)*
Kevin Puts:  Contact

SOUNDS OF THE SEASON
Friday, December 18, 2026 at 7:30 PM (Presented by the City of Miami Beach for its residents)
Saturday, December 19, 2026 at 7:30 PM
Ziwei Ma, NWS Conducting Fellow

CHAMBER MUSIC: REMEMBERING MTT
Sunday, December 20, 2026 at 2:00 PM
Alan Rafferty, cello and NWS alum (2003-04)
Robert Schumann:  Andante and Variations
Aaron Copland:  Nonet
Michael Tilson Thomas: Selections from Upon Further Reflection
Leonard Bernstein:  Meditation No. 3 from Mass
David Del Tredici:  Dynamic Duo
Amy Beach:  Piano Quintet

DISNEY’S FANTASIA IN CONCERT
Saturday, January 9, 2027 at 8:00 PM (Adrienne Arsht Center)
Anthony Parnther, conductor

I DREAM A WORLD: ANTHONY & DEMARRE MCGILL
Saturday, January 16, 2027 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, January 17, 2027 at 2:00 PM
Kellen Gray, conductor
Demarre McGill, flute
Anthony McGill, clarinet
Jessie Montgomery:  Strum
Billy Childs:  A More Perfect Union
Tania León:  Stride
Carlos Simon:  Tales: A Folklore Symphony

STRANGE MAGIC: RAVEL + STRAVINSKY
Saturday, January 30, 2027 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, January 31, 2027 at 2:00 PM
Stéphane Denève, conductor
Isabel Leonard, mezzo-soprano
Master Chorale of South Florida
Brett Karlin, chorus master
Igor Stravinsky:  Pétrouchka
Maurice Ravel:  L’enfant et les sortilèges

CHAMBER MUSIC: MOZART, GLASS & SMETANA
Sunday, February 7, 2027 at 2:00 PM
Hans Werner Henze:  Ein kleines Potpourri
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart:  Horn Quintet
Camille Pépin:  Avant les clartés de l’aurore
Philip Glass:  Brass Sextet
Bedřich Smetana:  String Quartet No. 1, “From My Life”

RACHMANINOFF 2
Saturday, February 13, 2027 at 8:00 PM (Adrienne Arsht Center)
Leonard Slatkin, conductor
Steven Isserlis, cello
Ziwei Ma, NWS Conducting Fellow*
Anna Clyne:  Masquerade*
William Walton:  Cello Concerto
Sergei Rachmaninoff:  Symphony No. 2

DENÈVE: MAHLER 1
Saturday, February 20, 2027 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, February 21, 2027 at 2:00 PM
Stéphane Denève, conductor
Gabriela Montero, piano
Ziwei Ma, NWS Conducting Fellow*
Grażyna Bacewicz:  Overture*
Dmitri Shostakovich:  Piano Concerto No. 1
Gustav Mahler:  Symphony No. 1, “Titan”

BACH’S BRANDENBURG CONCERTOS
Saturday, March 6, 2027 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, March 7, 2027 at 2:00 PM
Jeannette Sorrell, conductor
Johann Sebastian Bach:  Brandenburg Concerto No. 2
Johann Sebastian Bach:  Brandenburg Concerto No. 3
Antonio Vivaldi:  La Folia
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart:  Overture to The Marriage of Figaro
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart:  Symphony No. 40

CHAMBER MUSIC: STEVE REICH AT 90
Sunday, March 14, 2027 at 2:00 PM
Brad Lubman, conductor
Steve Reich:  Reich/Richter
Anton Webern:  Symphony
Johannes Brahms:  String Quintet No. 1

CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA SIDE-BY-SIDE CONCERT
Saturday, March 20, 2027 at 8:00 PM (Adrienne Arsht Center)
Stéphane Denève, conductor
Joint performance to include:
   Ottorino Respighi:  The Pines of Rome
   Ottorino Respighi:  The Fountains of Rome

TREES: A LIVE CINEMA DOCUMENTARY
Saturday, March 27, 2027 at 7:30 PM
Stéphane Denève, conductor
Directed and Performed by Sam Green
Written by Sam Green and Rebecca Solnit
Composed by Caroline Shaw
Produced by ArKtype and Josh Penn
Cinematography by Yoni Brook
Edited by Gabriel Rhodes

WAGNER + ELGAR
Saturday, April 3, 2027 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, April 4, 2027 at 2:00 PM
Sir Mark Elder, conductor
Christine Goerke, soprano
Ziwei Ma, NWS Conducting Fellow*
Edward Elgar:  Chanson de Nuit*
Edward Elgar:  Falstaff
Richard Wagner:  Selections from Götterdämmerung

CONCERT FOR KIDS: STORYBOOK SYMPHONY
Sunday, April 11, 2027 at 11:30 AM
Ziwei Ma, NWS Conducting Fellow

SIDE-BY-SIDE CONCERT
Saturday, April 17, 2027 at 7:30 PM
Naomi Woo, conductor

GERSHWIN, ADAMS & CONNESSON
Saturday, May 1, 2027 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, May 2, 2027 at 2:00 PM
Stéphane Denève, conductor
Steven Banks, saxophone
Ziwei Ma, NWS Conducting Fellow*
Arthur Honegger:  Pacific 231
John Adams:  Short Ride in a Fast Machine*
Guillaume Connesson:  A Kind of Trane
Carlos Simon:  Four Black American Dances
George Gershwin:  Catfish Row Suite from Porgy and Bess

TCHAIKOVSKY’S PIANO CONCERTO
Saturday, May 8, 2027 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, May 9, 2027 at 2:00 PM
Xian Zhang, conductor
Joyce Yang, piano
Ziwei Ma, NWS Conducting Fellow*
Anton Webern:  Im Sommerwind
Franz Schubert:  Symphony No. 8, “Unfinished”*
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky:  Piano Concerto No. 1 

The New World Symphony (NWS), America’s Orchestral Academy, and Artistic Director Stéphane Denève announce the 2025-26 season, showcasing the NWS Fellows—the next generation of exceptional musicians and leaders—in wide-ranging concerts exploring the full breadth of the classical canon, from timeless masterpieces to contemporary masterworks by today’s most visionary composers and artists.

NWS’s 2025-26 season reflects its pioneering spirit, reimagining the orchestral experience through immersive performances and empowering the creative voices of today. Through music, the season fosters a deeper understanding of the world while enriching the educational journey and advancing the careers of its Fellows.

New World Symphony is a laboratory for reimagining the way music is taught, presented, and experienced, especially in a digital world. Within its Knight New Media Center at New World Center, the New World Symphony will continue to push the boundaries of artistic expression.

In addition to its home at the Frank Gehry-designed New World Center, NWS will perform throughout the 2025-26 season at the Adrienne Arsht Center, and in communities across South Florida and online.

"Music, now more than ever, remains a powerful unifying force—enriching the lives of both our audiences and our Fellows, who are dedicated to developing their craft as a means to understand and connect with the world,” said Denève. “At NWS, this is at the core of everything we do—cultivating the voices that will shape the future of music. From showcasing the extraordinary talent of our Fellows to presenting works by today's most inspiring composers alongside timeless masterworks, we aim to uplift lives both on and off the stage. We are excited to share the gift of music with our community throughout this remarkable season." 

“At New World Symphony, we create an environment in which our future musical leaders thrive, grow, and make an impact, while welcoming our greater community to enjoy the unparalleled experience of an NWS performance,” said Howard Herring, President and CEO. “We are committed to celebrating inclusivity and excellence, bringing many of today’s leading composers and guest artists from around the world to our vibrant cultural hub in Miami, where they collaborate with our Fellows to create extraordinary musical experiences. The educational and artistic work taking place here is truly one of a kind—there is nothing else like it in the world.”

Subscriptions for the 2025-26 season are now available for current subscribers, including NWS’s compose-your-own subscribers, who can renew online beginning March 5, 2025 at nws.edu/subscribe; new subscriptions are available now by calling 305-673-3331 and online starting March 15, 2025; single tickets go on sale July 25, 2025. Subscription packages include orchestral series, three concerts at the Arsht Center, chamber music at the New World Center, and a series of Concerts for Kids tailored for children aged 4-9. 

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

Stéphane Denève, Artistic Director 

Denève will lead the Fellows in nine programs including the 2025-26 season-opening concert at New World Center on October 4 & 5, 2025 that explores the themes of resilience and courage through three powerful works. Chuphshah! Harriet’s Drive to Canaan is a stirring orchestral tribute to Harriet Tubman, capturing the urgency and hope of her journey to freedom. Lincoln Portrait celebrates the enduring ideals of democracy and justice using Abraham Lincoln’s own words. Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3, “Eroica,” is a groundbreaking masterpiece that redefined the symphony, embodying heroism and the triumph of the human spirit.

 Denève continues the beginning of the season with a spectacular evening dedicated to his musical mentor and friend John Williams, at the Adrienne Arsht Center on October 18. 2025. Featuring the unforgettable melodies of Hollywood’s most beloved film scores, this one-night-only performance celebrates the genius of an American icon who, as Denève says “wrote the soundtrack of our lives.”

On October 25 and 26, 2025, Denève will lead violinist Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider in his New World Symphony debut, performing Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto. A celebrated virtuoso violinist and conductor, Szeps-Znaider regularly appears with the world’s leading orchestras and collaborates with top conductors. The program opens with Connesson’s Maslenitsa and concludes with Florence Price’s Symphony No. 3.

Denève’s first concert of 2026 welcomes pianist Víkingur Ólafsson in a program dedicated to John Adams, anchored by the composer’s new piano concerto, After the Fall, written especially for Ólafsson. Known for his visionary interpretations and technical brilliance, Ólafsson makes his anticipated New World Symphony debut. The concert opens with The Chairman Dances, an exuberant and rhythmic “foxtrot for orchestra” that originated as a companion piece to Adams’ opera Nixon in China, and continues with I Still Dance, a work written in honor of NWS Co-Founder and Artistic Director Laureate Michael Tilson Thomas and his husband, Joshua Robison. The concert finale is Doctor Atomic Symphony, a powerful and dramatic orchestral work drawn from Adams’ opera Doctor Atomic, which explores the ethical and emotional turmoil surrounding the creation of the atomic bomb. This concert is the latest reflection of Denève’s commitment to showcasing modern masterworks, a cornerstone of his vision for the Fellows and NWS.

On March 7, Denève and the NWS Fellows once again perform at the Adrienne Arsht Center with mezzo-soprano Kelley O’Connor and the Master Chorale of South Florida in Ravel’s Daphnis and Chloé, a lush, impressionistic ballet score that stands as one of the composer’s most radiant orchestral works. A sweeping musical depiction of the ancient Greek love story between a shepherd and shepherdess, the piece is often described as Ravel’s most ambitious composition.

O’Connor will also perform Peter Lieberson’s Neruda Songs, composed for his wife, mezzo-soprano Lorraine Hunt Lieberson. In his note for the world premiere of Neruda Songs, Peter Lieberson shared his touching inspiration: “I discovered the love poems of Pablo Neruda by chance in the Albuquerque airport…. As I glanced through the poems, I immediately thought that I must set some of these for Lorraine.” The Neruda Songs are settings of five sonnets written by Chilean-born Pablo Neruda, one of the most influential writers of the 20th century, known chiefly for his poems about love and loss. In his original program note, Lieberson described each sonnet as reflecting “a different face in love’s mirror.” O'Connor was the first to perform Neruda Songs after Lorraine Hunt Lieberson’s passing, with the composer himself teaching her the work.

The glamour and grandeur of Hollywood’s Golden Age take center stage in a program led by Denève that celebrates three film composers who defined an era. The evening features Max Steiner’s King Kong theme, Richard Strauss’ Also sprach Zarathustra, forever linked to Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, and three works by Erich Wolfgang Korngold—A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Sea Hawk Overture, and his Violin Concerto. Violinist Augustin Hadelich, returning to NWS, performs the concerto, whose three movements draw on themes from films produced between 1937 and 1939. Together, these iconic works showcase the sweeping orchestral sound that brought classic films to life.

Two of Miami’s cornerstone cultural institutions come together when New World Symphony and Miami City Ballet collaborate for American Dance Odyssey. This celebration of American music and dance includes a tribute to Jerome Robbins featuring highlights from West Side Story, Fancy Free and more. Its grand finale features the world premiere of a choreographic concerto, the brainchild of ten visionary 21st-century choreographers and composers, including five of America’s leading musical voices: Kevin Puts, Jennifer Higdon, Michael Abels, Carlos Simon and Sarah Kirkland Snider.

Denève returns to lead NWS’s Side-by-Side program, an annual hallmark of the season that pairs NWS Fellows with South Florida’s talented youth in performance at the New World Center and will conclude New World Symphony’s 2025-26 season with his longtime friend and collaborator Jean-Yves Thibaudet in a piano-driven program of two of America’s greatest composers, Leonard Bernstein and George Gershwin, featuring Bernstein’s Overture to Candide and The Age of Anxiety, and Gershwin’s I Got Rhythm and An American in Paris.

Celebrating Today’s Composers and Artists 

 An important part of the NWS Fellowship is the opportunity to explore works by today’s most compelling composers. Throughout the 2025-26 season, NWS Fellows will perform music by Michael Ables, John Adams, Anna Clyne, Valerie Coleman, Guillaume Connesson, Juan Pablo Contreras, Detlev Glanert, Jennifer Higdon, James Lee III, Meredith Monk, Jessie Montgomery, Rene Orth, Kevin Puts, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Pande Shahov, Caroline Shaw, Carlos Simon, Sarah Kirkland Snider, Davóne Tines, Joan Tower, Alejandro Viñao and John Williams. Many of these composers will connect with Fellows for rehearsal mentorship and to share insight into their craft and compositions. 

The NWS Fellows also have the opportunity to collaborate with many acclaimed artists making their NWS debut including Ryan Bancroft, conductor; Martin Beaver, violin; Kalena Bovell, conductor; Claire Chase, flute; Meredith Kufchak, viola; Tianyi Lu, conductor; Jon Manasse, clarinet; Marcus Roberts Trio; Thomas Meglioranza, baritone; Víkingur Ólafsson, piano; and Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider, violin. Returning guest artists include Karen Gomyo, violin; Andrew Grams, conductor; Augustin Hadelich, violin; Domingo Hindoyan, conductor; Manfred Honeck, conductor;  Johannes Moser, cello; Kelley O’Connor, soprano; Carlos Miguel Prieto, conductor; Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano; and Davóne Tines, baritone.

New World Symphony’s I Dream a World Festival Returns

 Now in its fifth year, New World Symphony’s I Dream A World Festival returns with a focus on Black music and culture during the Civil Rights Movement. Panamanian-American conductor Kalena Bovell, making her NWS debut, leads the festival’s orchestral program that explores themes of resilience and belonging in the context of the Civil Rights Movement. Jessie Montgomery’s Banner, written in 2014 as a tribute to the 200th anniversary of “The Star Spangled Banner,” reimagines the national anthem through a multicultural lens. Davóne Tines’ ANTHEM, also a response to the traditional national anthem, addresses issues of race and social justice.

​​The Festival culminates in Margaret Bonds’ The Montgomery Variations, a crowning work in her extraordinary career, composed as a tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr., after her visit to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1963. Based on the spiritual “I Want Jesus to Walk with Me,” also to be performed, her Montgomery Variations is a set of freestyle ruminations on Montgomery as a focal point of the Civil Rights Movement, and a powerful tribute to the Montgomery Bus Boycott. This performance honors the 70th anniversary of this historic boycott. Festival curator, Dr. Tammy Kernodle, Miami University of Ohio Distinguished Professor and Park Creative Arts Endowed Professor in the Department of Music, notes, “While titled The Montgomery Variations, the programmatic theme of this work extends beyond that city and the Montgomery movement. Rather, it is a sonic documentation of the sites, sentiment, sounds, and activity that defined the first two chapters of the mid-century Black civil rights struggle.”

Collaborations   

In addition to their partnership with Miami City Ballet, NWS Fellows will perform alongside NWS alumni, who return to Miami Beach throughout the 2025-26 season for visiting faculty residencies that culminate in a side-by-side concert experience. NWS will also partner with the Master Chorale of South Florida and its artistic director Brett Karlin in a performance of Ravel’s Daphnis and Chloé at the Adrienne Arsht Center. 

On March 27 and 28, 2026, at the Adrienne Arsht Center, NWS Fellows will share the stage with conductor and San Diego Symphony Music Director Rafael Payare, in a joint side-by-side concert with The Cleveland Orchestra (TCO) and violinist Sergey Khachatryan. The program opens with Jean Sibelius’s The Swan of Tuonela and concludes with Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. Khachatryan will perform Sibelius’s Violin Concerto. This marks the fourth year of the side-by-side partnership between NWS and TCO. The inaugural side-by-side performance was led by NWS Co-Founder and Artistic Director Laureate Michael Tilson Thomas in 2022. The collaborative relationship stems from the many TCO musicians–many of whom are NWS alumni–who annually serve on New World Symphony’s visiting faculty roster, mentoring Fellows on and off the stage. 

NWS BLUE Projects 

Standing for Build, Learn, Understand, and Experiment, NWS’s BLUE program is a combination of sophisticated leadership and entrepreneurship training and hands-on experimentation that provides NWS Fellows and alumni with a comprehensive skill set to complement their musical training.  

NWS BLUE Projects during the 2025-26 season will take place at the New World Center, across South Florida, and online. The impacts and value of the unique NWS BLUE program are currently being studied as part of a long-term research project on sustainable entrepreneurship in the performing arts supported by NEA Research Labs: The Arts, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation. 

Commitment to Access 

NWS continues to deliver on its vision to redefine, reaffirm, express, and share the traditions of orchestral music with as many people as possible. Nearly 40% of NWS’s 60+ performances are free or pay-what-you-wish for the public. Throughout the 2025-26 season, NWS will present a series of WALLCAST® Concerts in SoundScape Park, where audiences experience live NWS performances through a striking use of visual and audio technology on the soaring, 7,000-square-foot projection wall of the New World Center.  

