Highlights of 98th Season, which opens November 8, 2025, include:
- Six Distinctive Programs, all led by Music Director Brett Mitchell, with matinee and evening performances at Ambassador Auditorium;
- Landmark Orchestral Works that haven’t been performed by the orchestra in over a decade, including Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique to open the season and Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6 “Pathétique;”
- Classical Masterworks including Mendelssohn Symphony No. 3, “Scottish,” Beethoven Symphony No. 3, “Eroica” and Dvořák Symphony No. 9 “From the New World;”
- The Future of Classical Music on display with a co-commission of Juan Pablo Contreras’ First Symphony, the west coast premiere of Jennifer Higdon’s Cello Concerto and a co-commission and west coast premiere of Jonathan Leshnoff’s “Rhapsody on America;”
- Slate of Acclaimed Guest Artists performing a mix of old and new concerti – Pianists Orion Weiss (Ravel Piano Concerto in G), Michelle Cann (Mozart Piano Concerto No. 23) and Joyce Yang (Leshnoff Piano Concerto), Violinist Tessa Lark (Meyer Violin Concerto) and Cellist Julian Schwarz (Higdon Cello Concerto)
Mitchell kicks off the 25/26 season on November 8th with Berlioz’ bold and electrifying Symphonie Fantastique, which the orchestra has never before performed at Ambassador Auditorium. Plus, acclaimed pianist Orion Weiss performs Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G Major and the concert opens with Principal Tuba Jim Self’s Tour de Force, on the occasion of his 50th anniversary with the orchestra! The new year brings Mendelssohn & Meyer on January 24, 2026. Mitchell will take us on a rich musical journey, through Scotland with Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture and Symphony No. 3 “Scottish,” and then through fields of Kentucky bluegrass with Edgar Meyer’s Violin Concerto performed by multiple award-winning phenom Tessa Lark.
The orchestra will perform the Ambassador Auditorium debut for another masterwork on February 21st, with Tchaikovsky’s haunting Symphony No. 6 “Pathétique.” The program opens with Colorado-based composer Jeffrey Nytch’s Beacon and a shimmering performance of Mozart’s 23rd Piano Concerto by Grammy Award-winning pianist Michelle Cann. March 21st brings Mexican-American composer Juan Pablo Contreras to the stage to introduce his first symphony, which the Pasadena Symphony co-commissioned. “My Great Dream” captures Contreras’ journey to becoming both a composer and US Citizen. Bernstein’s Dance Variations from Fancy Free opens the program, and Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 “From the New World” caps this tribute to the American spirit.
Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 “Eroica” fills the concert hall with revolutionary verve on March 21st, accompanied by 2025 ASCAP Young Composer Award-winner Quinn Mason’s Heroic Overture. The west coast premiere of Grammy-winning composer Jennifer Higdon’s Cello Concerto completes the program, performed by cellist Julian Schwarz, whom the concerto was written for. The season closes with a celebration of America @250 on May 30th, highlighting American composition throughout the last century from Copland’s Lincoln Portrait and Appalachian Spring Suite to John Williams’ Selections from American Journey, commissioned by President Clinton for the 2000 Millennium celebrations. The Pasadena Symphony is also proud to present the west coast premiere and co-commission of Jonathan Leshnoff’s “Rhapsody on America” written for and performed by award-winning pianist Joyce Yang.
The Pasadena Symphony provides a quintessential experience specially designed for the music lover, the social butterfly or a date night out. Audiences can enjoy a pre-concert meal at nearby restaurants in Old Town Pasadena or have a drink on Ambassador Auditorium’s beautiful outdoor plaza. The symphony also offers a pre-concert discussion one hour prior to each performance hosted by KUSC Classical California’s Brian Lauritzen, who interviews Music Director Brett Mitchell and special guests including soloists and composers.
All Pasadena Symphony concerts take place at Ambassador Auditorium, 131 S. St. John Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91105, with performances at 2pm and 8pm. Subscription packages start at $120 with single tickets starting at $55. Both may be purchased online at pasadenasymphony-pops.org or by calling (626) 793-7172.
2025/26 Symphony Series Calendar
Symphonie Fantastique!
November 8, 2025
Brett Mitchell, conductor
Orion Weiss, piano
Jim Self Tour de Force
Ravel Piano Concerto in G Major
Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique
Mitchell kicks off the season in dramatic style with Ravel’s jazz-inspired Piano Concerto and Berlioz’s bold, hallucinatory masterpiece of passion, obsession and vivid orchestral storytelling. Plus Principal Tuba Jim Self’s celebratory orchestral composition Tour de Force opens his 50th season with the orchestra!
