The Illinois Symphony Orchestra is headed into its 2026-27 season with a Fantasia-inspired Halloween program, plus stars from Broadway's Wicked and a Shakespeare-inspired overture
"I'm thrilled to welcome you to our third season together," Music Director Taichi Fukumura said in a statement, "celebrating the energy, artistry and connection that continue to grow with every performance."
The Masterwork Series is set to debut this fall — kicking off Oct. 30 with a Halloween-themed program built around orchestral "magic" and mischief.
The program includes Dukas' The Sorcerer's Apprentice (made famous by Disney's Fantasia), Richard Strauss's Till Eulenspiegel, Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite and Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 1, performed by soloist violinist Claire Wells. A show on Halloween night is set for 7:30 p.m. at the ISU Center for the Performing Arts.
Next comes Pictures in Motion on Nov. 21 at ISU — music that tells a story through vivid imagery. Award-winning pianist Jeremy Denk will solo three pieces.
The headliner will open with Bernd Richard Deutsch's Con Moto, a newer, contemporary set that's less known. Closing the night is Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition [orchestrated by Maurice Ravel], inspired by a memorial exhibit of paintings by Mussorgsky's late friend Viktor Hartmann.
A return to a popular holiday program will run in December. Holiday Pops in the Heartland will make its mark with tunes from famous Christmas movies like Home Alone, Babes in Toyland and The Snowman, among others. The Springfield Choral Society will join the orchestra at its Bloomington-Normal stop.
The new year opens with a smaller-scale offering, part of the orchestra's two evenings for chamber orchestra. A Matter of Taste, led by Resident Conductor Jacobsen Woollen, leans into a sensory theme Jan. 16 at Second Presbyterian Church in Bloomington. The series concludes April 3 with a program featuring Gao Hong in Tan Dun's Concerto for String Orchestra and Pipa, a plucked Chinese instrument similar to a lute.
The program includes Mendelssohn's Overture to A Midsummer Night's Dream alongside Maxime Goulet's Chocolats Symphoniques, a whimsical contemporary work structured around different chocolates and flavors.
On Feb. 13 comes an all-American celebration with Crazy for Gershwin, timed to Valentine's weekend. Pianist Jeffrey Biegel will solo on Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, and the program closes with An American in Paris. Works by American composers Peter Boyer and Dana Suesse complete the evening.
March will bring some Broadway star power to the Illinois Symphony stage. Good Witch/Bad Witch features Alli Mauzy and Dee Roscioli, both alumnae of Wicked's Broadway cast as Glinda and Elphaba.
The season closes in late April with the Illinois State University Concert Choir. Fate Now Conquers opens, with the choir joining for Bach's Magnificat and Brahms' Symphony No. 2 as the finale — his sunniest, most pastoral symphony — on April 24 at ISU
The season also brings back familiar faces on the podium like Vince Lee, alongside the guest artist lineup: Wells, Denk, Biegel and Hong.
Season tickets are on sale now. To order tickets, call 309-438-2535. Full program details can be found at ilsymphony.org.