NWS’s Mobile WALLCAST® Concert Series is an essential part of its commitment to make symphonic music accessible to audiences beyond the New World Center. The series brings NWS’s groundbreaking WALLCAST® concerts on the road and into communities around Miami. Currently the largest mobile wall in South Florida, the 23x13 screen consists of state-of-the-art LED panels and sound system, offering a local and captivating way to experience WALLCAST® concert content. 

NWS will continue to livestream select concerts throughout the season on NWS Inside, its concert streaming platform, available to worldwide audiences for free, making world-class music accessible to everyone. Featuring performances from NWS’s talented roster of Fellows, NWS Inside gives viewers a front-row seat to the future of music. Also included is access to archival concerts from seasons past, and behind-the-scenes interviews with guest artists, Fellows, and staff.

NWS provides family-friendly performances with a two-concert series designed for children aged 4-9, including a celebration of Día de Muertos on November 2, 2025.

NWS’s annual holiday concert, “Sounds of the Season,” takes place Saturday, December 20, 2025 and is an audience favorite. The Friday, December 19, 2025 performance is presented by the City of Miami Beach for its residents.  

Conductor and visionary composer Steve Hackman returns for Late Night at NWS for Beethoven X Beyoncé, where he’ll weave 15 of the celebrated singer’s greatest hits into Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony.

Launching careers 

NWS monitors the advancement of Fellows and alumni as they secure membership in orchestras and ensembles. Eighty Fellows and alumni won positions in the 2023-24 season and twenty-nine have advanced so far in the 2024-25 season. They are frequently securing positions with renowned orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Vancouver Symphony and more. New World Symphony continues to solidify its reputation for cultivating and launching the careers of today’s exceptional young musicians. 
 

NEW WORLD SYMPHONY 2025-26 SEASON

* Events take place at the New World Center unless noted otherwise

PRE-SEASON STRING ORCHESTRA CONCERT
Saturday, September 13, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Alexander Kerr, leader and violin
Meredith Kufchak, viola
Caroline Shaw:  Entr’acte
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart:  Sinfonia concertante
Ludwig van Beethoven/Gustav Mahler:  String Quartet, “Serioso”

PRE-SEASON WIND AND BRASS CONCERT
Sunday, September 14, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Andrew Bain, woodwind leader and horn
Program to be announced

PRE-SEASON ORCHESTRA CONCERT
Saturday, September 20, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Tianyi Lu, conductor
Program to include Johannes Brahms’ Symphony No. 1

PERCUSSION CONSORT: PATTERNS AND FORMS
Saturday, September 27, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Michael Linville, conductor
Charles Settle, percussion and NWS alum (2000-2004)
Henry Cowell:  Pulse
Julia Perry:  Homunculus C.F.
Alejandro Viñao:  Patterns and Forms (NWS co-commission)
George Hamilton Green:  Chromatic Foxtrot, Cross Corners, Watermelon Whispers

DENÈVE: BEETHOVEN’S EROICA
Saturday, October 4, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, October 5, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Stéphane Denève, conductor
James Lee III:  Chuphsha! Harriet’s Drive to Canaan
Aaron Copland:  Lincoln Portrait
Ludwig van Beethoven:  Symphony No. 3, “Eroica”

CHAMBER MUSIC: FARRENC + BARBER
Sunday, October 12, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Martin Beaver, violin
Franz Schubert:  Quartettsatz
Louise Farrenc:  Nonet
David Diamond:  Quintet for Flute, Piano and Strings
Samuel Barber:  String Quartet

THE BEST OF JOHN WILLIAMS
Saturday, October 18, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Adrienne Arsht Center, Knight Concert Hall
Stéphane Denève, conductor
Program to include Hollywood’s greatest film scores, including Star Wars, Harry Potter and E.T.

DENÈVE: PRICE + TCHAIKOVSKY
Saturday, October 25, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, October 26, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Stéphane Denève, conductor
Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider, violin
Guillaume Connesson:  Maslenitsa
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovksy:  Violin Concerto
Florence Price:  Symphony No. 3

CONCERT FOR KIDS: DÍA DE MUERTOS
Sunday, November 2, 2025 at 11:30 AM

LATE NIGHT AT NWS: BEETHOVEN X BEYONCÉ
Friday, November 7, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Steve Hackman, conductor

CHAMBER MUSIC: SALONEN + DVOŘÁK
Sunday, November 9, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Mel Bonis:  Soir, Matin
Charles Koechlin:  Two Nocturnes
Esa-Pekka Salonen:  Catch and Release
Antonín Dvořák:  Piano Quintet No. 1

DVOŘÁK’S NEW WORLD SYMPHONY
Saturday, November 15, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, November 16, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Domingo Hindoyan, conductor
Johannes Moser, cello
Rene Orth:  Chasing Light
Detlev Glanert:  Cello Concerto
Antonín Dvořák:  Symphony No. 9, “From the New World”

PRIETO: MUSIC OF THE AMERICAS
Saturday, November 22, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, November 23, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Carlos Miguel Prieto, conductor
Karen Gomyo, violin
Alberto Ginastera:  Variaciones concertantes
Leonard Bernstein:  Serenade (After Plato’s Symposium)
Evencio Castellanos:  Santa Cruz de Pacairigua
Juan Pablo Contreras:  Mariachitlán

HONECK: MAHLER 4
Saturday, December 13, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, December 14, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Manfred Honeck, conductor
Johann Strauss II:  Overture to Die Fledermaus
Joseph Haydn:  Symphony No. 93
Gustav Mahler:  Symphony No. 4

SOUNDS OF THE SEASON
Friday, December 19, 2025 at 7:30, Presented by the City of Miami Beach
Saturday, December 20, 2025 at 7:30 PM

CHAMBER MUSIC: SCHUBERT, CLYNE & SCHUMANN
Sunday, December 21, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Jon Manasse, clarinet
Robert Schumann:  Märchenerzählungen
George Antheil:  Symphony for Five Instruments
Anna Clyne:  Strange Loops
Franz Schubert:  Piano Quintet, “The Trout”

RHAPSODY IN BLUE
Saturday, January 10, 2026 at 8:00 PM
Adrienne Arsht Center, Knight Concert Hall
Andrew Grams, conductor
Marcus Roberts Trio
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky/Duke Ellington:  Suite from The Nutcracker
George Gershwin:  Rhapsody in Blue
Darius Milhaud:  La création du monde
Duke Ellington:  Black, Brown and Beige

JOHN ADAMS WITH DENÈVE & ÓLAFSSON
Saturday, January 17, 2026 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, January 18, 2026 at 2:00 PM
Stéphane Denève, conductor
John Adams, conductor
Víkingur Ólafsson, piano
Music of John Adams:
   Chairman Dances
   After the Fall Piano Concerto
   I Still Dance
   Dr. Atomic Symphony

CHAMBER MUSIC: SAARIAHO, RILEY & BACH
Sunday, January 25, 2026 at 2:00 PM
Claire Chase, flute
Guillaume de Machaut/M. Balter:  Ballades
Kaija Saariaho:  Terrestre
Terry Riley:  The Holy Liftoff
J.S. Bach:  Triple Concerto in A minor
Marcos Balter:  Pan
Terry Riley:  Pulsefield

CONCERT FOR KIDS
Sunday, February 1, 2026 at 11:30 AM

COLEMAN + COPLAND
Saturday, February 7, 2026 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, February 8, 2026 at 2:00 PM
Ryan Bancroft, conductor
Charles Ives:  Country Band March
Valerie Coleman:  Concerto for Orchestra, “Renaissance”
Aaron Copland:  Symphony No. 3

CHAMBER MUSIC: SERENADING THE TEMPEST
Sunday, February 15, 2026 at 2:00 PM
Thomas Meglioranza, baritone
Ferdinand Ries:  Grand Octet
Igor Stravinsky:  Three Songs from William Shakespeare
Kaija Saariaho:  Selections from The Tempest Songbook
Arnold Schoenberg:  Serenade
Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel:  Piano Quartet

DAVÓNE TINES: ANTHEM
Saturday, February 21, 2026 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, February 22, 2026 at 2:00 PM
Kalena Bovell, conductor
Davóne Tines, baritone
Jessie Montgomery:  Banner
Davóne Tines:  Concerto No. 2: ANTHEM
Margaret Bonds:  The Montgomery Variations

DAPHNIS AND CHLOÉ
Saturday, March 7, 2026 at 8:00 PM
Adrienne Arsht Center, Knight Concert Hall
Stéphane Denève, conductor
Kelley O’Connor, soprano
Master Chorale of South Florida
Brett Karlin, chorus master
Peter Lieberson:  Neruda Songs
Maurice Ravel:  Daphnis and Chloé

DENÈVE + HADELICH: THE HOLLYWOOD SOUND
Saturday, March 14, 2026 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, March 15, 2026 at 2:00 PM
Stéphane Denève, conductor
Augustin Hadelich, violin
Max Steiner:  Main Theme from King Kong
Erich Korngold:  Overture from A Midsummer Night’s Dream (after F. Mendelssohn)
Erich Korngold:  Overture from The Sea Hawk
Erich Korngold:  Violin Concerto
Richard Strauss:  Also sprach Zarathustra

CHAMBER MUSIC: IVES, MONK, CAGE & EASTMAN
Sunday, March 22, 2026 at 2:00 PM
Jennifer Snyder Kozoroz, viola and NWS alum (1998-1999)
John Antes:  String Trio
Amy Beach:  Pastorale
Arthur Foote: Piano Quintet
David Del Tredici:  Aria from Heavy Metal Alice
Charles Ives:  Largo
Meredith Monk:  Ellis Island
John Cage:  She is Asleep
Elliott Carter:  Enchanted Preludes
Julius Eastman:  Stay On It

SIDE-BY-SIDE PERFORMANCE WITH THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA
Saturday, March 27 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, March 28 at 8:00 PM
Rafael Payare, conductor
Sergey Khachatryan, violin
Jean Sibelius:  The Swan of Tuonela
Jean Sibelius:  Violin Concerto
Igor Stravinsky:  The Rite of Spring

AMERICAN DANCE ODYSSEY
Friday, April 17, 2026 at 8:00 PM
Saturday, April 18, 2026 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, April 19, 2026 at 2:00 PM
Stéphane Denève, conductor
Miami City Ballet
Program to include tribute to Jerome Robbins and world premiere of Choreographic Concerto

SIDE-BY-SIDE CONCERT
Saturday, April 25, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Stéphane Denève, conductor

DENÈVE, THIBAUDET, BERNSTEIN & GERSHWIN
Saturday, May 2, 2026 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, May 3, 2026 at 2:00 PM
Stéphane Denève, conductor
Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano
Leonard Bernstein:  Overture to Candide
Leonard Bernstein:  The Age of Anxiety
George Gershwin/Schoenfeld:  I Got Rhythm Variations
George Gershwin:  An American in Paris

The New World Symphony (NWS), America’s Orchestral Academy, announces its 2024-25 season, unveiling a series of programs that build upon the success of Artistic Director Stéphane Denève’s inaugural 2023-24 season. Rooted in the visionary foundation laid by Co-Founder and Artistic Director Laureate Michael Tilson Thomas (MTT) and his enduring dream to foster the growth and development of emerging talent in classical music, NWS’s 2024-25 season redefines the orchestral experience while enriching the educational journey and propelling the careers of its Fellows.

The New World Symphony is a renowned laboratory for orchestral and artistic training and performance, offering three-year fellowships to pre-professional musicians. With a curriculum focused on musical, entrepreneurial, and community engagement skills, Fellows receive mentorship from over 250 visiting faculty members and guest artists. Comprising 87 Fellows each season, NWS boasts a network of over 1,200 alumni leaders making impactful contributions in orchestras and ensembles in over 30 countries around the globe. 

In the upcoming 2024-25 season, NWS will perform at its home, the Frank Gehry-designed New World Center; as well as the Adrienne Arsht Center, Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach, communities across South Florida and online. The season’s repertoire serves as a narrative that transcends generations, inspiring hope and fostering a deeper understanding of shared human experiences.

 "Making music with the exceptional New World Symphony Fellows brings me immense joy," says Stéphane Denève. "Throughout our exciting second season, we will continue to deepen our connection with each other and our audiences, both at the New World Center and throughout communities in Miami. An essential part of our creative endeavor is to explore the intersection of technology, social relevance, new repertoire, classical music and other art forms. Therefore I am thrilled to share my love for opera and ballet in a special double bill of Viktor Ullmann's The Kaiser of Atlantis and Weill's The Seven Deadly Sins, as well as Britten's profound War Requiem. I am also particularly proud that we will delve into the lived experiences of artists who inspire hope, commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, and reflect on and express the message of peace inherent to the music we love.”

“NWS is a unique gathering of forces; talented young musicians pursuing excellence in a fellowship program rooted in the traditions of classical music but stretching boundaries,” says Howard Herring. “New World and its Fellows are taking advantage of digital freedoms, engaging beyond traditional audiences and education systems, crafting a new relationship between music, musicians and communities–local and global. Our 2024-25 season is another expression of these aspirations and a direct reflection on the vision of our Co-Founder Michael Tilson Thomas, who will be with us for two weeks and whose From the Diary of Anne Frank will be a centerpiece of the year.

Subscriptions for the 2024-25 season are now available for current subscribers and online at nws.edu/renew; new subscriptions, including NWS’s compose-your-own series, will be available in early April; single tickets go on sale in mid-July. Subscription packages include an orchestral series, three concerts at the Arsht Center, chamber music at the New World Center, and a series of Concerts for Kids tailored for children aged 4-9. 

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

 Stéphane Denève, Artistic Director 

Denève will lead the Fellows in 5 programs including the 2024-25 season opening concerts, on October 5 & 6, 2024, featuring Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 and Michael Tilson Thomas’ Grammy Award-winning From the Diary of Anne Frank at New World Center.  

Denève continues on October 19 & 20, 2024,with a staged opera double bill of Victor Ullmann’s The Kaiser of Atlantis with a libretto by Peter Kien, and Kurt Weill’s The Seven Deadly Sins, a ballet chanté (sung ballet) composed to a German libretto by Bertolt Brech. Joining Denève and the NWS Fellows for these special productions is a cast of multidisciplinary creatives, including groundbreaking director Yuval Sharon, who last partnered with NWS for “Making the Right Choices: A John Cage Celebration” in 2013, soprano Danielle De Niese, making her NWS debut, dancers and more.

Ullmann and Kien collaborated on The Kaiser of Atlantis while interned in the Nazi concentration camp of Theresienstadt (Terezín) during World War II. The work survived, though both Ullmann and Kien perished in Auschwitz. Kurt Weill composed The Seven Deadly Sins in 1933, when both he and Brecht had realized the implications of the Nazi seizure of power in Germany and fled the country. Ullmann's composition reflects on the consequences of unchecked power and the human spirit's resilience in the face of oppression. Weill’s The Seven Deadly Sins explores sins personified by a single character, blending social commentary with cabaret-style melodies. This juxtaposition creates a program reflecting on the human experience, from the shadows of war to the follies of our nature. 

On March 8 & 9, 2025, Denève will lead the world premiere performance and NWS commission of a new orchestrated version of Davóne Tines Recital No. 1 MASS, the latest in a series of Tines’s works which speak to the African American experience while highlighting what we as humans have in common. Originally composed for bass-baritone and pianist, NWS presents the world premiere of an orchestrated version developed in partnership with Tines. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 and Michael Abels’ Delights and Dances complete the program. 

 The following week, on March 15, 2025, Denève and NWS return to the Adrienne Arsht Center for a performance of Britten’s powerful choral masterpiece, War Requiem, with the Florida Singing Sons, Girl Choir of South Florida and Master Chorale of South Florida.

On April 19, 2025, Denève welcomes cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason in his New World Symphony debut, performing Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1. The program begins with John Williams' Suite from The Book Thief and concludes with Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique. 

Denève's final concert of the 2024-25 season at New World Center on April 26, 2025 is NWS’s annual Side-by-Side Concert, a beloved community tradition where extraordinary young musicians (grades 7-12) join NWS Fellows for a week of musical mentorship and a shared performance.   

Michael Tilson Thomas, Co-Founder & Artistic Director Laureate 

MTT returns to Miami on March 29 & 30, 2025 with pianist Yefim Bronfman and soprano Susanna Phillips, in a program of Schubert’s "Der Hirt auf dem Felsen," Schumann’s Piano Concerto, Beethoven’s "Ah! Perfido," and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5. The following month, on April 5 & 6, 2025, MTT and Phillips return for a performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 in a program that also includes Haydn’s Symphony No. 98 and Alban Berg’s Lulu Suite. 

Denève will honor NWS’s Co-Founder and Artistic Director Laureate by leading MTT’s own From the Diary of Anne Frank at the New World Center on October 5 & 6, 2024. MTT shares in his program notes, “The work is a melodrama in the form of symphonic variations. It was written for Audrey Hepburn… as a vehicle for Audrey in her role as an ambassador for UNICEF. It takes its shape primarily from the diary passages that Audrey and I selected and read together. While some of the words concern tragic events, so many of them reflect the youthful, optimistic, inquisitive, and compassionate spirit of their author.” NWS gave the world premiere of the work alongside MTT and Hepburn in 1990 and its 2024-25 performance marks 30 years since it was last performed in Miami Beach.

Digital Explorations 

With the extraordinary flexibility afforded by its home at the New World Center, the New World Symphony has become a laboratory for generating new ideas about the way music is taught, presented and experienced. NWS partners with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to reimagine the future of classical music in a digital world and push the boundaries of artistic expression. Within its Knight New Media Center, the New World Symphony will continue its pursuit of digital content development, educational dialogue and distribution. 

