2025–26 SEASON OPENING NIGHT CELEBRATION COMMEMORATING THE ORCHESTRA’S 125TH ANNIVERSARY

(Philadelphia, August 26, 2025)—Music and Artistic Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the GRAMMY Award–winning Philadelphia Orchestra—recently described in the Philadelphia Inquirer as “mind-blowingly good … at the top of its considerable form”—will launch the star-studded, celebratory 2025–26 season marking the Orchestra’s 125th anniversary on Thursday, September 25, 2025, at 7:00 PM in Marian Anderson Hall at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts with an Opening Night Celebration fit for the occasion, with world-renowned pianist Yuja Wang, an artist with deep connections to the Orchestra and to Philadelphia. Tickets to the Opening Night concert are available at 215.893.1999 or www.philorch.org. For those interested in purchasing a benefactor package for Opening Night, more information is available here.   

Throughout the 2025–26 season, The Philadelphia Orchestra will look to the past and future simultaneously, celebrating the Orchestra’s essential place in American musical life, and in the birthplace of American democracy, as well as its historic and contemporary role as a musical innovator. The Opening Night Concert embodies the spirit of the celebration, featuring Yuja Wang in Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major, a work that received its United States premiere by the Orchestra in 1932. The piece will be paired with two works by living composers: Arturo Márquez’s Danzón No. 2 and Julia Wolfe’s Pretty, a piece co-commissioned by the Orchestra and Nézet-Séguin that received its Philadelphia premiere last season to rave reviews.  

“The season ahead is a joyful celebration of The Philadelphia Orchestra’s rich history and influence, from our earliest days to the present. I am so excited to kick off this musical fête with the brilliant musicians of the Orchestra and our dear friend Yuja Wang on Opening Night,” said Nézet-Séguin, who is entering his 14th season with the Orchestra. “Everyone is welcome to join us on this journey as we perform incredible works that were first heard here in Philadelphia, honor the underrepresented composers whose important contributions have helped to shape our musical landscape, and share new works by some of the most influential composers of our time.”  

“The 125th anniversary of The Philadelphia Orchestra is a moment of historic significance that we look forward to celebrating all year, beginning with a thrilling Opening Night,” said Ryan Fleur, president and CEO of The Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts. “Since its founding in 1900, The Philadelphia Orchestra has been a melting pot, an ensemble of passionate musicians from diverse backgrounds with a shared belief in the power of music to inspire and bring people together. We invite everyone to join us as we celebrate everything that makes this ensemble so unique.” 

Donors who contribute at benefactor levels to support Opening Night will enjoy a pre-concert reception beginning at 5:30 PM in the Tier 2 Lounge at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. Following the 7:00 PM concert, benefactors will enjoy a gala dinner in the Kimmel Center’s Commonwealth Plaza featuring the culinary talents of The Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts’s new food and beverage provider, Rhubarb Hospitality Collection by Oak View Group (RHC).  

The musicians of The Philadelphia Orchestra and Music and Artistic Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin are graciously donating their services for the Opening Night Concert. This year’s Opening Night Celebration is organized under the direction of Opening Night Celebration Co-Chairs Julia Haller, Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts Board member; Nicole Jordan, Philadelphia Orchestra Principal Librarian; and Bonnie Young, Volunteer Committee member; as well as The Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts Board of Trustees and dedicated members of the Volunteer Committees.  

This year marks the 39th season for which The Philadelphia Orchestra’s Volunteer Committees have presented the Opening Night festivities. The Volunteer Committees were formed in 1904 and served as the first permanent organization of its kind in the United States. Since its formation, the Volunteer Committees have come to serve as a model for similar groups in the United States and abroad. The current Volunteer Committees for The Philadelphia Orchestra include Central, Main Line, New Jersey, Rittenhouse Square, and Starlight Circle. Through their endeavors over the past century, thousands of members of the Volunteer Committees have given countless hours and innumerable talents in service to The Philadelphia Orchestra and the people of the greater Philadelphia region.