Miami International Piano Festival Ilya Itin will perform at the Miami International Piano Festival in October. Ilya Itin will perform at the Miami International Piano Festival in October. Courtesy of Miami International Piano Festival

Season opener features six internationally acclaimed pianists performing beloved masterpieces for two pianos. Albert Cano Smit and Julien Libeer take on Mozart’s “Sonata in D major” and Debussy’s “Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun”; Reed Tetzloff and Stephen Beus tackle Barber’s “Souvenirs, Op. 28” and “Fantasy on Porgy and Bess” by George Gershwin and Percy Grainger; and Kemal Gekić and Ilya Itin conclude the evening with Rachmaninoff’s “Suite No. 1 in G minor, Op. 5” and Ravel’s “La Valse.”

Oct. 18 at Aventura Arts & Cultural Center, 3385 NE 188th St., Aventura

A Spooky Symphony Greater Miami Youth Symphony hosts its annual Spooky Symphony on October 23 along with the Alhambra Orchestra. Greater Miami Youth Symphony hosts its annual Spooky Symphony on October 23 along with the Alhambra Orchestra. Courtesy of GMYS

Show your little ones that the world can be an entertaining place away from their precious social-media devices with this annual family tradition offering real, live culture. The Alhambra Orchestra and Greater Miami Youth Symphony team up for a multimedia Halloween concert filled with movie themes and eerie classics. Best of all, everyone is encouraged to dress up as their favorite scary monster (or not-so-scary character of their choice) — even the musicians will perform in costume — and it’s free! Presented in partnership with The Children’s Trust.

Oct. 23 at Dennis C. Moss Cultural Arts Center, 10950 SW 211th St., Cutler Bay

New World Symphony New World Symphony is joined by violinst Jennifer Koh for a performance featuring works of great composers of the late 20th century. New World Symphony is joined by violinst Jennifer Koh for a performance featuring works of great composers of the late 20th century. JÜRGEN FRANK JÜRGEN FRANK

The New World Symphony plays the giants of the late 20th century, with young Icelandic composer Daníel Bjarnason conducting and the Grammy-winning Jennifer Koh on violin. After opening with the 15-minute orchestral work “Emergence (Birting)” by Bjarnason (who has collaborated with Sigur Rós and Brian Eno), NWS performs Philip Glass’ propulsive, swirling “Violin Concerto No. 1”; Steve Reich’s shifting “Three Movements for Orchestra”; and Igor Stravinsky’s war-inspired “Symphony in Three Movements.” Interesting aside: Reich turns 90 on Oct. 3, while Glass turns 90 on Jan. 31, 2027.

Oct. 24-25 at New World Center, 500 17th St., Miami Beach

Palm Beach Symphony Palm Beach Symphony Palm Beach Symphony JeanCarlo IndieHouse Films

The revered Masterworks Series opens its season with Maestro Gerard Schwarz leading legendary pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet in Camille Saint-Saëns’ exotic Piano Concerto No. 5 in F major, Op. 103 “Egyptian,” which was his final piano concerto, written in 1896. Also on the bill: the world premiere of American composer Daron Aric Hagen’s “Consolation (Haiku #4)” and the timeless splendor of Brahms’ “Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98.”

Nov. 17 at Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach

Chamber Orchestra of Europe Pianist Beatrice Rana will perform with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe at the Arsht Center. Pianist Beatrice Rana will perform with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe at the Arsht Center. Simon Fowler

The winner of two Grammys and three Gramophone Record of the Year Awards for its “virtuosic joy of playing and depth of feeling” (Sächsische Zeitung) makes its Arsht Center debut, with Canadian conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin. The all-Brahms program features Italian pianist Beatrice Rana, hailed by The Guardian as “a compelling storyteller [of] sustained force and perfectly weighted brilliance.” Program includes Brahms’ massive Piano Concerto No. 2 and the richly lyrical Symphony No. 2.

Dec. 8 at Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami

South Florida Symphony Orchestra Maestra Sebrina Maria Alfonso leads the South Florida Symphony Orchestra. Maestra Sebrina Maria Alfonso leads the South Florida Symphony Orchestra. Steven Shires

Under the direction of Maestra Sebrina María Alfonso, the aching beauty of Barber’s “Adagio for Strings” sets the tone for a sublime evening. The passionate piece is followed by the SFSO premiere of Florence Price’s expressive “Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major” featuring enchanting violinist Melissa White, which blends the Romantic era with musical influences rooted in African American spirituals and folk idioms. Closing the program is Danish composer Carl Nielsen’s Symphony No. 2, “The Four Temperaments,” a vivid psychological portrait drawn in sound.

Feb. 9, 2027, at New World Center, 500 17th St., Miami Beach; Feb. 10, Parker Playhouse, 707 NE 8th St., Fort Lauderdale

Munich Philharmonic One of Europe’s finest orchestras makes its Arsht debut under the baton of its new leader, Lahav Shani. One of Europe’s finest orchestras makes its Arsht debut under the baton of its new leader, Lahav Shani. Tobias Hase

One of Europe’s finest orchestras makes its Arsht debut under the baton of its new leader, Lahav Shani, “a conductor of rare charisma and natural authority” (The New York Times). The “powerhouse ensemble with a distinctive, burnished sound” (The Guardian) takes on three masterpieces by some of classical music’s best-loved composers: Prokofiev’s elegant yet dissonant Symphony No. 1 “Classical”; Shostakovich’s high-energy “Piano Concerto No. 2,” written as a 19th birthday present for his son, Maxim; and the lavish melodies of Schubert’s Symphony No. 9 “Great.”

Feb. 16, 2027, at Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami

New World Symphony New World Symphony performs Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos with guest conductor Jeannette Sorrell. New World Symphony performs Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos with guest conductor Jeannette Sorrell. Sis Burn

Johann Sebastian Bach’s daring Brandenburg Concertos are widely considered among the greatest orchestral compositions of the Baroque era, and Grammy-winning Baroque interpreter, harpsichordist and guest conductor Jeannette Sorrell brings her swagger to the performances. The program includes Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 and Brandenburg Concerto No. 3; Vivaldi’s fiery “La Folia,” which builds on an old, fast Spanish dance theme meaning “madness”; and Mozart’s exhilarating “Overture to The Marriage of Figaro” and intensely emotional and immediately recognizable “Symphony No. 40.”

March 6-7, 2027, at New World Center, 500 17th St., Miami Beach

Yuja Wang Yuja Wang - Photo by Julia Wesely Yuja Wang – Photo by Julia Wesely julia wesely

The charismatic Wang, “quite simply the most uncannily gifted pianist in the concert world today” (San Francisco Chronicle), makes her Arsht Center debut, and you can say you were there to witness it. With her flawless technique and dynamic range, Wang has been described as a “phenomenon … dazzling, daring and supremely controlled” (The Guardian). The program for her Arsht appearance has yet to be announced, but her choices would hardly seem to matter: Recently, after a series of performances at Carnegie Hall, the Financial Times wrote that “the audience staggered out as one, all changed, all humbled, all grateful for that ticket.”

March 23, 2027, at Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami

Seraphic Fire — Misa Criolla

South Florida’s preeminent vocal choir closes Season 24 with a vibrant celebration of Latin American music, centered on Ariel Ramírez’s beloved “Misa Criolla,” which blends the traditional Mass text with the rhythms and folk instruments of Argentina. The program also features music by Miami composers Álvaro Bermúdez and Sydney Guillaume, weaving contemporary choral writing with the musical traditions of Argentina, Colombia and Haiti.

April 8-11, 2027, various locations.

This story was originally published September 20, 2026 at 4:30 AM.