Denève envisions the pairing of music and video as an essential aspect of the future of the symphonic art form. The 2024-25 season will feature concert experiences integrating live orchestral performances with immersive projections, including Denève’s season-opening concert performance of MTT’s From the Diary of Anne Frank, the opera double bill, Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique, and Davóne Tines’ Recital No. 1 MASS. 

In “Music in (Techni)Color” on March 1 & 2, 2025, NWS and Denève will present the East Coast premiere of composer Anna Clyne’s PALETTE, the latest in her and sound designer Jody Elff’s revolutionary interactive sonic experiences for Augmented Orchestra (AO). A new creative exploration that combines the sounds of a live orchestra with computer-controlled processes, AO explores a new kind of orchestral listening experience, fusing the traditional orchestra with the sonic potential offered by modern technologies. Rather than having an orchestra simply perform a modern composition, the AO modernizes the sonic potential of the orchestra itself, allowing traditional orchestral instruments to take advantage of contemporary sonic processes. Also on the program is Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite, as well as Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. 

As part of “Symphonic Dances and the Silver Screen” led by James Gaffigan on January 18 & 19, 2025, video projections will accompany Julián Orbón’s Tres Versiones Sinfónicas in a program that also includes selections from Erich Korngold’s The Sea Hawk, Bernard Herrmann’s Nocturne from White Witch Doctor and Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances.

Extensive video projections will also accompany NWS’s “Veterans Day Concert: A WWII Journey” on November 9 & 10, 2024. 

Celebrating Today’s Composers and Artists 

NWS Fellows will explore and perform music by today’s emerging and established composers, including Michael Abels, Viet Cuong, Anna Clyne, Melody Eötvös, Jonathan Bailey Holland, Michael Kamen, Thea Musgrave, the late Julian Orbón, Tōru Takemitsu, Davóne Tines, John Williams, Chen Yi, and more. Returning to NWS to join the Fellows in performances throughout the season are renowned artists Yefim Bronfman, Michelle Cann, Stephanie Childress, Amanda Crider, Christine Goerke, Demarre McGill, Gil Shaham, Davóne Tines and Xian Zhang, among others.  

NWS is also proud to welcome many acclaimed artists making their NWS debut including Noah Bendix-Balgley, Paolo Bortolameolli, Ian Bostridge, Stella Chen, Danielle De Niese, Edward Gardner, Amihai Grosz, Jeri Lynne Johnson, Leonidas Kavakos, Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Emily Magee, Alexander Malofeev, Susanna Phillips, Shunske Sato, Dalia Stasevska, Titus Underwood, Roderick Williams and Lidiya Yankovskya. 

Many of these composers and artists will connect with Fellows for rehearsal mentorship and to share insight into their craft and compositions. 

Journey Concerts: Exploring WWII and Sibelius 

NWS will produce two Journey Concerts in the 2024-25 season. As deep explorations into a singular composer or topic, Journey Concerts use the spatial and technological capabilities of the New World Center to create an intimate and immersive experience. The Nov. 9 & 10 Veterans Day Concert: A WWII Journey is a poignant tribute to history presented in partnership with historian James Holland. Through music by Aaron Copland, Dmitri Shostakovich, Pavel Haas, William Grant Still, John Williams and Richard Strauss’ Four Last Songs sung by soprano Emily Magee, the program commemorates the end of World War II and stands as a testament to the enduring power of music.  

A Sibelius Journey on April 11 & 12 features one of the fastest rising stars in the classical world, acclaimed Finnish conductor Dalia Stasevska. With NWS Fellows, Stasevska will recreate the original all-Sibelius program that marked the premiere performance of the composer’s Fourth Symphony on April 3, 1911 in Helsinki, including rarely performed works In memoriam, Canzonetta, The Dryad and Night Ride and Sunrise, concluding with Symphony No. 4. 

Return of “I Dream a World” Festival 

New World Symphony’s 2024-25 season marks the fourth year of its “I Dream a World” festival, centering on the transition between the Harlem Renaissance and the Civil Rights Movement, with a particular emphasis on the contributions of Black artists during the Second World War. This “Transitions and Trailblazers” exploration welcomes conductor Jeri Lynne Johnson, Founder and Artistic Director of the Philadelphia-based Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra in her NWS debut, at New World Center, February 8 & 9, 2025. A special cabaret evening featuring the keyboard music of Hazel Scott will highlight internationally renowned pianist Michelle Cann and NWS’s own piano Fellows.  

 Collaborations  

Throughout the 2024-25 season, NWS Fellows will perform alongside NWS alumni, who return to Miami Beach for visiting faculty residencies that culminate in a side-by-side concert experience. NWS will also partner with South Florida choruses like Florida Singing Sons, Girl Choir of South Florida and Master Chorale of South Florida in presenting one-night-only performances of Gustav Holst’s The Planets and Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem at The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts’ Knight Concert Hall. NWS’s 2024-25 Arsht Center series includes “Tango Meets Symphony”—a fusion of Argentinian music and dance led by conductor Paolo Bortolameolli.

On January 31 and February 1, NWS Fellows once again share the stage with Stéphane Denève and members of The Cleveland Orchestra (TCO) for a joint performance at the Adrienne Arsht Center. This marks the third year of the side-by-side partnership between NWS and TCO. The inaugural side-by-side performance was led by NWS Co-Founder and Artistic Director Laureate Michael Tilson Thomas in 2022. The collaborative relationship stems from the many TCO musicians—many of whom are NWS alumni—who annually serve on New World Symphony’s visiting faculty roster, mentoring Fellows on and off the stage. 

NWS Blue Projects 

Standing for Build, Learn, Understand, and Experiment, NWS’s BLUE program is a combination of sophisticated leadership and entrepreneurship training and hands-on experimentation that provides NWS Fellows and alumni with a comprehensive skill set to complement their musical training.  

NWS BLUE Projects during the 2024-25 season will take place at the New World Center, across South Florida and online. The impacts and value of the unique NWS BLUE program are currently being studied as part of a long-term research project on sustainable entrepreneurship in the performing arts supported by NEA Research Labs: The Arts, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation. 

Commitment to Access 

NWS continues to deliver on its vision to redefine, reaffirm, express and share the traditions of orchestral music with as many people as possible. Nearly 30% of NWS’s 60+ performances are free to the public. Throughout the 2024-25 season, NWS will present a series of WALLCAST® Concerts in SoundScape Park, where audiences experience live NWS performances through a striking use of visual and audio technology on the soaring, 7,000-square-foot projection wall of the New World Center.  

NWS’s Mobile WALLCAST® Concert Series is an essential part of its commitment to make symphonic music accessible to audiences beyond the New World Center. The series brings NWS’s groundbreaking WALLCAST® concerts on the road and into communities around Miami. Currently the largest mobile wall in South Florida, the 23x13 screen consists of state-of-the-art LED panels and sound system, offering a local and captivating way to experience WALLCAST® concert content. On January 25, 2025, the Mobile WALLCAST® will return to the African Heritage Cultural Arts Center for its 50th anniversary celebration. The NWS Mobile WALLCAST® Concert Series is made possible with the support of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and Wege Foundation.   

Through the digital membership program NWS Inside, NWS will continue to livestream select concerts throughout the season and provide behind-the-scenes access to the fellowship program, NWS artistic staff and the season’s guest artists.  

NWS provides family-friendly performances with a two-concert series designed for children aged 4-9, including a Día de los Muertos-themed performance on November 3. The “Concert for Kids” series is an educational and entertaining introduction to composers and music with activities designed by local partners like Miami Children’s Museum.  

NWS’s annual holiday concert, “Sounds of the Season,” is an audience favorite. The December 20 performance is presented by the City of Miami Beach for its residents.  

 Launching careers 

NWS monitors the advancement of Fellows and alumni as they secure membership in orchestras and ensembles. Sixty-five Fellows and alumni won positions in the 2022-23 season and 40 have advanced so far in the 2023-24 season. They are frequently securing positions with renowned orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Vancouver Symphony and more. New World Symphony continues to solidify its reputation for cultivating and launching the careers of today’s exceptional young musicians. 

NEW WORLD SYMPHONY'S 2024-25 SEASON

Events take place at the New World Center unless noted otherwise.

PRE-SEASON STRING ORCHESTRA CONCERT: KLEZMER FANTASY
Saturday, September 14, 2024 at 7:30 PM
Noah Bendix-Balgley, leader
Grażyna Bacewicz:  Sinfonietta
Leo Weiner:  Divertimento No. 1
Gideon Klein:  Partita
Noah Bendix-Balgley:  Fidl-Fantazye  
Traditional: Odessa Bulgar Medley 

PRE-SEASON WIND AND BRASS ENSEMBLE CONCERT: 
MTT, BEETHOVEN AND BEYOND
Sunday, September 15, 2024 at 2:00 PM
Demarre McGill, woodwind leader
Anthony Prisk, brass leader and NWS alumnus
Ludwig van Beethoven:  Rondino
Leoš Janáček:  Capriccio for Piano Left-Hand
Miguel del Águila:  Wind Quintet
Michael Tilson Thomas:  Street Song

PERCUSSION CONSORT: JOURNEY BEYOND TIME
Saturday, September 21, 2024 at 7:30 PM
Michael Linville, conductor
Joshua Conyers, baritone
Matthew Howard, percussion and NWS alumnus
Germaine Tailleferre:  Partita, “Hommage à Rameau”
Gemma Peacocke:  Death Wish
George Crumb:  A Journey Beyond Time, “American Songbook II”

PRE-SEASON ORCHESTRA CONCERT: BARBER AND MENDELSSOHN
Saturday, September 28, 2024 at 7:30 PM
Stephanie Childress, conductor
Stella Chen, violin
Samuel Barber:  Violin Concerto
Felix Mendelssohn:  Symphony No. 4

SEASON OPENER: DENÈVE CONDUCTS MTT AND SHOSTAKOVICH
Saturday, October 5, 2024 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, October 6, 2024 at 2:00 PM
Stéphane Denève, conductor
Michael Tilson Thomas: From the Diary of Anne Frank
Dmitri Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5

CHAMBER MUSIC: HAYDN + BORODIN
Sunday, October 13, 2024 at 2:00 PM
Titus Underwood, oboe
Luigi Boccherini:  Oboe Quintet
Lee Hyla:  Dream of Innocent III
Viet Cuong:  Extra Fancy
Franz Joseph Haydn:  Divertimento, “St. Anthony Chorale”
Alexander Borodin:  String Sextet

THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS
Saturday, October 19, 2024 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, October 20, 2024 at 2:00 PM
Stéphane Denève, conductor
* Yuval Sharon, director
** Danielle De Niese, soprano
* Viktor Ullmann: The Kaiser of Atlantis
** Kurt Weill: The Seven Deadly Sins

THE PLANETS + RACHMANINOFF
Saturday, October 26, 2024 at 8:00 PM (Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts)
Xian Zhang, conductor
Alexander Malofeev, piano
Molly Turner, NWS Conducting Fellow
Voices of the Master Chorale of South Florida
Richard Wagner:  Prelude to Act I from Tristan and Isolde
Sergei Rachmaninoff:  Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
Gustav Holst:  The Planets

CONCERT FOR KIDS: DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS
Sunday, November 3, 2024 at 11:30 AM
Program to be announced

VETERANS DAY CONCERT: A WWII JOURNEY
Saturday, November 9, 2024 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, November 10, 2024 at 2:00 PM
Lidiya Yankovskaya, conductor
Emily Magee, soprano
James Holland, historian
Aaron Copland:  Fanfare for the Common Man
Pavel Haas:  Mvt. II from Symphony No. 2
Dmitri Shostakovich:  Mvt. IV from Symphony No. 7, "Leningrad"
William Grant Still:  In Memoriam: The Colored Soldiers Who Died for Democracy
John Williams:  Hymn to the Fallen from Saving Private Ryan
Richard Strauss:  Four Last Songs

CHAMBER MUSIC: CRIDER SINGS RAVEL + COPLAND
Sunday, November 17, 2024 at 2:00 PM
Amanda Crider, mezzo-soprano
Aaron Copland:  "As it Fell Upon a Day"
Johnathan Bailey Holland:  Mobius
Maurice Delage:  Quatre poèmes hindous
Albert Roussel:  Serenade for Flute, Harp and Strings
Maurice Ravel:  Trois poèmes de Mallarmé
Sergei Rachmaninoff:  Trio élégiaque No. 1

MOZART + BACH
Saturday, November 23, 2024 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, November 24, 2024 at 2:00 PM
Shunske Sato, violin and leader
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart:  Symphony No. 1
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (arr. Sato):  Keyboard Concerto in D
Johann Christian Bach:  Symphony in G minor
Johann Sebastian Bach:  Concerto for Two Violins
Johann Sebastian Bach (arr. Mozart):  Fugue
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart:  Symphony No. 41, “Jupiter”

KAVAKOS: MOZART AND BRAHMS
Saturday, December 14, 2024 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, December 15, 2024 at 2:00 PM
Leonidas Kavakos, violin and conductor
Louise Farrenc:  Overture No. 1
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart:  Violin Concerto No. 4
Johannes Brahms:  Symphony No. 4

SOUNDS OF THE SEASON
Friday, December 20, 2024 at 7:30 – Presented by the City of Miami Beach for its residents
Saturday, December 21, 2024 at 7:30 PM
Molly Turner, NWS Conducting Fellow

CHAMBER MUSIC: FOR THE END OF TIME
Sunday, December 22, 2024 at 2:00 PM
Anne-Marie McDermott, piano
Melody Eötvös:  The King in Yellow
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart:  Quintet for Piano and Winds
Olivier Messiaen:  Quartet for the End of Time

PIAZZOLLA'S TANGO
Saturday, January 11, 2025 at 8:00 PM (Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts)
Paolo Bortolameolli, conductor
Julien Labro, bandoneón
Dancers to be announced
Program to include Astor Piazzolla's The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires

SYMPHONIC DANCES AND THE SILVER SCREEN
Saturday, January 18, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, January 19, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Molly Turner, NWS Conducting Fellow
Erich Korngold:  Selections from The Sea Hawk
Franz Waxman:  Elegy for Strings from Old Acquaintance
Julian Orbón:  Tres Versiones Sinfónicas
Sergei Rachmaninoff:  Symphonic Dances

CHAMBER MUSIC: THE CHAMBER CELLO
Sunday, January 26, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Oliver Herbert, cello
Orlando Jacinto García:  prohibido (world premiere)
Chen Yi:  Suite for Cello and Chamber Winds
Paul Desenne:  Pizziquitiplas
Johannes Brahms:  Piano Trio No. 1

THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA + NEW WORLD SYMPHONY
Friday, January 31, 2025 at 8:00 PM (Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts)
Saturday, February 1, 2025 at 8:00 PM (Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts)
Stéphane Denève, conductor
Maria Dueñas, violin
Georges Bizet:  Selections from L’Arlésienne
Édouard Lalo:  Symphonie espagnole (TCO only)
Antonín Dvořák:  Symphony No. 8

I DREAM A WORLD: KEYBOARD CABARET
Thursday, February 6, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Michelle Cann, piano
NWS Piano Fellows
An evening of piano music by Hazel Scott

I DREAM A WORLD: TRANSITIONS AND TRAILBLAZERS
Saturday, February 8, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, February 9, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Jeri Lynne Johnson, conductor
William Grant Still:  Festive Overture
Julia Perry:  Stabat mater
William Dawson:  Negro Folk Symphony

CHAMBER MUSIC: DVOŘÁK + RAVEL
Sunday, February 16, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Amihai Grosz, viola
Ernest Bloch:  Concertino for Flute, Viola and Strings
Tōru Takemitsu:  Signals from Heaven
Maurice Ravel:  String Quartet
Antonin Dvořak:  Piano Trio No. 3

DENÈVE: MUSIC IN (TECHNI)COLOR
Saturday, March 1, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, March 2, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Stéphane Denève, conductor
Maurice Ravel:  Mother Goose Suite
Anna Clyne:  PALETTE: Concerto for Augmented Orchestra (East Coast premiere of NWS co-commission)
Modest Mussorgsky / arr. Maurice Ravel:  Pictures at an Exhibition

DENÈVE: DAVONE TINES’ MASS
Saturday, March 8, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, March 9, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Stéphane Denève, conductor
Davóne Tines, baritone
Johann Sebastian Bach:  Brandenburg Concerto No. 4
Michael Abels:  Delights and Dances
Davóne Tines:  Recital No. 1: MASS (world premiere of NWS commission of orchestrated version)

DENÈVE: BRITTEN’S WAR REQUIEM
Saturday, March 15, 2025 at 8:00 PM (Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts)
Stéphane Denève, conductor
Christine Goerke, soprano
Ian Bostridge, tenor
Roderick Williams, baritone
Brett Karlin, chorus master
Choruses:
   Florida Singing Sons
   Girl Choir of South Florida
   Master Chorale of South Florida
Benjamin Britten:  War Requiem

CONCERT FOR KIDS: SPRING
Sunday, March 23, 2025 at 11:30 AM
Molly Turner, NWS Conducting Fellow
Program to be announced

MTT, BRONFMAN AND BEETHOVEN
Saturday, March 29, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, March 30, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor
Yefim Bronfman, piano
Susanna Phillips, soprano
Franz Schubert:  “Der Hirt auf dem Felsen”
Robert Schumann:  Piano Concerto
Ludwig van Beethoven:  “Ah! Perfido”
Ludwig van Beethoven:  Symphony No. 5

MTT CONDUCTS BEETHOVEN’S PASTORAL
Saturday, April 5, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, April 6, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor
Susanna Philips, soprano
Franz Joseph Haydn:  Symphony No. 98
Alban Berg:  Lulu Suite
Ludwig van Beethoven:  Symphony No. 6

A SIBELIUS JOURNEY
Saturday, April 12, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, April 13, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Dalia Stasevska, conductor
Jean Sibelius:
   In memoriam
   Canzonetta
   The Dryad
   Night Ride and Sunrise
   Symphony No. 4

DENÈVE: SYMPHONIE FANTASTIQUE
Friday, April 18, 2025 at 8:00 PM (Kravis Center for the Performing Arts)
Saturday, April 19, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Stéphane Denève, conductor
Sheku Kanneh-Mason, cello
John Williams:  Suite from The Book Thief
Dmitri Shostakovich:  Cello Concerto No. 1
Berlioz:  Symphonie fantastique

SIDE-BY-SIDE CONCERT
Saturday, April 26, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Stéphane Denève, conductor
Program to be announced

SEASON FINALE WITH GIL SHAHAM
Saturday, May 3, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, May 4, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Edward Gardner, conductor
Gil Shaham, violin
Molly Turner, NWS Conducting Fellow
Thea Musgrave:  Song of the Enchanter
Antonín Dvořak:  Violin Concerto
Béla Bartók:  Concerto for Orchestra

The New World Symphony (NWS), America’s Orchestral Academy, announces its 2023-24 season, a landmark year for the institution, as it welcomes Stéphane Denève in his first full season as Artistic Director. Denève is only the second person to hold this position in the 35-year history of the organization, succeeding co-founder and Artistic Director Laureate Michael Tilson Thomas (MTT).

