Louisville Orchestra
Louisville Orchestra Announces 2026-2027 Season
The Louisville Orchestra recently announced their 2026–27 season, continuing the exceptional momentum of one of the nation’s most dynamic arts organizations. The new season offers major collaborations, world premieres, and an ambitious artistic vision rooted firmly in Louisville.
Louisville Orchestra Announces Free Spring Community Concerts in March
Louisville Orchestra announces an expanded slate of free community concerts this spring, featuring OrKIDStra: The Science of Sound on Saturday, March 21, 2026 at Whitney Hall and Music Without Borders: Voices, Rhythm, and Culture with neighborhood performances on March 26 and 27, 2026. Together, these programs reflect the orchestra’s long standing commitment to accessibility, education, and meaningful connection through live orchestral music. Through its OrKIDStra and Music Without Borders programs, the orchestra continues to remove financial and cultural barriers, inviting families, students, and neighborhood audiences to experience world class music in welcoming, familiar spaces.
A Night of Music and Celebration: Louisville Orchestra’s Spring Gala Returns April 16, 2026
The Louisville Orchestra will host its fourth annual Spring Gala on Thursday, April 16, 2026 — an elegant evening that pairs fine dining, community celebration, and an unforgettable performance by one of the world’s most beloved musicians, Itzhak Perlman.
This year’s gala honors Jim Welch, a longtime supporter whose leadership, generosity, and vision have helped guide the orchestra through one of the most transformative eras in its history. Guests will gather at the Muhammad Ali Center for a cocktail reception and dinner, where Welch’s profound impact on the organization and the Louisville arts community will be celebrated.
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Mayor Craig Greenberg & Louisville Orchestra Present A Free Tribute Concert – Thursday Nov. 20
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg and the Louisville Orchestra will present a free tribute concert for the community following the tragic loss of UPS Airlines Flight 2976. The program is intended to honor the memory of those who lost their lives, recognize the courage of the first responders who answered the call, and acknowledge the efforts of the many UPS employees who supported the company’s response.
CLICK HERE for more details about the concert.
Holiday Magic in Louisville: Your Ultimate Guide to Festive Shows, Music & Cheer!
The holidays are shining bright in Louisville! From dazzling light displays and heartwarming stage productions to concerts that bring the spirit of the season to life, there’s something for everyone to enjoy this season. Whether you’re laughing along with Elf at Derby Dinner Playhouse, taking in the timeless beauty of The Nutcracker, or rocking out with JD McPherson and Sara Evans, Louisville’s stages are bursting with seasonal joy.
So grab your coat, gather your friends and family, and experience the magic of the holidays all across the city — because there’s no place like Louisville for the holidays!
Louisville Orchestra: 2025-26 Season Outlook
Under the visionary leadership of Music Director Teddy Abrams, the Louisville Orchestra has unveiled an electrifying new season, blending beloved classical works, groundbreaking world premieres, and bold cross-genre collaborations.
Louisville Orchestra Announces 2025-2026 Creators Corps Composers
The Louisville Orchestra proudly welcomes composers Anthony Green and Chelsea Komschlies as the newest members of the Louisville Orchestra Creators Corps (LOCC) for the 2025-2026 season. Now in its fourth year, this innovative program continues to reshape the relationship between orchestras and composers, fostering deep artistic engagement with the Louisville community.
Louisville Orchestra Secures $4.3 Million in State Funding to Continue “In Harmony – The Commonwealth Tour” for Two More Years
April 16, 2024 –The Louisville Orchestra, under the visionary leadership of Music Director Teddy Abrams, is thrilled to announce the continuation of “In Harmony – The Commonwealth Tour” through 2024 to 2026, bolstered by a significant $4.3 million funding allocation from the Kentucky State Legislature. This landmark initiative, which began in 2022, has already made a profound impact, reaching over 27,000 Kentuckians across 38 counties through more than 125 events, and is now set to extend its reach further into the heart of Kentucky communities. This funding will enable the orchestra to deepen community engagement and enrich the cultural fabric across urban and rural divides throughout the state.
