Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Unveils 2026-27 Season

The Shanghai Symphony Orchestra has released its 93-performance 2026-2027 season.

Of the 90-plus shows, 37 are available for pre-sale starting from July 1. There are discounts for those who prefer to prepare their schedules well in advance.

In addition to smaller chamber music events and city-life-focused elements like "Music Map Classroom" and "After-Work Concerts," the new season features 28 large-scale symphony concerts with famous maestros and renowned orchestras.

The season opens with two symphony concerts on September 11 and 13, celebrating Shostakovich's 120th birthday. In both events, Leonidas Kavakos will play the violin.

The Greek-born violinist also serves as the SSO's artist-in-residence. He will perform Shostakovich's Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor and Mozart's No. 5 in A major in the opening concerts.

The SSO will present Respighi's "Roman Trilogy" (Feste Romane, Fontane di Roma, and Pini di Roma) on October 7 under Swiss conductor Charles Dutoit, a "master of orchestral color." Dutoit turns 90 that day.

The Singapore Symphony Orchestra, under new music director Hannu Lintu, will perform Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor and Mahler's Symphony No. 1 in D major ("Titan") in October.

The SSO will perform Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana" under the baton of post-1990s conductor Sun Yifan in the same month. They will be joined by baritone Liao Changyong and the National Center for the Performing Arts Chorus.

Sun and the SSO will also perform passages from "Romeo and Juliet," "The Magic Flute," and "Carmen" alongside Berlin Philharmonic principal flautist Emmanuel Pahud in January.

Shanghai will welcome cellist Yo-Yo Ma after a decade. He will perform with the SSO for a Chinese New Year concert in January with pipa virtuoso Wu Man and sheng musician Wu Tong.

The SSO will perform Beethoven's 32 piano sonatas, major variations, all three sets of bagatelles, rondos, and other solo piano pieces in 11 concerts, featuring 11 active Chinese pianists from different generations, to commemorate the composer's 200th death anniversary.

The new season will also feature the Quatuor Diotima, Viano Quartet, and Doric String Quartet presenting Beethoven's string quartets in order.

Tickets cost 80 yuan (US$11.7) to 1,880 yuan for pre-sale. Audience members can customize their subscription plan by selecting 5 or more pre-sale concerts from the 37 available.

The pre-sale runs from July 1 to 14. SSO tickets can be purchased online at www.shsymphony.cn (English service) or through the orchestra's WeChat mini-program "上海交响乐团."

These two networks also provide fresh season information.