Eager to embrace NWS’s mission to prepare its highly gifted Fellows for leadership in the orchestral field, Denève will lead the Fellows in eight programs of beloved favorites and modern masterworks, including French composer Albert Roussel’s The Spider’s Feast, featuring the world premiere of NWS-commissioned animations; the world premiere of a new work by French composer Guillaume Connesson; a performance and exploration of Jennifer Higdon’s blue cathedral, celebrating its 25th year; Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, Debussy’s La Mer, and more.

Stéphane Denève is Music Director of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Artistic Director of the New World Symphony, and will also be Principal Guest Conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic from 2023. Recognized internationally for the exceptional quality of his performances and programming, Stéphane has a special affinity for the music of his native France, and is a passionate advocate for music of the 21st century. A gifted communicator and educator, he has worked regularly with young people at the Colburn School, the European Union Youth Orchestra, and the Music Academy of the West.

“It is nothing short of a dream come true to begin my first full season with the New World Symphony, and build upon the legacy of its co-founder and guiding soul, Michael Tilson Thomas,” said Denève. “It is a rare privilege and deep honor to lead NWS and its remarkable Fellows, an outstanding group of talented and passionate musicians. Together, with this season’s guest artists and conductors from around the world, the future of classical music is thriving in Miami!”

MTT returns to mentor the Fellows and lead them in performances with renowned guest artists throughout the season.

“I welcome my colleague, Stéphane Denève, to his first full season as Artistic Director,” said Tilson Thomas. “I am so happy that he is carrying on our tradition of excellence. It is always a joy for me to make music with the brilliant Fellows of NWS and I am so pleased that we will collaborate this year with the esteemed artists Leif Ove Andsnes, Emanuel Ax, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, and Dashon Burton. And, it is always great fun when music students from our community join us for a ‘Side-by-Side Concert.’ I’m so looking forward to seeing you all and to continuing our 35-years together.”

NWS’s 2023-24 season spans centuries and the globe, and features both classics and contemporary works, from Beethoven’s monumental Ninth Symphony in celebration of its 200th anniversary, to Billy Childs’ Saxophone Concerto. Performances take place at the New World Center, NWS’s Miami Beach campus designed by Frank Gehry, as well as the Adrienne Arsht Center and throughout the community. Through its WALLCAST® and other, select free and open-to-the-public concerts, NWS continues its commitment to providing access to classical music for all.

"I am blown away by Stéphane's generosity. The more time I spend with him, the more I see that that's just who he is, even off the stage,” said First-year Violin Fellow Beatrice Hsieh. “I’m so excited to work with him next season; his mentorship is only going to further New World's legacy!"

Current NWS subscribers can renew their seats for the 2023-24 season by visiting nws.edu/renew or calling the NWS Box Office at 305.673.3331. New subscriptions to NWS's 2023-24 season are available starting Tuesday, May 9, 2023, with single tickets available Tuesday, September 5, 2023.

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

Stéphane Denève, Artistic Director

 Stéphane Denève will lead the Fellows throughout the season including his September 16, 2023 performance of Claude Debussy’s La mer, Benjamin Britten’s Four Sea Interludes and Adolphus Hailstork’s An American Port of Call. He will host, with composer Jennifer Higdon, an exploration of her blue cathedral, which celebrates its 25th year and is one of the most frequently performed works of the 21st century. Denève will lead the season finale concerts on May 11-12, 2024 with a performance of Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring and John Williams’ first Violin Concerto.

As part of their curriculum, the Fellows will also engage with Denève behind the scenes, including weeks of reading rehearsals and conducting workshops that are critical to their development and preparation as leaders of the artform.

On November 17 and 18, 2023, Denève and the NWS Fellows join forces with The Cleveland Orchestra at the Adrienne Arsht Center for a joint performance of Richard Strauss’ Alpine Symphony, featuring over 120 musicians together on stage for this epic work. This collaboration is a continuation of the organizations’ collaborative partnership that includes side-by-side concert presentations as well as professional development and mentoring activities. Tickets are available this spring through the Arsht Center.

Michael Tilson Thomas, Artistic Director Laureate

NWS Co-Founder and Artistic Director Laureate Michael Tilson Thomas will also lead the Fellows throughout the 2023-24 season. Joining him and the Fellows are guest artists and longtime friends, as well as audience favorites, including Emanuel Ax and Jean-Yves Thibaudet. MTT will present music by composers dear to him, including Ludwig van Beethoven, Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms, as well as his own work Agnegram.

In April 2024, MTT will conduct NWS’s annual Side-by-Side Concert, continuing to inspire South Florida’s musical youth through this opportunity for young instrumentalists (grades 7-12) to perform alongside him and the New World Symphony Fellows.

Celebrating Today’s Composers and Artists

NWS Fellows will explore and perform music by today’s emerging and established composers, including Adolphus Hailstork, Olly Wilson, James Lee III, William Edward (Billy) Childs, Allison Loggins-Hull, Gabriela Ortiz, Rhiannon Giddens, Michael Abels, Pacho Flores, Jennifer Higdon, Josephine Stephenson, Mark-Anthony Turnage, Michael Tilson Thomas, Wynton Marsalis, and John Williams. Many of these composers will connect with Fellows in person and/or via the internet for rehearsal mentorship and to share the inspiration behind their works.

“It is always special to collaborate with the Fellows at New World Symphony and Stéphane Denève, but to celebrate the 25th anniversary of blue cathedral, my most personal work, is especially meaningful,” said composer Jennifer Higdon. “I have said that blue cathedral represents all potential and the progression of journeys, and by exploring this work together, I hope the NWS Fellows are empowered to share and explore their unique artistic voices as they prepare to forge their own creative paths.”

NWS is also proud to welcome several celebrated artists making their NWS debut, including Grammy® Award-winning mezzo-soprano Kelley O’Connor; 2022 Avery Fisher Career Grant winner, saxophonist Steven Banks; one of today’s foremost Baroque violinists, Aisslinn Nosky; multiple Grammy® Award-winning mezzo-soprano, Isabel Leonard; William Petschek Recital Award winner, pianist Elizabeth Joy Roe; former principal trumpet of the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra, Pacho Flores; Venezuelan Cuatro player Leo Rondón; Grammy® Award-winning Lebanese-American tenor Karim Sulayman; and Colombian conductor and LA Opera Resident Conductor Lina Gonzales-Granados.

Return of Audience Favorites

Returning to NWS to join the Fellows in performances throughout the season are renowned artists and pianists Emanuel Ax and Jean-Yves Thibaudet, violinist James Ehnes, mezzo-soprano Ronnita Miller, and conductor Miguel Harth-Bedoya.

Conductor Edwin Outwater returns to present “Music and the Senses” alongside neuroscientist Dr. Indre Viskontas on March 23, 2024. That same weekend, Fellows will present a staged production of Wynton Marsalis’ A Fiddler’s Tale with projections, sets and costumes on March 24, 2024.

The 2023-24 season marks the anticipated return of the Concerto Showcase concert—where select Fellows take the stage as winners of this season’s concerto competition, and the return of NWS’s Harlem Renaissance-centered festival, “I Dream a World,” where chief curator Dr. Tammy Kernodle, conductor Andrew Grams and pianist Aaron Diehl will explore the music of Mary Lou Williams.

Commitment to Access

NWS continues to deliver on its vision to redefine, reaffirm, express, and share the traditions of orchestral music with as many people as possible. Nearly 30% of NWS’s 60+ performances within the New World Center are free to the public. Throughout the 2023-24 season, NWS will present twelve WALLCAST® Concerts in SoundScape Park, where audiences experience live NWS performances through a striking use of visual and audio technology on the soaring, 7,000-square-foot projection wall of the New World Center.

 NWS Mobile WALLCAST® Concerts, first unveiled at SoundScape Park in May 2022, bring the WALLCAST® experience into neighborhoods around Miami. In its inaugural year during the 2022-23 season, NWS hosted Mobile WALLCAST® concerts in Doral, Liberty City, Miami Gardens and North Miami. Currently the largest mobile wall in South Florida, the 23x16 screen consists of state-of-the-art LED panels and sound system, offering a local and captivating way to experience WALLCAST® concert content. Multiple activations in the 2023-24 season will forge and reaffirm community connections across South Florida. The NWS Mobile WALLCAST® Concert Series is made possible with the support of the Dr. M. Lee Pearce Foundation, Wege Foundation and the NWS Resilience Fund.

Through the digital membership program NWS Inside, NWS will continue to livestream select concerts throughout the season and provide behind-the-scenes access to the fellowship program, NWS artistic staff and the season’s guest artists.

NWS provides family-friendly performances with a two-concert series designed for children aged 4-9, including a Halloween-themed performance on October 29. The “Concert for Kids” series is an educational and entertaining introduction to composers and music with activities designed by local partners like Miami Children’s Museum.

NWS’s annual holiday concert, “Sounds of the Season,” is an audience favorite. The December 15 performance is presented by the City of Miami Beach for its residents.

Digital Exploration

With the extraordinary flexibility afforded by its home at the New World Center, the New World Symphony has become a laboratory for generating new ideas about the way music is taught, presented, and experienced. Within its Knight New Media Center, the New World Symphony will continue its pursuit of digital content, educational dialogue, and distribution. In the 2022-23 season, NWS received a $10 million investment from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to expand NWS’s pioneering work in the integration of technology with music performance, education, and community engagement, as well as to push the boundaries of artistic expression.

Stéphane Denève sees pairing of music and video as the future of the symphonic artform. The 2023-24 season will include an NWS commission by artist Grégoire Pont, who developed a performance concept called Cinesthetics, to create animations paired with Albert Roussel’s A Spider’s Feast. NWS will also showcase a video score by filmmaker Bill Viola to accompany Edgard Varèse’s Déserts.

NWS BLUE Projects

Standing for Build, Learn, Understand, and Experiment, NWS’s BLUE program is a combination of leadership and entrepreneurship training and hands-on experimentation that provides NWS Fellows and alumni with a comprehensive skill set to complement their musical training.

NWS BLUE Projects during the 2023-24 season will take place at the New World Center, across South Florida, and online. Through the program, select Fellows will curate and perform an Early Music concert and the popular Late Night at NWS event that turns the New World Center’s Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall into a nightclub.

The impacts and value of the unique NWS BLUE program are currently being studied as part of a long-term research project on sustainable entrepreneurship in the performing arts supported by NEA Research Labs: The Arts, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation.

NWS at the Arsht Center

In addition to performing at the New World Center, NWS’s Miami Beach campus designed by Frank Gehry, Fellows also have the opportunity to perform at The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County, in the Knight Concert Hall, which offers a performance experience similar to that which Fellows will encounter in their professional careers.

NWS’s 2023-24 Arsht Center series features Miguel Harth-Bedoya and saxophonist Steven Banks performing music from the Americas, including Leonard Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story and Jimmy López Bellido’s Fiesta!. In January, conductor Douglas Boyd will lead NWS Fellows, soloists Joélle Harvey, Ronnita Miller, Limmie Pulliam, Musa Ngqungwana, and the Master Chorale of South Florida in performance of Ludwig van Beethoven’s monumental Ninth Symphony, in celebration of its 200th anniversary. The concert will also feature excerpts from Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels’ opera Omar. Michael Tilson Thomas concludes the series with his own work Agnegram and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony. He and the Fellows will be joined by Dashon Burton for songs by Aaron Copland, whose music is a signature of MTT.

The NWS Fellowship Experience

The New World Symphony is a global leader in orchestral and artistic training. Talented musicians, aged typically between 22-30, are awarded three-year fellowships that consist of a robust curriculum of musical, entrepreneurial and community engagement training. Each season, Fellows are mentored by over 250 visiting faculty members and guest artists, and design and execute their own entrepreneurial projects. Eighty-seven Fellows in various stages of their three-year fellowship make up the orchestra each season. NWS has over 1,200 alumni transforming communities in over 30 countries.

For press inquiries, please contact Lisa Bellamore, Crescent Communications, at lbellamore@gmail.com or 323.500.3071.

2023-24 CONCERTS AND EVENTS

SEASON OPENER: DENÈVE CONDUCTS DEBUSSY AND BRITTEN
Saturday, September 16, 2023 at 7:30 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall
Stéphane Denève, conductor
Molly Turner, NWS Conducting Fellow
Adolphus Hailstork: An American Port of Call
Jacques Ibert: Escales (Ports of Call)
Benjamin Britten: Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes
Claude Debussy: La mer

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MTT + LEIF OVE ANDSNES
Saturday, September 30, 2023 at 7:30 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall
Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor
Leif Ove Andsnes, piano
Olly Wilson: Shango Memory
Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5, “The Emperor”
Johannes Brahms/ Arr. Arnold Schoenberg: Piano Quartet in G minor

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CHAMBER MUSIC: MOZART’S GRAND PARTITA
Sunday, October 8, 2023 at 2:00 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall
Stéphane Denève, conductor
Molly Turner, NWS Conducting Fellow
NWS alumni soloists
George Enescu: Piano Quartet No. 2
Olly Wilson: A City Called Heaven
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Serenade No. 10, “Gran Partita”

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DENÈVE: PROKOFIEV’S ROMEO + JULIET
Saturday, October 14, 2023 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, October 15, 2023 at 2:00 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall
Stéphane Denève, conductor
Kelley O'Connor, mezzo-soprano
James Lee III: Visions of Cahokia (with video)
Peter Lieberson: Neruda Songs
Sergei Prokofiev: Suite from Romeo and Juliet

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DANCES FROM WEST SIDE STORY
Saturday, October 21, 2023 at 8:00 PM
Adrienne Arsht Center, Knight Concert Hall
Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor
Steven Banks, saxophone
Molly Turner, NWS Conducting Fellow
Samuel Barber: Symphony No. 1
Billy Childs: Saxophone Concerto
Jimmy López Bellido: Fiesta!
Leonard Bernstein: Symphonic Dances from West Side Story

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CAGE, LIGETI AND ORTIZ
Friday, October 27, 2023 at 7:30 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall
Michael Linville, conductor
Katalin Károlyi, mezzo-soprano
John Cage: First Construction (in Metal)
György Ligeti: With Pipes, Drums, Fiddles
Allison Loggins-Hull: Hammers
Gabriela Ortiz: Liquid Borders

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CONCERT FOR KIDS: TRICKS AND TREATS
Sunday, October 29, 2023 at 11:30 AM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall
Molly Turner, NWS Conducting Fellow

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MAHLER 6
Saturday, November 4, 2023 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, November 5, 2023 at 2:00 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall
Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 6

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VARÈSE’S DÉSERTS
Saturday, November 11, 2023 at 7:30 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall
André de Ridder, conductor
Edgard Varèse: Déserts (with video by Bill Viola)
Bela Bartók: Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta

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NWS + THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA
Friday, November 17, 2023 at 8:00 PM
Saturday, November 18, 2023 at 8:00 PM
Adrienne Arsht Center, Knight Concert Hall
Stéphane Denève, conductor
Pablo Ferrández, cello
Robert Schumann: Cello Concerto (TCO only)
Richard Strauss: An Alpine Symphony
Tickets only available through the Arsht Center.