Kentucky Author Forum presents Renee Fleming – Teddy Abrams Plays Master of Ceremonies – April 8
On April 8th, the University of Louisville Kentucky Author Forum is welcoming singing legend and health advocate, Renée Fleming. She will discuss her upcoming book, Music and Mind: Harnessing the Arts for Health and Wellness. Louisville Orchestra conductor Teddy Abrams will serve as the Master of Ceremonies for the evening.
Renée Fleming is one of the most acclaimed singers of our time, performing on the stages of the world’s greatest opera houses and concert halls. Honored with five Grammy awards and the U.S. National Medal of Arts, she has sung for momentous occasions from the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony to the Super Bowl. Fleming’s new book, Music and Mind: Harnessing the Arts for Health and Wellness, draws upon her own experience as an advocate to showcase the breadth of this booming field.
Kentucky Center Celebration: 40 Years of Memories
The Kentucky Center opened in November of 1983 under the direction of Gov. John Y. Brown and a combined project budget from the state as well as local donors. Brown was quoted as saying there hasn’t been a more productive investment by the state than that of the arts center. He might be correct!
Over the years, The Kentucky Center has been the anchor for the arts and home to the major productions of Broadway in Louisville, the magical concerts of the Louisville Orchestra, the elegance of the Louisville Ballet and some of the biggest names in music, comedy, and entertainment. The Kentucky Center has hosted world leaders, presidential debates, and town halls on its stages. For 40 years, the flagship venue has proven to have been a great investment for the community, the city of Louisville and the entire commonwealth.
Looking back over the years, memories were made that will last a lifetime. We caught up with some friends of The Kentucky Center to find out what they love about the venue, as well as some of their favorite memories.
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In collaboration with the performing arts groups of Louisville, we are excited to bring you Audience Magazine, an all-digital publication that delivers a behind-the-scenes look into the performing arts and entertainment during this unprecedented time of reflection and artistic creation.
Audience Magazine highlights enlightening articles and information about the arts groups as well as spotlights on Louisville Landmarks and interviews with inspirational representatives from the arts community. And the best part about it all is …. it’s FREE!
Performance Preview: Louisville Orchestra presents two ‘Fifths’ of Beethoven – Jan. 13 & 14
Is it Fate knocking at the door, or did Ludwig Van Beethoven have something else in mind entirely when he penned the startling opening notes of his famous “Symphony No. 5?”
Those three notes, then one: G-G-G, E-flat. Repeated one step down as F-F-F, D, and the stage is set in suspense for classical music’s most famous symphony.
Audiences will have a chance to hear those notes and feel the suspense once again as the Louisville Orchestra presents Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 5” in concerts January 13 and 14 in Whitney Hall. The concerts also include Beethoven’s “Piano Concerto No. 5,” with pianist Leonard Biss, in a program the symphony is calling “Fifths of Beethoven.”
New Meets Old: Louisville Orchestra Opens New Season With Violinist Tessa Lark – Sept. 16 & 17
Violinist Tessa Lark, who plays a violin that’s as old as any you’ll ever see, and is about as up-to-date a musical star as any you’ll find, appears with the Louisville Orchestra in the symphony’s season-opening concerts, September 16 and 17 in Whitney Hall.
Music director Teddy Abrams has the baton, with the orchestra also performing Igor Stravinsky’s “Symphony in Three Movements.” Abrams will also introduce three composers selected for the symphony’s new Creators Corps (read more about that below).
Lark is a vibrant young talent, with a raft of classical credits and an ambitious concert tour schedule. She studied at the New England Conservatory of Music and Juilliard, but also grew up in Richmond, Ky., playing with her dad in a gospel-bluegrass group called Narrow Road. So, she was just a hike away from Appalachian mountain music in Eastern Kentucky, and a few miles from formal classical violin study in Cincinnati.
Performance Preview: Louisville Orchestra: Fantastique and Automation – May 13 & 14
YOUR Louisville Orchestra and Teddy Abrams are ready for the final concert of the season featuring the Symphonie Fantastique, Automation and more
Just because the piece is called “Automation,” doesn’t mean it’s going to play itself.
There’s the solo cellist, Ives Dhar. He’s going to play his part. And there’s the Louisville Orchestra. It’s going to play its part.
But the third part of “Automation” is a wild something that is going to play itself.
