2025/2026Season

November: Magic & Mayhem

Every great story begins with a little mystery and a touch of mischief. Seattle Festival Orchestra opens the season with three vivid musical tales: Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain, where ghostly figures swirl through a stormy night; Respighi’s Ballata delle Gnomidi, a mischievous dance led by gnomes and woodland spirits; and Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique, a sweeping saga of love, longing, and one wildly imaginative dream. Together, these dramatic works invite listeners on a journey where music becomes the storyteller.

Family Concert (Abridged)

• 📅 Saturday, November 8th, 2025 @ 2:00PM

• 🗺 Aurora Community Church

• Reduced in length; designed for families with children

• Some audience chatter is expected

Full Concert

• 📅 Sunday, November 9th, 2025 @ 2:00PM

• 🗺 Town Hall Seattle

December: Once Upon a Sleigh Ride

Join Seattle’s friendliest orchestra for a cup of cheer at our holiday family concerts. Led this year by guest conductor Ryan Dakota Farris, we’ll feature seasonal favorites and continue with our annual carol sing-a-long. Wear your brightest holiday sweater and celebrate the season with Santa and the SFO.

Saturday Matinee

• 📅 Saturday, December 13th, 2025 @ 2:00PM

• 🗺 Coming soon!

Sunday Matinee

• 📅 Sunday, December 14th, 2025 @ 2:00PM

• 🗺 Coming soon!

March: Musical Plot Twists

Every piece has a new story to tell. Seattle Festival Orchestra’s winter concert invites you into a world where music evolves, surprises, and tells bold stories. In her third collaboration with SFO, composer and cellist Olivia Marckx presents a newly reimagined version of Night Terrace, a vivid work brimming with mystery and texture. Korngold’s Violin Concerto, brought to life by SFO concertmaster Luke Fitzpatrick, first renowned for its dramatic and cinematic flair, now stands as a beloved staple of the violin repertoire. And Atterberg’s sweeping Second Symphony, expanded and reshaped after its premiere, proves that even completed works can keep growing. A program of compelling characters, unexpected turns, and music that sparks the imagination.

Family Concert (Abridged)

• 📅 Saturday, March 14th, 2026 @ 2:00PM

• 🗺 Aurora Community Church

• Reduced in length; designed for families with children

• Some audience chatter is expected

Full Concert

• 📅 Sunday, March 15th, 2026 @ 2:00PM

• 🗺 Town Hall Seattle

May: Spring Blockbusters

From epic sunrises to daring adventures at sea, this concert has it all! Seattle Festival Orchestra’s season finale bursts with color, drama, and unforgettable melodies. Strauss’s Also Sprach Zarathustra ignites the evening with its iconic "sunrise" fanfare, Morricone’s Gabriel’s Oboe offers a haunting moment of beauty, and a new work by the winner of our annual Call for Scores brings a fresh voice to the stage. The audience has the opportunity to vote for the Audience Choice selection, with cinematic favorites that promise to delight. Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade crowns the program, a sweeping high-seas epic of shipwrecks, treasure, and dazzling escapes, told through music as rich and captivating as the stories themselves. A season finale filled with stories of adventure, drama, and pure magic!

Family Concert (Abridged)

• 📅 Saturday, May 16th, 2026 @ 2:00PM

• 🗺 Aurora Community Church

• Reduced in length; designed for families with children

• Some audience chatter is expected

Full Concert

• 📅 Sunday, May 17th, 2026 @ 2:00PM

• 🗺 Town Hall Seattle