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CHAMBER MUSIC WITH THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA
Sunday, November 19, 2023 at 2:00 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall
Members of The Cleveland Orchestra
Molly Turner, NWS Conducting Fellow
Dai Fujikura: Cosmic Breath (NWS co-commission)
Dmitri Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 9
Robert Schumann/arr. Theodor Kirchner: Six Studies in Canonic Form
Ned Rorem: 11 Studies for 11 Players

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SOUNDS OF THE SEASON
Friday, December 15, 2023 at 7:30 PM (Presented by the City of Miami Beach)
Saturday, December 16, 2023 at 7:30 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall

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CHAMBER MUSIC: NOSKY AND UNCHARTED BAROQUE
Sunday, December 17, 2023 at 2:00 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall
Aisslinn Nosky, violin and leader
Molly Turner, NWS Conducting Fellow
Johann David Heinichen: Concerto in F major
Dario Castello: Sonata concertante
Georg Philipp Telemann: Concerto for Three Trumpets
Jan Dismas Zelenka: Concerto à 8
Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre: Trio Sonata No. 3
Michael Oesterle: Chamber Concerto
Karol Szymanowski: String Quartet No. 2

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BEETHOVEN 9: ODE TO JOY
Saturday, January 13, 2024 at 8:00 PM
Adrienne Arsht Center, Knight Concert Hall
Douglas Boyd, conductor
Master Chorale of South Florida
Joélle Harvey, soprano
Ronnita Miller, mezzo-soprano
Limmie Pulliam, tenor
Musa Ngqungwana, bass
Leoš Janáček: Sinfonietta
Rhiannon Giddens/Michael Abels: “Psalm 23” from Omar
Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 9, “Choral”

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DENÈVE AND ISABEL LEONARD
Saturday, January 20, 2024 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, January 21, 2024 at 2:00 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall
Stéphane Denève, conductor
Isabel Leonard, soprano
Grégoire Pont, cinesthetics/animation
Molly Turner, NWS Conducting Fellow
Maurice Ravel: Alborada del gracioso
Albert Roussel: The Spider’s Feast (world premiere of NWS-commissioned animations)
Maurice Ravel: Shéhérazade
Florent Schmitt: The Tragedy of Salomé

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CHAMBER MUSIC: ELIZABETH ROE PLAYS BACH
Sunday, January 28, 2024 at 2:00 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall
Elizabeth Joy Roe, piano
George Walker: Music for Brass (Sacred and Profane)
Johann Nepomuk Hummel: Septet No. 2, “Military”
Johann Sebastian Bach: Concerto in C minor for Two Keyboards
Frank Bridge: String Sextet

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CONCERT FOR KIDS: I DREAM A WORLD
Sunday, February 4, 2024 at 11:30 AM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall

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CARLOS MIGUEL PRIETO + PACHO FLORES
Saturday, February 10, 2024 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, February 11, 2024 at 2:00 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall
Carlos Miguel Prieto, conductor
Pacho Flores, trumpet
Leo Rondón, cuatro
Molly Turner, NWS Conducting Fellow
Carlos Chávez: Sinfonía india
Gabriela Ortiz: Altar de Bronce (world premiere of NWS co-commission)
Pacho Flores: Cantos y Revueltas
Silvestre Revueltas: La noche de los Mayas

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BITS AND SCRAPS: NEW MUSIC FOR PERCUSSION
Friday, February 16, 2024 at 7:30 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall
Michael Linville, conductor
Josephine Stephenson: All casual bits and scraps, assembled
Jennifer Higdon: Splendid Wood
Mark-Anthony Turnage: New England Etudes

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CHAMBER MUSIC: BEETHOVEN, BRITTEN AND BINGEN
Sunday, February 18, 2024 at 2:00 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall
Karim Sulayman, tenor
Claude Debussy: Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp
Michael Linville: Dove Peering In (after H. von Bingen)
Ludwig van Beethoven: String Quintet in C major
Benjamin Britten: Nocturne

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MARY LOU WILLIAMS’ ZODIAC SUITE
Saturday, February 24, 2024 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, February 25, 2024 at 2:00 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall
Andrew Grams, conductor
Aaron Diehl, piano
Ambassador Chorale of Florida Memorial University
Carmen Lundy, voice
Program to include selections from:
Mary Lou Williams: Zodiac Suite
Mary Lou Williams: Mass

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MTT AND EMANUEL AX
Saturday, March 9, 2024 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, March 10, 2024 at 2:00 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall
Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor
Emanuel Ax, piano
Arnold Schoenberg: Five Pieces for Orchestra
Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3
Robert Schumann: Symphony No. 1

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MTT CONDUCTS TCHAIKOVSKY 4
Saturday, March 16, 2024 at 8:00 PM
Adrienne Arsht Center, Knight Concert Hall
Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor
Dashon Burton, baritone
Michael Tilson Thomas: Agnegram
Aaron Copland: Old American Songs
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4

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BY EAR: A JOURNEY INTO MUSICAL PERCEPTION
Saturday, March 23, 2024 at 8:00 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall
Edwin Outwater, conductor
Indre Viskontas, presenter

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CHAMBER MUSIC: MARSALIS’ FIDDLER’S TALE
Sunday, March 24, 2024 at 2:00 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall
Wynton Marsalis: A Fiddler’s Tale (one act with lights, projections, sets, costumes and narrator)

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DENÈVE: HIGDON’S BLUE CATHEDRAL
Saturday, March 30, 2024 at 8:00 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall
Stéphane Denève, conductor
Jennifer Higdon, composer
Jennifer Higdon: blue cathedral

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CONCERTO SHOWCASE
Saturday, April 13, 2024 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, April 14, 2024 at 2:00 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall
Lina Gonzales-Granados, conductor
NWS Fellow soloists to be announced

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LATE NIGHT AT NEW WORLD SYMPHONY
Saturday, April 20, 2024 at 9:00 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall

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MTT: SIDE-BY-SIDE CONCERT
Saturday, April 27, 2024 at 8:00 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall
Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor

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MTT AND JEAN-YVES THIBAUDET
Saturday, May 4, 2024 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, May 5, 2024 at 2:00 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall
Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor
Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture
Maurice Ravel: Piano Concerto
Dmitri Shostakovich: Symphony No. 15

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SEASON FINALE: DENÈVE AND EHNES
Saturday, May 11, 2024 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, May 12, 2024 at 2:00 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall
Stéphane Denève, conductor
James Ehnes, violin
Molly Turner, NWS Conducting Fellow
John Williams: Just Down West Street... on the left
John Williams: Violin Concerto No. 1
Guillaume Connesson: New work to be announced (world premiere of NWS commission)
Igor Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring

The New World Symphony (NWS) announces its 2022-2023 concert season. This 35th Anniversary season builds on New World Symphony’s mission to prepare young musicians for leadership roles in orchestras and ensembles around the world, and its vision of an inclusive and dynamic future for classical music. The 2022-23 season demonstrates NWS’s commitment to collaboration, partnership and inclusion.

Subscriptions to NWS's 2022-23 season will be available starting mid-June. Single tickets will become available in early September. Join NWS's mailing list to be among the first notified of these on-sale dates.

About the Season

The 2022-23 season marks the first New World Symphony concerts in the Michael Tilson Thomas Concert Hall, named for the celebrated NWS co-founder, who assumed the role of Artistic Director Laureate in June 2022. The season features celebrated classical artists including cellist Alisa Weilerstein, violinist Randall Goosby, and pianist Yefim Bronfman alongside artists making their NWS debuts including pianist Isata Kennah-Mason, and sopranos Jeanine De Bique and Heidi Melton.

 As Artistic Director Laureate, Michael Tilson Thomas (MTT) takes the podium to lead the New World Symphony in three concerts this season. Other conductors featured include Jeannette Sorrell, Carlos Miguel Prieto, William Eddins, David Robertson, Domingo Hindoyan, Nicholas Collon, Matthias Pintscher and Gemma New.

Season highlights include a multi-day, multi-disciplinary festival in February celebrating the work of Black artists; a season-long exploration of the work of Mexican composer Gabriela Ortiz; a multi-media Wagnerian evening; and a return of the much-loved Late Night at New World Symphony concert. The 2022-23 season is marked by collaborations and partnerships with leading-edge arts ensembles from Miami and around the world.

The New World Symphony redoubles its commitment to accessibility with streaming concerts presented by partners including Quincy Jones’s Qwest TV, as well as a digital membership program for patrons unable to come to the New World Center. Additionally, 12 season concerts will be presented as free WALLCAST® Concerts and streamed onto the New World Center’s iconic 7,000-square-foot projection wall. NWS will unveil a new Mobile Wall in Fall 2022. This 23x13 foot projection wall and a state-of-the-art sound system will extend the viewing areas in SoundScape Park during WALLCAST® concerts and will serve neighborhoods across Miami with WALLCAST® content and Fellows as ambassadors.

Of the upcoming season, New World Symphony President and CEO Howard Herring said, “Michael Tilson Thomas’ revolutionary idea for the New World Symphony, embraced by philanthropic partners Ted and Lin Arison, put music education and expression at the center of community. The coming season brings this idea to life. Collaborations link our Fellows with some of the most adventuresome cultural organizations, locally and globally. Defined through our continued exploration of digital connectivity, musicians and audiences join us online. The newly named Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall is the center of all this activity.”

2022-23 Season Highlights

MICHAEL TILSON THOMAS

As New World Symphony Artistic Director Laureate, Michael Tilson Thomas leads the NWS in three concerts during the 2022-23 season. On October 22, MTT opens the New World Symphony’s series at the Adrienne Arsht Center with pianist Yefim Bronfman in an all-Rachmaninoff program. He returns to the Arsht stage on November 4 and 5 leading The Cleveland Orchestra and New World Symphony side-by-side in works by Debussy and Mahler. Taking the podium at the New World Center on May 6 and 7, MTT leads an evening of music and dance with the NWS and Miami City Ballet.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH FESTIVAL

This two-week-long multi-disciplinary festival will celebrate and explore the works of Black-American artists who found success in Europe between 1917 and 1946. The Festival will explore the impact of World War I, the rise and spread of Nazism, and World War II on the spread of the Harlem Renaissance ideology and Black music in Europe (February 1-12). Musicologist Dr. Tammy Kernodle, with whom NWS worked in the highly successful I Dream a World: The Harlem Renaissance and Beyond festival in February 2022, will serve as artistic consultant for this project.

INNOVATIVE PROGRAMMING

New World Symphony concerts feature some of the most beloved works and composers in the classical canon alongside works and artists who are heard less often in the concert hall. The 2022-23 season features music by Felix Mendelssohn (September 24, October 9), J.S. Bach (April 8), Ludwig van Beethoven (March 11 and 13, April 8), and Edward Elgar (April 14, 15), and contemporary composers including Bright Sheng (January 29), Valerie Coleman (January 21, 22) and Joan Tower (April 14, 15), as well as a season-long focus on the works of Latin Grammy-nominated Mexican composer Gabriela Ortiz (September 17 and 24; December 9, 10; February 17, 18).

LATE NIGHT AT NEW WORLD SYMPHONY

New World Symphony’s popular Late Night concerts return on March 31 with an homage to the visionary performer Klaus Nomi, known for his theatrical performances that influenced the East Village arts scene in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

NEW AUDIENCE FELLOW INITIATIVES

Each season, the Fellows of the New World Symphony craft concerts designed to expand the boundaries of classical music and engage new audiences. These concerts allow Fellows to take the lead in programming and presenting music in a way that is meaningful to them and to our community (November 12 and April 7).

COLLABORATIONS

The New World Symphony’s 2022-23 season is marked by partnerships and collaborations. In addition to the MTT-led concerts with The Cleveland Orchestra (November 4,5) and Miami City Ballet (May 6, 7), the 2022-23 season brings collaborations with vocal group Seraphic Fire and choruses from around South Florida (January 14), the string principal musicians from the New York Philharmonic (February 17, 18), and chamber ensembles like the Catalyst Quartet (January 29), the International Contemporary Ensemble (March 26) and Ensemble intercontemporain (March 31 and April 1). These concerts are supported by the New World Symphony Collaborations Fund, which was established in 2021.

 SPECIAL CONCERT EVENTS

The beloved annual Percussion Consorts feature guest composer Nathaniel Stookey performing his Junkestra (September 30) and Svet Stoyanov performing Michael Tilson Thomas’ Island Music (February 25). NWS celebrates the holidays with Sounds of the Season (December 16 and 17).

 NWS EDUCATION AND FAMILY CONCERTS

New World Symphony continues its commitment to serving music lovers of all ages. The Concerts for Kids brings young music lovers into the New World Center (October 2 and February 12).

Local high school musicians receive intensive mentorship and a special opportunity to play alongside the New World Symphony Fellows in the annual Side-by-Side Concert (April 22).

NWS AT THE ARSHT CENTER

The New World Symphony’s residency at the Adrienne Arsht Center kicks off with MTT leading an all-Rachmaninoff concert (October 22). The series continues with pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason and baritone Elliot Madore joining the NWS and vocal ensemble Seraphic Fire and choruses from around the region for a performance of Carl Orff’s epic Carmina Burana. The final concert of the series brings David Robertson to the podium leading the NWS and pianist Michelle Cann in Florence Price’s Piano Concerto and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2 (March 11). This concert has an encore performance at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in Palm Beach (March 13).

WALLCAST® CONCERTS AND MOBILE WALLCASTS

The New World Center’s 7,000-square-foot projection wall will be in use during the 2022-2023 season with a selection of concerts projected free to audiences in SoundScape Park. These WALLCAST® concerts allow audiences to experience the glory of the Symphony in an informal setting.

Additionally, beginning in Fall 2022, the New World Symphony will unveil a 23x13 mobile wall and state-of-the-art sound system. NWS is using the mobile wall to expand audiences in SoundScape Park and across Miami.

NWS INSIDE

Launched in 2021, NWS Inside is an innovative digital membership program that includes unforgettable concerts with thrilling close-up views, behind-the-scenes access to guest artists and Fellows, and bonus content all season long.

NWS Inside invites audiences across the globe to witness groundbreaking performances, in-depth festivals and collaborations only happening at NWS. The magic of NWS’s Frank Gehry-designed campus—the New World Center—will stream into homes worldwide using the performance hall’s state-of-the-art video and online connection capabilities.

NWS Insiders not only witness incredible performances throughout the season, they also have a front-row seat for conversations with NWS Fellows and guest artists in exclusive behind-the-scenes events. NWS Inside, and other innovation activities are supported by the NWS Fund for New Ventures.

PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY

The New World Symphony is committed to maintaining a safe environment for Fellows, staff, and audiences. NWS strives to comply with the Miami Beach Standard, a set of enhanced safety measures put in place by the City of Miami Beach. The building is cleaned daily, and high-touch areas are cleaned multiple times daily. In a private study, the New World Center’s air flow was comparable to hospital-grade cleanliness, with large spaces like the Performance Hall and Atrium surpassing The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers’ standards for fresh air.

For more information about the New World Symphony’s 2021-2022 season contact Kathleen Drohan, Vice President of Communications and Public Relations, at Kathleen.Drohan@nws.edu or 917-309-3100. All programs and schedule subject to change.

2022-23 Season Events

PRE-SEASON STRING ORCHESTRA CONCERT
Saturday, September 17, 2022 at 7:30 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall
Steven Copes, leader
Gabriela Ortiz: La Calaca from Altar de Muertos
Karl Amadeus Hartmann: Concerto funebre
Antonín Dvořák: Serenade for Strings

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PRE-SEASON WOODWIND AND BRASS ENSEMBLE CONCERT.
Sunday, September 18, 2022 at 2:00 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall
Timothy Higgins, conductor
Steven Stucky: Funeral Music for Queen Mary (after Henry Purcell)
Igor Stravinsky: Symphonies of Wind Instruments
Andrea Tarrodi: Serenade in Seven Colors
Ole Schmidt: Hommage à Stravinsky

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PRE-SEASON FULL ORCHESTRA CONCERT
Saturday, September 24, 2022 at 7:30 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall
Christopher James Lees, conductor
Karen Gomyo, violin
Antonín Dvořák: The Noonday Witch
Felix Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto
Richard Strauss: Death and Transfiguration
Gabriela Ortiz: Kauyumari

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PERCUSSION CONSORT: JUNKESTRA
Friday, September 30, 2022 at 7:30 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall
Nathaniel Stookey, musical saw
Nathaniel Stookey: Junkestra
Kenji Bunch: Concerto for Piano Trio and Percussion
George Crumb: Music for a Summer Evening (Makrokosmos III)

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CONCERT FOR KIDS
Sunday, October 2, 2022 at 11:30 AM and 2:30 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall
Chad Goodman, Conducting Fellow

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CHAMBER MUSIC: THE LARK ASCENDING
Sunday, October 9, 2022 at 2:00 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall
Jennifer Frautschi, violin
Kevin Day: Ignition
Hanns Eisler: Divertimento for Wind Quintet
Ralph Vaughan Williams: The Lark Ascending
Felix Mendelssohn: Piano Trio No. 2
Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson: String Quartet No. 1, “Calvary”

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35TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON OPENER
Saturday, October 15, 2022 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, October 16, 2022 at 2:00 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall
Christoph Koncz, conductor
Jeanine De Bique, soprano
Weber: Selections from Der Freischütz
R. Strauss: Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks
S. Koncz: Fanfares to Uhrovec
Brahms: Symphony No. 3
Brahms: Hungarian Dance No. 10

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MTT + RACHMANINOFF
Saturday, October 22, 2022 at 8:00 PM
Adrienne Arsht Center, Knight Concert Hall
Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor
Yefim Bronfman, piano
All-Rachmaninoff program:
“Vocalise”
Piano Concerto No. 3
Symphony No. 2

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INSIDE THE MUSIC
Monday, October 24, 2022 at 7:00 PM
New World Center, Truist Pavilion

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THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA + NWS
Friday, November 4, 2022 at 8:00 PM
Saturday, November 5, 2022 at 8:00 PM
Adrienne Arsht Center, Knight Concert Hall
Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor
George Li, piano
Claude Debussy: Jeux
Claude Debussy: Fantaisie for Piano and Orchestra (TCO only)
Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 1

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CHAMBER MUSIC: WEISS PLAYS MOZART
Sunday, November 6, 2022 at 2:00 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall
Orion Weiss, piano
Albert Roussel: Divertissment
Dorothy Hindman: Untitled I
Lili Boulanger: D’un soir triste
Witold Lutosławski: Dance Preludes
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, K. 478

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MUSICIANS’ FORUM
Monday, November 7, 2022 at 7:00 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall

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EL MAÍZ DE MI GENTE
Saturday, November 12, 2022 at 7:30 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall
Chad Goodman, conductor
Arturo Márquez: Conga del Fuego Nuevo
Silvestre Revueltas/arr. Limantour: Mvt. II (Noche de jaranas) from La noche de los mayas
Carlos Chávez: Xochipilli
Federico Ibarra Groth: Sinfonía No. 2, “Las antesalas del sueño”
Juventino Rosas: “Sobre las olas"
Blas Galindo: Sones de Mariachi

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SOLO SPOTLIGHT
Monday, November 14, 2022 at 7:00 PM
New World Center, Truist Pavilion

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HANDEL’S WATER MUSIC
Saturday, November 19, 2022 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, November 20, 2022 at 2:00 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall
Jeannette Sorrell, conductor
Sonya Headlam, soprano
George Frideric Handel: Selections from Water Music
Antonio Vivaldi: Concerto for Four Violins
Joseph Boulogne: Act II, Scene I from L’Amant anonyme
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Exsultate, jubilate
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Ballet Music from Idomeneo