Louisville Orchestra Announces 2022-2023 Season Concerts Now On Sale
Now in its ninth season under the dynamic and inspiring leadership of Music Director Teddy Abrams, the Louisville Orchestra is proud to announce a season of creativity in 2022-23. Highlights of the season include new works by composers from the newly launched Creators Corps, the eighth annual Festival of American Music featuring works by the American cultural hero Leonard Bernstein, premieres and commissioned works by important voices of today’s composers including the 2021 Grawemeyer Award-winning composer Olga Neuwirth, acclaimed composers Joel Thompson, Thomas Adés, Mason Bates and Christopher Cerrone. Teddy Abrams performs as pianist and conductor for Ludwig van Beethoven’s Fifth Piano Concerto in a program where he also conducts Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, plus performances by Avery Fisher Career Grant winner Tessa Lark and a long-awaited return to the stage of the momentous Symphony No. 7 by Anton Bruckner will engage the classical music lovers of Louisville. Headlining the Pops Series is Grammy Award-winning Broadway and Hollywood star Kelli O’Hara. Principal Pops Conductor Bob Bernhardt has lined up a season packed with entertainment including vintage films with some of the finest music scores are on display; the exceptional voice of Capathia Jenkins in “Aretha: A Tribute,” and the Emmy-Award winning vocal group Three Texas Tenors who have amassed a huge fan base worldwide.
Performance Preview: Bob Bernhardt Celebrates John Williams January 15
Principal Pops Conductor Bob Bernhardt will celebrate his 40th season as part of the Louisville Orchestra with Irresistible John Williams on January 15. In this performance, Bernhardt selects his favorite musical hits from the iconic composer for an evening of the most memorable compositions in American film history.
Audiences can look forward to hearing beloved classics that have enchanted generations of listeners, including scores from Raiders of the Lost Ark, Schindler’s List, Jurassic Park, and Star Wars. Even Harry Potter is expected to make an appearance (musically, of course).
Louisville Orchestra Performance Preview: Yuja Wang Premiers Teddy Abrams’ First Concerto
The Louisville Orchestra is bringing superior performances to the stage to kick off the new year.
One of the first shows in an exciting 2022 lineup will be held on January 8, when charismatic piano superstar Yuja Wang will debut celebrated Music Director Teddy Abrams’ very first concerto. The world premiere of his highly anticipated concerto will showcase Abrams’ remarkable originality and invigorating leadership as a gifted maestro and composer. The Louisville Orchestra has performed 14 of his original works during his eight years as Music Director, including Unified Field (2016), The Greatest: Muhammad Ali (2017), and The Order of Nature (2018, in collaboration with Jim James from the band, My Morning Jacket).
Louisville Orchestra Performance Preview: Schumann & Brahms – November 20
Jorge Federico Osorio
The Louisville Orchestra’s Classics Series continues this month with “Schumann and Brahms” on November 20 at 8 p.m. The audience will be treated to an evening with guest conductor Edwin Outwater, who works with orchestras throughout the world.
“Edwin is a distinguished American conductor with whom we have had an ongoing relationship,” says Matthew Feldman, LO’s Director of Artistic Operations. “He conducted the LO almost 20 years ago and has an enormous range in terms of his abilities at the podium and the repertoire that he conducts.”
Outwater is pleased to reunite with LO during this very special season.
October Performance Preview: Louisville Orchestra Presents Music of Prohibition and Teddy Talks Schubert
The time if finally here for what is surely the most anticipated season in recent memory for the Louisville Orchestra. Like many Orchestras and entertainment groups around the world, the Louisville Orchestra also had to endure the grueling hiatus from performing for almost twenty months due to the COVID-19 pandemic and are ready to get back on stage for their patrons, and the community. Once again, Whitney Hall at the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts will be filled with the majestic symphonic sounds by YOUR Louisville Orchestra musicians and conducted by Bob Bernhardt and Teddy Abrams, and everyone is ready for the season debut.
Audience is excited to offer previews of each performance this season to give you some background for each performance as well as insight into what ot expect and what to look for when you attend. Find more articles in Audience Magazine, our digital monthly magazine dedicated to the arts and entertainment in Louisville. CLICK HERE to subscribe for FREE.
We hope you enjoy the previews written by local arts aficionado, Julie Engelhardt.
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