The timeless power of music and memory propel South Florida Symphony Orchestra\u2019s (SFSO) \u201cUnstoppable\u201d 29th season under the direction of award-winning Maestra Sebrina Mar\u00eda Alfonso. Experience an exhilarating concert series that bridges beloved masterworks and bold contemporary brilliance.<\/p>\n
From the sweeping passion of Beethoven, the soaring romance of Tchaikovsky, and the radiant elegance of Barber and Brahms to the evocative, lauded works by living composers including Higdon, Esmail, and Chen & He, SFSO\u2019s upcoming 2026\/27 season is filled with unstoppable music and unforgettable moments.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur 2026\/27 season features larger-than-life music that flies straight to the heart,\u201d said Alfonso. \u201cWe aim to connect our audiences to the timeless power of the world\u2019s greatest composers, coupled with the thrill of some of today\u2019s most influential voices. Taking center stage is Beethoven, a composer of incomparable genius, who two centuries after his death, continues to live through music that is as vital today as it was when it was written. Add Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Barber, Shostakovich, Price and a handful of esteemed living composers to the mix; you\u2019ve got a season ready to excite, ignite, and entertain.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 2026\/27 line-up for Key West performances at the Tennessee Williams Theatre is:<\/p>\n
Beethoven:Symphony No. 5<\/p>\n
Saturday, Jan. 23, 7:30 p.m.<\/p>\n
A sonic tour de force that spans centuries. Four thundering notes and you immediately know the grip of Beethoven\u2019s enigmatic Fifth. Nina Bernat steps into the spotlight with two strikingly different works\u2014Esmail\u2019s searching Perhaps and Bottesini\u2019s electrifying Double Bass Concerto No. 2. And Mozart unleashes a world of intrigue, tension, and theatrical fire with his vivid Overture to Don Giovanni.<\/p>\n
Beethoven is in the limelight as SFSO commemorates the 200th anniversary of his passing beginning with the unmistakable four-note grip of his epic Fifth to an all-out, larger-than-life performance of his monumental Ninth, with its exultant \u201cOde to Joy\u201d finale, that inspires awe, awakens emotion, and celebrates the extraordinary power of live orchestral music to unite us in wonder, beauty, and delight.<\/p>\n
Florence Price\u2019s groundbreaking Violin Concerto No. 2 (featuring Melissa White) and the aching beauty of Barber\u2019s Adagio for Strings will leave audiences swooning. Along the way, discover thrilling musical gems by living composers, including three-time GRAMMY and Pulitzer Prize winner Jennifer Higdon\u2019s \u201cCathedrals\u201d from All Things Majestic, Reena Esmail\u2019s Perhaps, and Chen and He\u2019s Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto (featuring SFSO concertmaster Huifang Chen). Known as the \u201cRomeo and Juliet of the East,\u201d Butterfly Lovers is one of China\u2019s most popular and performed orchestral works.<\/p>\n
Esmail: Perhaps (2005, rev. 2015) (SFSO Premiere)<\/p>\n
Mozart: Overture to Don Giovanni<\/p>\n
Bottesini: Double Bass Concerto No. 2 (SFSO Premiere)<\/p>\n
Featuring Nina Bernat, double bass<\/p>\n
Florence Price\u2019s Violin Concert No. 1<\/p>\n
Saturday, Feb. 13, 7:30 p.m.<\/p>\n
Time and breath stand still in Barber\u2019s Adagio for Strings. Florence Price\u2019s expressive Violin Concerto No. 1, featuring violinist Melissa White, blends the Romantic era with musical influences rooted in African-American spirituals and folk idioms. Closing the program is Carl Nielsen\u2019s Symphony No. 2, \u201cThe Four Temperaments,\u201d a vivid psychological portrait drawn in sound.<\/p>\n
Barber: Adagio for Strings<\/p>\n
Price: Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major (SFSO Premiere)<\/p>\n
Featuring Melissa White, violin<\/p>\n
Nielsen: Symphony No. 2, \u201cThe Four Temperaments\u201d<\/p>\n
Beethoven\u2019s Ninth and Grand Opera Arias with the South Florida Symphony Chorus<\/p>\n
Saturday, March 20, 7:30 p.m.<\/p>\n
Two hundred years after his death, Beethoven\u2019s Ninth remains an unstoppable force. Considered one of the greatest pieces of music ever written, and culminating in the famous \u201cOde to Joy\u201d chorus, its powerful message of hope and brotherly love is equally relevant today and is a testament to the composer\u2019s genius. Performed with the South Florida Symphony Chorus and special guest vocalists, the commemorative evening opens with a selection of popular opera arias.<\/p>\n