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MUSICIANS’ FORUM
Monday, December 5, 2022 at 7:00 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall

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INSIDE THE MUSIC
Tuesday, December 6, 2022 at 7:00 PM
New World Center, Truist Pavilion

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SPANISH DANCES
Friday, December 9, 2022 at 7:30 PM
Saturday, December 10, 2022 at 7:30 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall
Carlos Miguel Prieto, conductor
Chad Goodman, Conducting Fellow
Vocalist and Flamenco Dancers to be announced
Primous Fountain: Ritual Dances of the Amak
Carlos Chavez: Symphony No. 2, “Sinfonía india”
Gabriela Ortiz: Téenek — Invenciones de Territorio
Manuel de Falla: The Three-Cornered Hat
José Pablo Moncayo: Huapango

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SOLO SPOTLIGHT
Monday, December 12, 2022 at 7:00 PM
New World Center, Truist Pavilion

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SOUNDS OF THE SEASON HOLIDAY CONCERT
* Friday, December 16, 2022 at 7:30 PM
Saturday, December 17, 2022 at 7:30 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall
Chad Goodman, Conducting Fellow
* December 16 performance presented by the City of Miami Beach for its residents

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CHAMBER MUSIC: NORTHERN LIGHTS
Sunday, December 18, 2022 at 2:00 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall
Carl Nielsen: Wind Quintet
Jean Sibelius: Serenata
Jo Kondo: An Insular Style
Edvard Grieg: Two Elegiac Melodies
Ann Southam: Quintet
Mogens Andresen: Three Norwegian Dances

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CARMINA BURANA
Saturday, January 14, 2023 at 8:00 PM
Adrienne Arsht Center, Knight Concert Hall
Patrick Quigley, conductor
Isata Kanneh-Mason, piano
Seraphic Fire
Elliot Madore, baritone
Choruses: Miami Dade College, Florida International University, Civic Chorale of Greater Miami, University of Miami, Florida Memorial University, Florida Singing Sons
Ralph Vaughan Williams: Serenade to Music
Clara Schumann: Piano Concerto
Carl Orff: Carmina Burana

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INSIDE THE MUSIC
Tuesday, January 17, 2023 at 7:00 PM
New World Center, Truist Pavilion

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TCHAIKOVSKY 5
Saturday, January 21, 2023 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, January 22, 2023 at 2:00 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall
Gemma New, conductor
Alisa Weilerstein, cello
Chad Goodman, Conducting Fellow
Valerie Coleman: Umoja
Samuel Barber: Cello Concerto
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5

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SOLO SPOTLIGHT
Monday, January 23, 2023 at 7:00 PM
New World Center, Truist Pavilion

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CHAMBER MUSIC: THE CATALYST QUARTET
Sunday, January 29, 2023 at 2:00 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall
Catalyst Quartet
Frederick C. Tillis: Mvt. II (Wade in the Water) from Spiritual Fantasy No. 12
Richard Strauss: String Sextet from Capriccio
Roberto Sierra: Concierto de Camara
Bright Sheng: Hot Pepper
Max Bruch: Octet

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BLACK HISTORY MONTH FESTIVAL
Thursday, February 2 – Sunday, February 12, 2023
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall

CABARET
Thursday, February 2, 2023 at 7:30 PM

SYMPHONIC PERSUASION
Saturday, February 4, 2023 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, February 5, 2023 at 2:00 PM
William Eddins, conductor
Chad Goodman, Conducting Fellow

CHAMBER MUSIC
Tuesday, February 7, 2023 at 7:30 PM

KEYBOARD MUSIC
Wednesday, February 8 at 7:30 PM

JOURNEY CONCERT
Friday, February 10, 2023 at 7:30 PM

CONCERT FOR KIDS
Sunday, February 12, 2023 at 11:30 AM and 2:30 PM

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ABSOLUTE JEST
Friday, February 17, 2023 at 7:30 PM
Saturday, February 18, 2023 at 7:30 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall
Nicholas Collon, conductor
Randall Goosby, violin
Chad Goodman, Conducting Fellow
New York Philharmonic String Principals
Gabriela Ortiz: Antrópolis
Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto
John Adams: Absolute Jest

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PERCUSSION CONSORT: MTT’S ISLAND MUSIC
Saturday, February 25, 2023 at 7:30 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall
Svet Stoyanov, percussion
Michael Tilson Thomas: Island Music
Garth Neustadter: Seaborne

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MUSICIANS’ FORUM
Monday, February 27, 2023 at 7:00 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall

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35TH ANNIVERSARY GALA
Saturday, March 4, 2023
New World Center

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PRICE + BEETHOVEN
Saturday, March 11, 2023 at 8:00 PM
Adrienne Arsht Center, Knight Concert Hall
David Robertson, conductor
Michelle Cann, piano
Chad Goodman, Conducting Fellow
Zoltán Kodály: Dances of Galánta
Florence Price: Piano Concerto
Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 2

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INSIDE THE MUSIC
Tuesday, March 14, 2023 at 7:00 PM
New World Center, Truist Pavilion

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WAGNER’S RING: VALKYRIES + VALHALLA
Saturday, March 18, 2023 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, March 19, 2023 at 2:00 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall
Domingo Hindoyan, conductor
Heidi Melton, soprano
Chad Goodman, Conducting Fellow
All-Wagner program:
Selections from Der Ring des Nibelungen, including:
Entry of the Gods into Valhalla from Das Rheingold
Magic Fire Music and Ride of the Valkyries from Die Walküre
Forest Murmurs from Siegfried
Dawn and Siegfried’s Rhine Journey from Götterdämmerung
Siegfried’s Death and Funeral Music from Götterdämmerung
Brünnhilde’s Immolation from Götterdämmerung

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SOLO SPOTLIGHT
Monday, March 20, 2023 at 7:00 PM
New World Center, Truist Pavilion

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CHAMBER MUSIC: THIS IS NOW
Sunday, March 26, 2023 at 2:00 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall
International Contemporary Ensemble, collaborators/guest artists
Sofia Rocha: New work to be announced (world premiere of NWS commission)
Fernanda Navarro: String Quartet (world premiere of NWS commission)
Johannes Brahms/arr. Cox: Chorale Preludes
Dmitri Shostakovich: Piano Quintet

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MUSICIANS’ FORUM
Monday, March 27, 2023 at 7:00 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall

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LATE NIGHT AT NEW WORLD SYMPHONY
Friday, March 31, 2023 at 9:00 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall
Matthias Pintscher, conductor
Ensemble intercontemporain
Jake Arditti, countertenor
Olga Neuwirth: Hommage à Klaus Nomi

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FROM THE CANYONS TO THE STARS
Saturday, April 1, 2023 at 7:30 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall
Matthias Pintscher, conductor
Ensemble intercontemporain
Olivier Messiaen: Des canyons aux étoiles…

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FELLOW-DESIGNED CONCERT
Friday, April 7, 2023 at 7:30 PM
New World Center

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CHAMBER MUSIC: TRANSFORMATIONS
Saturday, April 8, 2023 at 2:00 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall
Davóne Tines, baritone
Samuel Barber: Dover Beach
Caroline Shaw: By and By
Davóne Tines: Vigil
Traditional/arr. Carlos Simon: "Angels in Heaven"
Antonio Vivaldi: Oboe Sonata
Ann Millikan: Trens Coloridos para Gabriela
Ottorino Respighi: Trittico botticelliano

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SOLO SPOTLIGHT
Monday, April 10, 2023 at 7:00 PM
New World Center, Truist Pavilion

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ENIGMA VARIATIONS
Friday, April 14, 2023 at 7:30 PM
Saturday, April 15, 2023 at 8:00 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall
Peter Oundjian, conductor
Joan Tower: Duets
Joel Thompson: To Awaken the Sleeper
Edward Elgar: Enigma Variations

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INSIDE THE MUSIC
Tuesday, April 18, 2023 at 7:00 PM
New World Center, Truist Pavilion

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SIDE-BY-SIDE CONCERT
Saturday, April 22, 2023 at 8:00 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall

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MUSICIANS’ FORUM
Monday, April 24, 2023 at 7:00 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall

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SEASON FINALE: NWS + MIAMI CITY BALLET
Saturday, May 6, 2023 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, May 7, 2023 at 2:00 PM
New World Center, Michael Tilson Thomas Performance Hall
Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor
Miami City Ballet

Artistic Director Michael Tilson Thomas and the New World Symphony announce the groundbreaking 2021-2022 season. The season builds on New World Symphony’s mission to prepare young musicians for leadership roles in orchestras and ensembles around the world, and its vision of an inclusive and dynamic future for classical music. NWS is a laboratory for generating new ideas about how music is taught, presented, and experienced and its commitment to inclusion and access defines the 2021-2022 season.

The 2021-2022 season features celebrated classical artists including Measha Brueggergosman, Augustin Hadelich, Gabriela Montero, and Gil Shaham, alongside artists making their NWS debuts including mezzo-soprano Ronnita Miller, baritone Dashon Burton, and pianist Joyce Yang, as well as artists not traditionally seen on classical stages including jazz phenom Aaron Diehl, and global music collective People of Earth. In addition to Michael Tilson Thomas, conductors taking the podium with the NWS include Marin Alsop, Roderick Cox, Stéphane Denève, and Thomas Wilkins, and NWS alumni Kazem Abdullah, Teddy Abrams, and Christian Reif.

Season highlights includes a Clarinet Festival with instrument greats Martin Fröst, Anthony McGill, and Jörg Widmann, and works by Claude Debussy, Nina Shekhar, and Tōru Takemitsu. This festival builds on NWS’s season-long instrument festivals launched in 2019 with Viola Visions and 2021’s Percussion Perspectives. The season also includes a focus on the work of composer Primous Fountain, with whom MTT has had a long relationship, and a multi-faceted, multi-disciplinary celebration of music and art from the Harlem Renaissance.

New World Symphony Co-Founder and Artistic Director Michael Tilson Thomas shared, “The new season will be a joyous reunion of our New World Symphony Fellows, our audience, and our community. Together we look forward to continuing exploration of our rich tradition.”

The New World Symphony redoubles its commitment to accessibility with a streaming concert series. Additionally, several season concerts will be presented as free WALLCAST® Concerts and streamed onto the New World Center’s iconic 7,000-square-foot projection wall. A Mobile Wall will be unveiled in Fall 2021. The 9x16 foot projection wall and a state-of-the-art sound system will serve neighborhoods across Miami with WALLCAST® content and Fellows as ambassadors. Together this will create new cultural centers of gravity across the community.

Of the upcoming season, New World Symphony President and CEO Howard Herring said, “The currency of relevance is shared experience, musicians and audiences coming together in a communal setting. In an inclusive world, sharing takes on a new significance. The NWS 2021-2022 season is all about sharing and inclusion. We imagine a strong and secure future for classical music and will reimagine, reaffirm, express, and share its traditions with as many people as possible.”

Tickets

Subscriptions to NWS’s 2021-22 season are currently only available to renewing subscribers. To join the waitlist for new subscriptions, please email tickets@nws.edu with your request. Doing so does not guarantee NWS will accommodate your request, but you will be the first to know if there is availability. Waitlist requests do not require payment until you confirm your order with a Box Office representative.

For Renewing Subscribers: NWS will be operating at a reduced seating capacity for performances at both the New World Center and Adrienne Arsht Center. This may result in a temporary change to your seating location. We will make every effort to minimize any changes and apologize in advance for any inconvenience. Final seat locations will be confirmed by September 1, 2021.

For press inquiries contact Kathleen Drohan at 917-309-3100 or Kathleen.Drohan@nws.edu.

NWS Fellowship

The New World Symphony is dedicated to the artistic, personal and professional development of outstanding instrumentalists. The NWS fellowship program provides graduates of music programs the opportunity to enhance their musical education with the finest professional training. A laboratory for musical education and expression, NWS, through a wide range of performance and instructional activities, seeks to develop in participants the full complement of skills and qualifications required of musician leaders and agents of change. Under the artistic direction of Michael Tilson Thomas, the program offers in-depth exposure to traditional and modern repertoire with the active involvement of leading guest conductors, soloists and coaches. The relationships with these artists are extended through NWS’s pioneering experimentation with distance learning via Internet2. NWS provides opportunities for Fellows to create their own performance opportunities and projects.

New World Center @ 10

The 2021-2022 season celebrates the tenth anniversary of the New World Center. The Frank Gehry-designed concert hall and campus was notable for its integration of technology and continues to be a model of innovation with state-of-the-art technical capabilities and flexible concert spaces. The external projection wall has allowed thousands of concert-goers to experience the New World Symphony from picnic blankets and lawn chairs in SoundScape Park and has inspired similar video walls in performing arts centers around the country and world.

The Knight New Media Center

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation is a strong partner in exploring digital networks for fellowship training as well as capture and distribution of NWS performances. Acknowledging their financial commitment and professional encouragement, all NWS digital expression originates in the Knight New Media Center. While NWS leadership has always envisioned an expanding digital presence, the pandemic restrictions have hastened that work. Beyond the pandemic, NWS anticipates that programs born from the Knight New Media Center will continue to have high value for Fellows, alumni, music students – local and global, and audiences for classical music.

2021-2022 Season Highlights

MTT and NWS

New World Symphony Artistic Director Michael Tilson Thomas leads the NWS during the 2021-2022 season in concerts including a pre-season concert highlighted by his Poems of Emily Dickinson sung by frequent collaborator Measha Brueggergosman (October 2); a Season Opening concert featuring baritone Dashon Burton (October 9/10); two evenings featuring violinist Christian Tetzlaff (February 11/12); and a Season Finale concert with violinist Gil Shaham (May 6/7). MTT also directs Clarinet Visions, this season’s instrument focused festival.

Harlem Renaissance Project

This multi-disciplinary festival will celebrate and explore the early 20th century’s dynamic intellectual and cultural movement centered in New York City’s Harlem, which also impacted the arts world-wide. The Harlem Renaissance was a significant period of artistic expression that shared what it meant to be Black in America. Michael Tilson Thomas collaborates with conductor Thomas Wilkins—Principal Conductor of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and Music Director of the Omaha Symphony—to explore the landmark era’s music, dance, spoken word, theater and more.

Clarinet Visions

Beginning with Viola Visions in 2019, the NWS has included an instrument-focused festival each season. In 2022 the spotlight turns towards the clarinet with concerts, master classes and more. Led by MTT and NWS alumnus Kazem Abdullah, this festival will feature instrument masters Martin Fröst, Anthony McGill, and Andreas Ottensamer performing works by Anthony Davis, Claude Debussy, Nina Shekhar, and Tōru Takemitsu. Jörg Widmann will join the orchestra to perform his own work.

Guest Conductors

The New World Symphony is led by powerful guest conductors including Rafael Payare as he leads NWS and pianist George Li in Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 (January 22/23), and conductor Roderick Cox is joined by cellist Zuill Bailey in works by Salonen, Herbert, and Tchaikovsky (March 26/27). NWS will be led by NWS conducting alumni in 2021-2022. Christian Reif is joined by violin great Augustin Hadelich (November 20/21) and Teddy Abrams heads up a program with global music ensemble People of Earth (April 9/10).

NWS Chamber Music Series

The Chamber Music Series kicks off with cellist Oliver Herbert performing and featuring a work of Julius Eastman (October 24). The series continues with harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani (December 19), hornist Andrew Bain (January 9), mezzo-soprano Ronnita Miller (January 30), and concludes with the New World Symphony Fellows performing the Schubert Octet (May 1).

Sounds of the Times

The New World Symphony’s new music series, Sounds of the Times, kicks off with HK Gruber leading the NWS in the U.S. premiere of a recently discovered work by Kurt Weill (November 13). The series continues in a concert of works by Marcos Balter and Helmut Lachenmann (April 3). The series wraps with a concert of works by composer Primous Fountain led by MTT (April 16).

Special Concert Events

The beloved annual Percussion Consort features a collaboration with the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music (October 24). NWS celebrate the holidays with Sounds of the Season (December 17/18). Richard Kaufman conducts the orchestra in Music of the Silver Screen featuring film clips and music from Hollywood classics (March 19).

NWS Education and Family Concerts

New World Symphony has always been dedicated to serving music lovers of all ages. The 2021-2022 family concerts begin with a pair of spooky and special Halloween concerts (October 31, at 11:30 AM and 2:30 PM). The second Concert for Kids takes place on March 13.

Local high school musicians receive intensive mentorship and a special opportunity to play alongside the New World Symphony Fellows in the annual Side-by-Side Concert (April 23).

NWS at the Arsht Center, Vero Beach and West Palm Beach

The New World Symphony’s residency at the Adrianne Arsht Center kicks off with MTT leading a concert featuring James Lee III’s Sukkot Through Orion’s Nebula, an NWS commission. The orchestra will be joined by pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet (October 16). On January 15, NWS will be led by conductor Xian Zhang with pianist Gabriela Montero joining to perform her own Piano Concerto No. 1, “Latin.” On March 5, Stéphane Denève leads NWS in a program of works by Debussy, Beethoven and more. That concert will be repeated on March 6 in Vero Beach.

Marin Alsop leads NWS in the U.S. premiere of a new edition of Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F with Aaron Diehl at the New World Center (December 10/11) and West Palm Beach’s Kravis Center (December 12).

WALLCAST® Concerts and Mobile WALLCASTS®

The New World Center’s 7,000-square-foot projection wall will be in full use during the 2021-2022 season with a selection of concerts projected free to audiences in SoundScape Park. These WALLCAST® concerts allow audiences to experience the glory of the Symphony in an informal setting. Additionally, beginning in fall 2021, the New World Symphony will unveil a mobile wall. The 9x16 foot projection wall and a state-of-the-art sound system will serve neighborhoods across Miami with WALLCAST® concert content.