Mendelssohn & Meyer
January 24, 2026
Brett Mitchell, conductor
Tessa Lark, violin
Mendelssohn The Hebrides Overture
Edgar Meyer Violin Concerto
Mendelssohn Symphony No. 3, “Scottish”
Embark on a rich musical journey through the misty beauty of the Highlands with Mendelssohn’s evocative Scottish Symphony and acclaimed violinist Tessa Lark brings you through fields of Kentucky bluegrass with fire and finesse for Edgar Meyer’s genre-blending Violin Concerto.
Tchaikovsky Pathétique
February 21, 2026
Brett Mitchell, conductor
Michelle Cann, piano
Jeffrey Nytch Beacon
Mozart Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major, K. 488
Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6, “Pathétique”
Delight in the elegance of Mozart’s 23rd Piano Concerto, shimmering with grace and lyrical beauty at the hands of the electrifying Michelle Cann. Then, plunge into the emotional depths of Tchaikovsky’s haunting “Pathétique” Symphony for a gripping journey exploring love, despair and fate.
From the New World
March 21, 2026
Brett Mitchell, conductor
Juan Pablo Contreras, composer & special guest
Bernstein Three Dance Variations from Fancy Free
Contreras Symphony No. 1, “My Great Dream” *co-commission
Dvořák Symphony No. 9, “From the New World”
Experience the Pasadena debut of Mexican-American composer Juan Pablo Conteras’ first symphony, capturing his journey to becoming a composer and a US citizen, and get lost in one of the most popular symphonies of all time – a tribute to the American spirit.
Beethoven Eroica
April 25, 2026
Brett Mitchell, conductor
Julian Schwarz, cello
Quinn Mason Heroic Overture (Overtura Eroica)
Jennifer Higdon Cello Concerto *west coast premiere
Beethoven Symphony No. 3, “Eroica”
A grand display of musical innovation across centuries, with the west coast premiere of Grammy-winning composer Jennifer Higdon’s cello concerto, and the bold spirit of Beethoven’s ground-breaking Eroica Symphony—revolutionary, heroic and full of power.
America @ 250
May 30, 2026
Brett Mitchell, conductor
Joyce Yang, piano
Williams Selections from American Journey
Jonathan Leshnoff Rhapsody on “America” *co-commission & west coast premiere
Copland Suite from Appalachian Spring
Copland Lincoln Portrait
A celebration of the American spirit with a concert work by John Williams and two seminal pieces by Copland – Lincoln Portrait and Appalachian Spring. Plus award-winning pianist Joyce Yang dazzles on the west coast premiere of a new concerto by Jonathan Leshnoff to top off the season with a bang!
ABOUT THE PASADENA SYMPHONY ASSOCIATION
Formed in 1928, the Pasadena Symphony and POPS is an ensemble of Hollywood’s most talented, sought-after musicians. With extensive credits in film, television, recording and the orchestral industry, the artists of the Pasadena Symphony and POPS are some of the most heard in the world.
Brett Mitchell assumed the post of Pasadena Symphony Music Director on April 1, 2024. The multi-platinum-selling, Emmy and Grammy Award-nominated entertainer dubbed “The Ambassador of the Great American Songbook,” Michael Feinstein, assumed the role of Principal Pops Conductor Emeritus in September 2025, after leading the POPS for 14 years, succeeding Marvin Hamlisch. Resident Pops Conductor Larry Blank will lead the POPS for the 2026 season.
The Pasadena Symphony and POPS performs in two of the most extraordinary venues in the United States: Ambassador Auditorium, known as the Carnegie Hall of the West, and the Los Angeles Arboretum & Botanic Garden.
A hallmark of its robust education programs, the Pasadena Symphony Association has served the youth of the region for over five decades through the Pasadena Youth Symphony Orchestras (PYSO). PYSO offers supplemental in-class instruction within the Pasadena Unified School District and eleven performance ensembles, serving over 700 4th-12th grade students from all over Southern California. The PYSO has performed at venues across the globe as well as on the television show GLEE.
The Pasadena Symphony Association provides people from all walks of life with powerful access points to the world of symphonic music. www.pasadenasymphony-pops.org