From sold-out masterworks performances to accompanying today\u2019s musicians such as Natalie Merchant and performing modern musical scores including Tim Burton\u2019s The Nightmare Before Christmas and Back to the Future, featuring the iconic films screened live with audio and musical accompaniment, South Florida\u2019s largest symphonic orchestra is continuing its journey of excellence inspiring audiences of all ages and musical genres.<\/p>\n
Season subscriptions are on sale now for the Key West season at the Tennessee Williams Theatre at The College of the Florida Keys, 5901 College Road. Discounted subscription packages may be purchased by visiting southfloridasymphony.org\/2026-27-season<\/a> or by calling (954) 522-8445. Subscribers save up to 20% off single ticket prices and have first access to the best seats in the house. Three-concert packages in Key West from $105. Flexible ticket packages, single-show tickets, including student ticket and group rates, go on sale September 1, 2026.<\/p>\n For additional information, visit southfloridasymphony.org<\/a>, call (954) 522-8445 or email info@southfloridasymphony.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n About South Florida Symphony Orchestra (SFSO)<\/p>\n Founded in 1997 in Key West by Music Director Maestra Sebrina Mar\u00eda Alfonso, the Fort Lauderdale-based South Florida Symphony Orchestra (SFSO) is celebrating its 29th season. SFSO is dedicated to providing enriching cultural music experiences to residents and visitors in Monroe, Miami-Dade and Broward Counties. Guided by the belief that music is pivotal to thriving communities, SFSO brings vibrancy and engagement with the arts via innovative programming and transformative educational initiatives. A pioneer in its commitment to symphonic music for underserved communities, its Symphony in the Schools program has touched the lives of over 160,000 students since its inception in 1997. SFSO was recently named the first Partner in the Arts for The Parker by the Broward Center for the Performing Arts and has been recognized by the Broward County Cultural Division as a \u201cMajor Cultural Institution,\u201d one of only a handful of organizations to be so honored. For a performance schedule and season tickets, call (954) 522-8445 or visit southfloridasymphony.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The timeless power of music and memory propel South Florida Symphony Orchestra\u2019s (SFSO) \u201cUnstoppable\u201d 29th season under the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":356088,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[145349,145351,145344,39655,145350,93283,145345,145343,9236,93279,145347,145339,145336,249,251,250,145338,145340,2559,145334,1407,145342,93278,93233,37784,60242,145337,95092,807,145341,29625,145335,8054,145348,145346,93280],"class_list":["post-356087","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fort-lauderdale","tag-adagio-for-strings","tag-butterfly-lovers","tag-carl-nielsen","tag-classical-music","tag-composer","tag-compositions","tag-compositions-for-orchestra","tag-compositions-for-symphony-orchestra","tag-concert","tag-concerto","tag-d-major","tag-double-bass","tag-florence-price","tag-fort-lauderdale","tag-fort-lauderdale-headlines","tag-fort-lauderdale-news","tag-jennifer-higdon","tag-johannes-brahms","tag-key-west","tag-ludwig-van-beethoven","tag-music","tag-musical-composition","tag-musical-compositions","tag-musicology","tag-opera","tag-orchestra","tag-pyotr-ilyich-tchaikovsky","tag-samuel-barber","tag-south-florida","tag-subscription-business-model","tag-symphony","tag-symphony-no-9-beethoven","tag-violin","tag-violin-concerto","tag-violin-concerto-barber","tag-wolfgang-amadeus-mozart"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/356087","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=356087"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/356087\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/356088"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=356087"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=356087"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=356087"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}