Public Health and Safety

The New World Symphony is committed to maintaining a safe environment for Fellows, staff and audiences. NWS strives to comply with the MB Standard, a set of enhanced safety measures put in place by the City of Miami Beach. Socially distanced seating will be in accordance with recommended best practices. The building is cleaned daily, and high-touch areas are cleaned multiple times daily. Click here for New World Center's Safety Protocols.

About Michael Tilson Thomas

Michael Tilson Thomas is Co-Founder and Artistic Director of the New World Symphony, Music Director Laureate of the San Francisco Symphony and Conductor Laureate of the London Symphony. In addition to conducting the world’s leading orchestras, MTT is also noted for his work as a composer and as a producer of multimedia projects dedicated to music education and reinventing the concert experience. He is a 12-time Grammy Award winner whose wide-ranging discography includes more than 120 recordings, including most recently a recording of his compositions on SFS Media. His television work includes series for the BBC and PBS, broadcasts of the New York Philharmonic's Young People’s Concerts and numerous televised performances. He is an Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France, a member of the American Academies of Arts and Sciences and Arts and Letters, and has been profiled on CBS’s 60 Minutes and ABC’s Nightline. He was awarded the National Medal of Arts, has been inducted into the California Hall of Fame, and was a 2019 recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors.

About the New World Symphony

The New World Symphony, America’s Orchestral Academy, prepares graduates of music programs for leadership roles in professional orchestras and ensembles. In the 33 years since its co-founding by Artistic Director Michael Tilson Thomas and Lin and Ted Arison, NWS has helped launch the careers of more than 1,150 alumni worldwide. A laboratory for the way music is taught, presented and experienced, the New World Symphony consists of young musicians who are granted fellowships lasting up to three years. The fellowship program offers in-depth exposure to traditional and modern repertoire, professional development training and personalized experiences working with leading guest conductors, soloists and visiting faculty. Relationships with these artists are extended through NWS’s extensive distance learning via the internet. NWS Fellows take advantage of the innovative performance facilities and state-of-the art practice and ensemble rooms of the Frank Gehry-designed New World Center, the campus of the New World Symphony.

NWS would like to recognize the following institutional partners: Knight Foundation and New World Symphony: Reimagining Classical Music in the Digital Age; Carnival Corporation is the Premier Sponsor of the New World Symphony; NWS concerts are presented with the support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners; NWS concerts are presented with support of the City of Miami Beach, Cultural Affairs Program, Cultural Arts Council; Hitachi is a Technology Partner of the New World Symphony; Yamaha is the Official Piano of the New World Symphony; IDAGIO is the Official Audio Streaming Partner of the New World Symphony.

For more information about the New World Symphony’s 2021-2022 season contact Kathleen Drohan, Vice President of Public Relations and Communications, at Kathleen.Drohan@nws.edu or 917-309-3100.

All programs and schedule subject to change.

2021-2022 Season Event Listing

Saturday, October 2, 2021 at 7:30 PM
WELCOME BACK CONCERT WITH MTT AND MEASHA
Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor
Measha Brueggergosman, soprano
Chad Goodman, Conducting Fellow
Emmanuel Chabrier: Joyeuse marche
Michael Tilson Thomas: Poems of Emily Dickinson
Franz Schubert: Symphony No. 9

Saturday, October 9, 2021 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, October 10, 2021 at 2:00 PM
SEASON OPENING WITH MTT
Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor
Dashon Burton, baritone
Gordon Getty: Overture to Plump Jack
Gustav Mahler: Songs of a Wayfarer
Robert Schumann: Symphony No. 1, “Spring”

Saturday, October 16, 2021 at 8:00 PM, Arsht Center
MTT and JEAN-YVES THIBAUDET
Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor
Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano
Chad Goodman, Conducting Fellow
James Lee III: Sukkot Through Orion’s Nebula (NWS commission)
Felix Mendelssohn: Piano Concerto No. 1
Jean Sibelius: Symphony No. 2

Sunday, October 24, 2021 at 2:00 PM
CHAMBER MUSIC: CELLO FANTASY
Oliver Herbert, cello
Chad Goodman, Conducting Fellow
Robert Schumann: Fantasiestücke
Julius Eastman: The Holy Presence of Joan d’Arc
Jean Sibelius: Prelude
Jean Sibelius: Tiera
Hannah Kendall: Vera
Jacques Ibert: Cello Concerto

Friday, October 29, 2021 at 7:30 PM
PERCUSSION CONSORT
John Cage: Amores
Joyce Wai-chung Tang: (Im)pulse
Andy Akiho: to wALk Or ruN in wEst harlem
Christopher Cerrone: Don’t Look Down

Sunday, October 31, 2021 at 11:30 AM and 2:30 PM
CONCERT FOR KIDS: TRICKS AND TREATS

Saturday, November 13, 2021 at 7:30 PM
SOUNDS OF THE TIMES: SYMPHONIC CABARET
HK Gruber, conductor
Jonathan Bailey Holland: Halcyon Sun
Kurt Weill: Little Magic Night Music (U.S. premiere)
Steve Reich: Quartet
HK Gruber: Northwind Pictures (U.S. premiere)

Saturday, November 20, 2021 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, November 21, 2021 at 2:00 PM
BRAHMS AND SIBELIUS
Christian Reif, conductor
Augustin Hadelich, violin
Julia Perry: A Short Piece for Orchestra
Jean Sibelius: Violin Concerto
Johannes Brahms: Symphony No. 1

Friday, December 10, 2021 at 7:30 PM
Saturday, December 11, 2021 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, December 12, 2021 (Kravis Center Runout)
SCHEHERAZADE AND GERSHWIN
Marin Alsop, conductor
Aaron Diehl, piano
Chad Goodman, Conducting Fellow
Anna Clyne: Masquerade
George Gershwin: Piano Concerto in F (U.S. premiere of new edition)
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade

Saturday, December 18, 2021 at 7:30 PM
SOUNDS OF THE SEASON

Sunday, December 19, 2021 at 2:00 PM
CHAMBER MUSIC: HARPSICHORD HERO
Mahan Esfahani, harpsichord
C.P.E. Bach: Quartet in A minor
Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in D minor, Op. 42
Iannis Xenakis: Oophaa
Daniel Kidane: Feuersturm
Heinrich Schütz: Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes
Heinrich Schütz: Also hat Gott die Welt geliebt
Heinrich Schütz: Vasto mar, nel cui seno
Henryk Górecki: Harpsichord Concerto

Sunday, January 9, 2022 at 2:00 PM
CHAMBER MUSIC: SOUND THE HORN
Andrew Bain, horn
Chad Goodman, Conducting Fellow
Max Reger: Scherzino
Michael Tippett: Sonata for Four Horns
Errollyn Wallen: Horseplay
Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in D minor, Op. 76, No. 2
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Horn Quintet

Saturday, January 15, 2022 at 8:00 PM, Arsht Center
BEETHOVEN V
Xian Zhang, conductor
Gabriela Montero, piano
Chad Goodman, Conducting Fellow
Hector Berlioz: Roman Carnival Overture
Gabriela Montero: Piano Concerto No. 1, “Latin”
Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 5

Saturday, January 22, 2022 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, January 23, 2022 at 2:00 PM
RACHMANINOFF’S PIANO
Rafael Payare, conductor
George Li, piano
Inocente Carreño: Margariteña
Sergei Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2
Edward Elgar: Enigma Variations

Sunday, January 30, 2022 at 2:00 PM
CHAMBER MUSIC: SONGS OF STRAVINSKY
Ronnita Miller, mezzo-soprano
Joseph Boulogne: Sonata in E-flat major for Harp and Flute Obbligato
Germaine Tailleferre: Image
Darius Milhaud: Danses de Jacarémirim
Igor Stravinsky: Berceuses du chat
Igor Stravinsky: Pribaoutki
Gabriel Fauré/trans. Michael Linville: Selections from La Bonne Chanson
Gabriel Fauré: Piano Quartet No. 2

Week of January 31
HARLEM RENAISSANCE PROJECT
Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor
Thomas Wilkins, conductor

Friday, February 11, 2022 at 7:30 PM
Saturday, February 12, 2022 at 7:30 PM
MTT AND BEETHOVEN’S EROICA
Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor
Christian Tetzlaff, violin
Chad Goodman, Conducting Fellow
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: Hiawatha Overture
Alban Berg: Violin Concerto
Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 3, “Eroica”

Week of February 14
CLARINET VISIONS
Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor
Kazem Abdullah, conductor
Guest Artists: Martin Fröst, Andreas Ottensamer, Anthony McGill, Andrew Marriner, Jörg Widmann
Works by: Tōru Takemitsu, Jörg Widmann, Claude Debussy, Anthony Davis, Nina Shekhar

Saturday, February 26, 2022
NWS GALA
Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor

Saturday, March 5, 2022 at 8:00 PM, Arsht Center
Sunday, March 6, 2022 (Vero Beach Runout)
DENÈVE AND DEBUSSY
Stéphane Denève, conductor
Joseph Haydn: Sinfonia Concertante in B-flat
Ludwig van Beethoven: Mvt. II (Allegretto) from Symphony No. 7
Carlos Simon: Fate Now Conquers
Claude Debussy: Nuages and Fêtes from Nocturnes
Claude Debussy: Ibéria

Sunday, March 13, 2022 at 11:30 AM and 2:30 PM
CONCERT FOR KIDS

Saturday, March 19, 2022 at 7:30 PM
MUSIC OF THE SILVER SCREEN
Richard Kaufman, conductor
Philippe Quint, violin
Alfred Newman: 20th Century Fox Fanfare
Alfred Newman: Conquest from Captain from Castille
Erich Wolfgang Korngold: March of the Merry Men from Robin Hood
Elmer Bernstein: Theme from To Kill A Mockingbird
Maurice Jarre: Selections from Lawrence of Arabia
Bernard Herrmann: Prelude and Finale from Citizen Kane
John Williams: Theme from Schindler’s List
Charlie Chaplin: Tango Bitterness from Monsieur Verdoux
Charlie Chaplin: Smile from Modern Times
Max Steiner: The Empire State Building from King Kong
Miklós Rózsa: Parade of the Charioteers from Ben-Hur
Tan Dun: Mvt. I (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) from Crouching Tiger Concerto
Harold Arlen/Edgar Yipsel Harburg: “If I Only Had a Brain” and “Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz
Dmitri Shostakovich: Galop and Volksfest from The Gadfly
John Morris: The Transylvanian Lullaby from Young Frankenstein
John Williams: The Devil’s Dance from The Witches of Eastwick
Franz Waxman: Ride of the Cossacks from Taras Bulba

Sunday, March 20, 2022 at 7:00 PM
CHAMBER MUSIC: THEN AND NOW
Grażyna Bacewicz: Quartet for Four Violins
Fernanda Navarro: Parthenogenesis
Ruth Crawford Seeger: Suite for Wind Quintet
Hannah Kendall: Verdala
Johannes Brahms: Piano Quintet

Saturday, March 26, 2022 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, March 27, 2022 at 2:00 PM
TCHAIKOVSKY’S FOURTH
Roderick Cox, conductor
Zuill Bailey, cello
Esa-Pekka Salonen: Helix
Victor Herbert: Cello Concerto No. 2
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4

Sunday, April 3, 2022 at 7:00 PM
SOUNDS OF THE TIMES: SONGS OF HOPE
Matthias Pintscher, conductor
Ben Fryxell, Cello Fellow
Marcos Balter: Work TBA (NWS commission)
Bernd Alois Zimmermann: Canto di Speranza (Song of Hope)
Helmut Lachenmann: Schreiben

Saturday, April 9, 2022 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, April 10, 2022 at 2:00 PM
LATIN LOVE AND LORE
Teddy Abrams, conductor
People of Earth
Chad Goodman, Conducting Fellow
Aaron Copland: El Salón México
Leonard Bernstein: Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
Gabriela Lena Frank: Concertino Cusqueño
Dafnis Prieto: Work TBA for Latin Ensemble and Orchestra (NWS commission)

Saturday, April 16, 2022 at 7:30 PM
SOUNDS OF THE TIMES: PRIMOUS FOUNTAIN: AN AMERICAN ORIGINAL
Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor
Program to be announced

Saturday, April 23, 2022 at 8:00 PM
SIDE-BY-SIDE CONCERT
Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor
Chad Goodman, Conducting Fellow

Sunday, May 1, 2022 at 2:00 PM
CHAMBER MUSIC: SCHUBERT OCTET
George Walker: Music for Brass, Sacred and Profane
Lansing McLoskey: Specific Gravity: 2.72
Franz Schubert: Octet

Friday, May 6, 2022 at 7:30 PM
Saturday, May 7, 2022 at 8:00 PM
SEASON FINALE: MTT AND GIL SHAHAM
Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor
Gil Shaham, violin
Chad Goodman, Conducting Fellow
Ludwig van Beethoven: Overture to The Creatures of Prometheus
Joseph Boulogne: Violin Concerto in G
Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 5

Artistic Director Michael Tilson Thomas and the New World Symphony announce the spring concert season, which will be shared with audiences virtually through the NWS website, YouTube, Facebook, and in partnership with digital streaming partner IDAGIO.

While 2020 brought unprecedented challenges, the New World Symphony, a laboratory for generating new ideas about how music is taught, presented, and experienced, responded with new concert formats, digital distribution systems, and artist and repertoire choices.

“We are in the midst of fundamental societal changes,” said Howard Herring, NWS President and CEO. “Use of digital capture and distribution of educational and performance content has accelerated. We seek a more equitable society, driven by the tragedies of the past months. New World Symphony is uniquely equipped to respond and lead. Our commitment is evident in the programs for this spring and the distribution systems that will carry our performances to our current and future audiences in Miami and around the world.“

NWS Co-Founder and Artistic Director Michael Tilson Thomas added “I am very pleased that we are taking steps to resume our musical program. I have been impressed with the ingenuity shown by many so many of the Fellows in developing their own concert series and other projects during this challenging time. Our online masterclasses and online coachings have allowed us to explore many musical issues at even greater depth. I look forward to the Spring Season and the possibilities of what gradually coming together can mean to our entire community.”

NWS is the beneficiary of two funding initiatives established by trustees and in support of innovation. The Fund for New Ventures, established by long-time supporters of NWS, Robert and Diane Moss, invites philanthropic investment in forward looking strategies for education and musical performance. The Resilience Fund, established by Judith Rodin, author of The Resilience Dividend: Being Strong in a World Where Things Go Wrong, allows donors to support current and future programs that will make NWS more responsive and inventive.

Resilience at the New World Symphony

The New World Symphony has taken the idea of resilience as a clarion call, establishing a Resilience Fund, created to respond to the Covid-19 Pandemic, the resulting economic crisis, and the issues of systemic racial and social injustice. NWS is committed to creating a culture of innovation which gives the institution and individual staff, Fellows, and the extended community the tools to recover and adapt to challenges. Through increased virtual coaching sessions for Fellows, new formats of community outreach, and digital programming, NWS is striving to ensure a vibrant classical music landscape despite an unknown future.

This spring, NWS is asking its community to share their stories through the hashtag #IMRESILIENT on social media. From February through May, NWS will share the stories through its social channels and websites, as well as on the exterior wall of New World Center. Those using the hashtag will be included in opportunities to attend virtual concerts and conversations with NWS Fellows and guest artists, have access to special programming, and be entered to win a subscription to the 2021-22 season when it is anticipated in-person concerts will resume.

New World Center’s Tenth Anniversary

In January 2011 the New World Center opened on Miami Beach. With this remarkable building, the New World Symphony established itself as one of the artistic and architectural anchors of Miami and has become a must-visit destination for music lovers and tourists of all types. The result of collaboration between NWS Co-Founder Michael Tilson Thomas and Pritzker Prize-winning architect Frank Gehry, the New World Center features multiple flexible spaces and leading-edge media capabilities. The building features the iconic 7,000 square-foot exterior projection wall to live-stream concerts through the popular WALLCAST® concert series. Upon its opening, the New World Center was hailed by The New York Times for its fulfillment of the belief that “music, like other creative endeavors, should be more than an aesthetic matter. As a shared experience, one that reaches each of us at our emotional core, it helps unite us into a civilized community.”

As a musical meetinghouse, the New World Center has welcomed musicians from all musical genres both in person and virtually, including Yo-Yo Ma, Audra McDonald, Gloria Estefan and Pitbull; it has hosted the American Black Film Festival, Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Pritzker Prize; and served as the stage for conversations with Bono, President Bill Clinton and Kehinde Wiley.

As it enters its second decade, upgrades to the New World Center include 4K capabilities for the exterior wall and performance hall immersive projection and recording.

Tenth Anniversary WALLCAST® Concert Series

In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the New World Center, NWS will offer a series of WALLCAST® concerts for live audiences in SoundScape Park, beginning on February 19. More information will be announced in the coming weeks.

The Thirty-Third Anniversary Gala: Brave New World

The 2021 Gala, taking place virtually on Saturday, February 20, is chaired by Judith Rodin, a member of the NWS Board of Trustees and her husband Paul Verkuil. The Gala honors The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and its President and CEO Alberto Ibargüen for their support of and investment in the New World Symphony.

Mr. Ibargüen shares “At Knight Foundation, we search for arts partners with significant opportunity for authentic connection to their communities. In the case of New World Symphony and their digital infrastructure, they serve both local and global communities. The timing of our support is best when it can fuel transformation—of an institution and its communities. Opportunity and transformation define our relationship with New World Symphony. We look forward to their next digital adventures, led by the creative force of Michael Tilson Thomas.”

The Gala will feature a virtual VIP Reception including performances and conversation with special guest artists, and, for the first time, a streamed program available to the public at no cost, which will be highlighted by the World Premiere of a new film produced by MTT.

All proceeds from the Thirty-Third Anniversary Virtual Gala will support the Resilience Fund. More information can be found at nwsgala.org.

Performance Schedule

NWS performances will be recorded live at the New World Center and streamed on platforms including NWS.edu, YouTube, Facebook and the IDAGIO Global Concert Hall. Many programs will allow audiences to remain online following the performance to chat directly with artists and Fellows in a Virtual Green Room, allowing them the opportunity to ask questions and to collectively reflect on the performance. Further interactive features are being developed.

The Spring Season programming reflects NWS’s commitment to inclusion. NWS has pledged to ensure that a significant portion of its programming features BIPOC and women composers, artists, and creators.

A two-week Romanic era mini-festival kicks off the season February 6 and 13 featuring works by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Johannes Brahms, William Grant Still and others. The February 13 concert is highlighted with the Virtual Premiere of Florence Price’s Piano Quintet performed by Michelle Cann and New World Symphony Fellows. The season continues with a two-week focus on Stravinsky (February 27 and March 6) and his influences, including American Jazz and his Parisian contemporaries. Matthias Pintscher leads NWS and pianist Inon Barnatan in works by Marcus Balter, Lisa Streich, and the U.S. Premiere of Pintscher’s own Piano Concerto, NUR. MTT leads the orchestra on May 1 in the annual Side-by-Side Concert, a virtual concert that features young instrumentalists playing alongside NWS Fellows, and on May 8 in a concert of American Music with Principal Trumpet of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and NWS alumnus Billy Hunter.

Other season highlights include a Percussion Perspectives festival (April 24) and chamber music featuring oboist Jonathan Fischer (March 21). Pianist Awadagin Pratt makes his New World Symphony debut on April 25 for the World Premiere of Alvin Singleton’s Time Past, Time Future for Piano and String Orchestra.

Additionally, the season features several Fellow-programmed concerts, including the popular Live from our Living Room series created in March 2020 as a direct result of the pandemic.

Click here to browse NWS’s Spring 2021 events.

The Knight New Media Center

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation is a strong partner in exploring digital networks for fellowship training as well as capture and distribution of NWS performances. Acknowledging their financial commitment and professional encouragement, all NWS digital expression originates in the Knight New Media Center. While NWS leadership has always envisioned an expanding digital presence, the pandemic restrictions have hastened that work. Beyond the pandemic, NWS anticipates that programs of the Knight New Media Center will continue to have high value for Fellows, alumni, music students – local and global, and audiences for classical music.

The Fellowship

As a laboratory for musical education and expression, New World Symphony offers its Fellows a wide range of performance and instructional activities to develop in them the full complement of skills and qualifications required of musician leaders and agents of change. Under the artistic direction of Michael Tilson Thomas, the program offers in-depth exposure to traditional and modern repertoire with the active involvement of leading guest conductors, soloists, and coaches. Among the Spring 2021 season guests are Robert Spano, Anthony McGill, Kari Docter and Dr. Noa Kageyama. The relationships with these artists are extended through NWS’s pioneering experimentation with distance learning via Internet2. NWS provides opportunities for Fellows to create their own performance opportunities and projects.

Public Health and Safety

The New World Symphony is committed to maintaining a safe environment for Fellows, staff, and audiences. NWS strives to comply with the MB Standard, a set of enhanced safety measures put in place by the City of Miami Beach. All NWS Fellows and staff who wish to enter the New World Center must test negative for the Covid-19 virus and must be retested every week. All visitors to the NWS administrative offices must have a temperature check before entering the building. Masks are required in the New World Center at all times. The building is cleaned daily, and high-touch areas are cleaned multiple times daily.

Artistic Director Michael Tilson Thomas and the New World Symphony announce an innovative virtual fall season for Fellows and audiences featuring leading-edge distance learning, media training, musician-led activism and entrepreneurship, livestreamed concerts, and WALLCAST® concert special events. Click here to subscribe to the 2020-21 season.

The unprecedented pandemic and the resulting economic impact cut short the Spring 2020 season at the New World Symphony, as it did for arts organizations around the globe. Additionally, classical music, as an art form, has been challenged to address its traditional lack of inclusion. The New World Symphony has heard this call and is committed to ensuring inclusion both on stage and off.

NWS is a laboratory for generating new ideas about how music is taught, presented, and experienced. Digital capabilities, pandemic restrictions, and a commitment to a new level of diversity and inclusion are defining the 2020-21 fellowship season.

Of the Fellowship season, NWS President and CEO Howard Herring said, “The one room schoolhouse disappeared when better roads were built. That is an analogy that can be applied to the New World Symphony. Our original home, the proud but limited Lincoln Theatre, resembled a one room schoolhouse. Our New World Center provides digital paths to experts who expand the imaginations of our Fellows and distribution systems that carry our artistic expressions further - locally and globally. The pandemic is accelerating our experimentation along these digital paths. It is also prompting reflection and action in the area of equity, diversity, and inclusion. With MTT’s leadership, we will apply our resilience and invention to these opportunities.”

NWS is the beneficiary of two funding initiatives established by trustees and in support of innovation. The Fund for New Ventures invites philanthropic investment in forward-looking strategies for education and musical performance. The Resilience Fund gives donors the chance to support current and future programs that will make NWS more responsive and inventive.

For press inquiries contact Kathleen Drohan at 917-309-3100 or Kathleen.Drohan@nws.edu.

THE FELLOWSHIP

As the fellowship season begins, all training and performance will be online. NWS is uniquely capable of providing a robust fellowship in this digital environment. The Fellows are working from disparate locations, Miami Beach, across the U.S., Asia, Europe, and Australia. The programs anticipate that all Fellows will be in Miami by January 1, 2021 based on the lifting of pandemic restrictions.

Mentorship from Michael Tilson Thomas

Each Fellow will begin this season in one-on-one working sessions with Michael Tilson Thomas, New World Symphony’s artistic director, to identify their personal needs and goals and jointly make an individualized plan for the season.

“Back in March, when we had to halt our season, none of us fully appreciated the enormity of the challenges we were confronting - not only for the New World Symphony, but for the entire world,” said Michael Tilson Thomas. “Though we are still in the midst of these challenges, it has been inspiring to see how dedicated and resourceful our Fellows, visiting faculty, and staff have been in keeping the music alive. This fall, as we welcome a new class of Fellows, we will expand upon those efforts, exploring new ways to learn and collaborate together, while also continuing to bring music to the community as a source of comfort and inspiration.”

Fellow Training

As a laboratory for musical education and expression, New World Symphony offers its Fellows a wide range of performance and instructional activities to develop in them the full complement of skills and qualifications required of musician leaders and agents of change. Under the artistic direction of Michael Tilson Thomas, the program offers in-depth exposure to traditional and modern repertoire with the active involvement of leading guest conductors, soloists, and coaches. The relationships with these artists are extended through NWS’s pioneering experimentation with distance learning via Internet2. NWS provides opportunities for Fellows to create their own performance opportunities and projects.

During the Fall 2020 season, Fellows will participate in instrumental group coaching and master classes from musicians including members of the Minnesota, Cleveland and Metropolitan Opera orchestras, as well as the Boston, Kansas City, Milwaukee, and San Francisco symphonies. Additionally, each musician is able to schedule up to 10 online lessons from coaches of their choice anywhere in the world.

Media Training

Long acclaimed for its use of technology in its concert presentations and learning opportunities, the New World Symphony will offer all Fellows enhanced media training this season. This includes video and audio production sessions with members from the New World Symphony’s award-winning production team; discussions with NWS alumni Francisco Joubert Bernard (bassoon, @vg_bassonist) and Mark Grisez (trumpet, The Curious Musician) on creating online communities; and storytelling and media training with veteran journalist and media expert, Tamika Bickham.

NWS BLUE Projects

Each season, Fellows of the New World Symphony participate in entrepreneurial NWS BLUE Projects, which give the musicians an opportunity to Build, Learn, Understand and Experiment while exploring topics that are significant to them individually. The 2020-21 season is the first in which NWS Alumni can join Fellows in creating BLUE projects.

Highlighting Fall 2020 BLUE Projects, first-year Fellow Michael Martin, a bass player from Allentown, Pennsylvania, curates a series of conversations exploring race in the classical music world. “Black Reflections: Three conversations on Racial Justice in music” is a three-part panel discussion series on Black artistry in concert music hosted by Oberlin Conservatory and the New World Symphony. Conversations will focus on the historical and social context of Black musicians' participation in concert music, the personal experiences of Black musicians, and re-imagining a just and equitable future for Black artists in concert music. Panelists include Black artists, activists, scholars, and executives in classical music and jazz. Black Reflections is a partnership funded and hosted by Oberlin Conservatory of Music and the New World Symphony and has received promotional support from the Sphinx Organization and the Gateways Festival.

Community Engagement

Due to COVID19, NWS is reimagining its Community Engagement programs for the virtual space. Community Engagement is an important part of the New World Symphony’s mission to prepare graduates of music programs for leadership roles in orchestras and ensembles around the world. This year further helps prepare Fellows to engage with local and global communities in an online environment. NWS’s yearly community engagement programs including MusicLab, Education Concerts, and performances at local partner organizations will be presented online, providing a unique opportunity for audiences to interact with Fellows and for Fellows to expand their experiences collaborating and presenting to the community. This includes more online collaborations with Miami Music Project, a completely virtual education concert hosted by Fellows, and various digital performances for non-profit organizations that serve children and adults.

NWS will continue to provide online lessons and master classes to our partners outside of South Florida, including Iberacademy in Medellín, Colombia, through NWS Connect and individual online coaching between Fellows and students. The expanded online experience will include instrumental lessons as well as audition training seminars, and master classes curated by MTT.

NWS Fellows will also have access to coaching specific to online community engagement in the areas of online pedagogy, digital engagement, and virtual music education events. This year’s coaches include Susanna Loewy, Program Director and Lead Teaching Artist for Project 440; Justin Hines, Senior Composition Mentor for the New York Philharmonic Very Young Composers Program; Anthony Parce, Viola, Nashville Symphony and NWS alum, who has extensive experience in classroom and community embedded work.

Inclusion

The New World Symphony is committed to diversity and inclusion, believing that the viability and vitality of the performing arts depends on their being reflective of the communities which they serve. This season, NWS programming will include a minimum of 11 composers who identify as women and 15 who identify as BIPOC.

For the second year in a row, Crossroads Antiracism Organizing & Training will engage staff, Fellows, and board members in an Introduction to Systemic Racism workshop, designed for institutions who want to understand the systemic nature of racism and the role institutions play in its maintenance. Additionally, NWS has created an Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Committee made up of members of the staff, Fellows, and Trustees.

Health and Wellness

NWS offers a variety of health and wellness initiatives for the Fellows to ensure holistic growth during their Fellowship. These include virtual training in the Alexander Technique, Feldenkrais method, and yoga, as well as the opportunity to meet with an audiologist. Additionally, this season, New World Symphony is offering mental health support through BetterHelp, an online counseling platform, at no cost to the Fellows. Each NWS Fellow is allowed a budget to cater their wellness training to suit their personal needs.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

NWS performances begin in online formats. As pandemic restrictions are lifted, Fellows and, ultimately, audiences will return to the New World Center.

The Knight New Media Center

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation is a strong partner in exploring digital networks for fellowship training as well as capture and distribution of NWS performances. Acknowledging their financial commitment and professional encouragement, all NWS digital expression originates in the Knight New Media Center. While NWS leadership has always envisioned an expanding digital presence, the pandemic restrictions have hastened that work. Beyond the pandemic, NWS anticipates that programs of the Knight New Media Center will continue to have high value for Fellows, alumni, music students – local and global, and audiences for classical music.

IDAGIO Partnership

New World Symphony is proud to have partnered with the IDAGIO Global Concert Hall, a new online concert venue made available to audiences worldwide. NWS will use this audiovisual platform to offer exclusive digital concerts, and audiences will be able to enjoy performances by NWS directly from the comfort of their own homes. The concerts are streamed live and are available across the globe for 48 hours following the initial broadcast. Many programs will allow audiences to remain online following the performance to chat directly with artists and Fellows in a Virtual Green Room, allowing them the opportunity to ask questions and to collectively reflect on the performance. Further interactive features are being developed.

Live from our Living Room

The New World Symphony had to close the doors to the New World Center and cancel in-person concerts on March 12. By the following Friday, March 20, the New World Symphony Fellows had created a new kind of chamber concert. They performed solo and in duos, socially distanced, in live concerts streamed on Facebook and archived on the New World Symphony website. Those concerts, among the only offerings of live music available at the time, continued weekly through June and ultimately more than 20,000 households worldwide watched them either live or on the NWS website.

Entirely programmed by Fellows, Live from our Living Room allowed the musicians to explore musical and social ideas. In each concert, the works were personalized with introductions by the musicians. On June 19th, the Fellows curated an evening in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and in tribute to the many lives lost to racial violence.

This popular and powerful series gets a Living Room upgrade and moves to the New World Center but remains true to its original concept. Programmed by the Fellows, these bi-monthly Friday evening concerts will feature solo and duo chamber performances, with ensemble size growing if conditions allow, and will be available free through Facebook Live, YouTube, and NWS.edu.

NWS at Dezerland Park Drive-In Theater and Hard Rock Stadium

Subscribers to the New World Symphony Season are invited to experience the Symphony in a new way. The groundbreaking New World Symphony WALLCAST® concert experience, traditionally limited to audiences in SoundScape Park, will be on the big screen at the Dezerland Park Drive-In Theater on October 17 and at the Hard Rock Stadium on November 14. The subscriber-only limited audience can experience New World Symphony led by Michael Tilson Thomas and guest conductors from the comfort and safety of their cars.

The Dezerland Park event marks the season’s first in-person event and will be a celebration of the communal concert-going experience, one of the great traditions of classical music, in a safe, socially distanced setting. Attendees will enjoy NWS performance highlights on Dezerland Park’s 13 x 36-foot LED screen.

At the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, guests will be treated to a completely furnished “outdoor park” created with artificial turf, where they can sit in socially distanced groups. Content will include highlights from past NWS events, in addition to content recorded specifically for this event and live appearances by NWS Fellows.

Adams x Adams

Pulitzer and multiple Grammy Award-winning composer John Adams will work with Fellows on a program of his chamber works, including Hallelujah Junction, Shaker Loops, as well as the works of living composers whom he champions. This will culminate in a concert program, curated by Adams, on November 7.

James Ehnes Bach Project

One of the most sought-after violinist of his time, James Ehnes undertook a monumental task as the pandemic silenced many performing artists – mastering and recording all six of J.S. Bach’s works for unaccompanied violin (3 Sonatas and 3 Partitas), cornerstones of the violin repertoire and considered to be amongst the most profound and challenging works written for the instrument. In partnership with Michael Tilson Thomas, Mr. Ehnes will guide the NWS Fellows in a deep-dive exploration of these works, coaching them one-on-one. All 22 Violin Fellows will participate, most in the live masterclasses, and a few who are based internationally, virtually. This project will culminate in a performance by Fellows on December 12.

Chamber Concerts

Two afternoons of chamber music will be streamed live and feature composers in conversation about their works.

On Sunday, November 1, the program will include works by Schubert and Slovenian composer Nina Šenk, who will participate in the concert remotely.

The Sunday, November 15 concert features the Dvořák Piano Quartet alongside works by Errollyn Wallen and Pulitzer Prize-winner Caroline Shaw. Both women will offer recorded comments on their works.

Percussion Consort

Curated by Dean of Chamber Music and Fellow Development Michael Linville, the Percussion Consort is consistently one of the most dynamic events of the New World Symphony season.

This season’s first all-percussion evening, October 10, will feature works by Tania León, Lou Harrison, Bartók, and more. The concert will be highlighted with a video performance of Henry Cowell’s Ostinato Pianissimo featuring New World Symphony Fellows and Alumni.

Educational Concerts

NWS will stream its annual Education Concert on December 15 and 16. This season’s concert is titled Voices of Nature and designed by NWS Fellows to introduce major orchestral works and composers to students grades 4-12. Registration deadline is October 16 at nws.edu/EducationConcerts.

Holiday Concert

The New World Symphony’s Holiday Concert, Sounds of the Season, is its thank-you to the community. This year’s concert, to be held on December 19, will feature highlights from past performances with live introductions by the NWS Fellows. The evening will be hosted live by NWS Conducting Fellow Chad Goodman and will celebrate the season with festive classics featuring a Miami twist.

Health and Wellness Programs

The New World Symphony continues to offer health and wellness programs free to our community.

NWS Fellows Chelsea Sharpe, violin, and Marlea Simpson, viola, perform as a live accompaniment to Baptist Health’s Virtual Tai Chi class on September 26 at 11:30 AM.

Yoga Mornings from the New World Center will continue with a virtual vinyasa class beginning on October 3 at 9:00 AM. Yoga Mornings are presented by Jackson Health System.

Public Health and Safety

The New World Symphony is committed to maintaining a safe environment for Fellows, staff, and audiences. NWS strives to comply with the MB Standard, a set of enhanced safety measures put in place by the City of Miami Beach. All NWS Fellows and staff who wish to enter the New World Center must test negative for the Covid-19 virus and must be retested every month. All visitors to the NWS administrative offices must have a temperature check before entering the building. Masks are required in the New World Center at all times. The building is cleaned daily, and high-touch areas are cleaned multiple times daily.

2020-21 Season Sponsors

NWS would like to recognize the following institutional partners: Knight Foundation and New World Symphony: Reimagining Classical Music in the Digital Age; Carnival Corporation is the Premier Sponsor of the New World Symphony; NWS concerts are presented with the support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners; NWS concerts are presented with support of the City of Miami Beach, Cultural Affairs Program, Cultural Arts Council; Hitachi is a Technology Partner of the New World Symphony; Yamaha is the Official Piano of the New World Symphony; IDAGIO is the Official Audio Streaming Partner of the New World Symphony.

For more information about the New World Symphony’s 2020 Fall Season contact Kathleen Drohan, Vice President of Public Relations,
at Kathleen.Drohan@NWS.edu or 917-309-3100.

As possible, and in accordance with County and City regulations, New World Symphony will allow limited in-person, socially distanced audiences.

All programs and schedule subject to change. For ticket and viewing information visit NWS.edu.