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Palm Springs Friends of Philharmonic Announces Its 2027 Season “A Season That Speaks to the World”

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The Palm Springs Friends of Philharmonic (PS Phil) is delighted to announce its 2027 season with an expanded 8-symphony series, as it continues to build on 52 years of success, showcasing the finest symphony orchestras from around the world at the McCallum Theatre. Launching the series will be the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine on January 25, 2027 as this opening night carries both artistic distinction and profound meaning.

“In 2027, the Palm Springs Friends of Philharmonic will present a season of extraordinary scope and purpose—bringing together legendary orchestras, defining masterpieces, and some of the most compelling musical voices of our time. From intimate reflections to symphonic epics, from Classical elegance to modern urgency, this is a season that listens closely to the world around us—and answers back with beauty, power, and humanity,” said Lee Mills, Executive Director, PS Phil.

“Responding to requests from our patrons, PS Phil has expanded our 2027 season. We are thrilled to bring in eight world-renown symphony orchestras next year. To fulfill another part of our mission, our music education offerings for young people are also growing, including master classes with several of the orchestras we are bringing to the Valley. Taking orchestral musicians into the schools, and providing free concerts at the McCallum Theatre, enriching students’ lives and fostering their appreciation of music. PS Phil also supports students from the Coachella Valley with grants to attend summer music camps and provides scholarships to students pursuing their college education,” commented Doug Stewart, President, Board of Directors.

As an added bonus to each concert, audiences continue to grow and have had rave reviews about PS Phil’s pre-concert talk series, which has been expanded as part of the organization’s regular programming and takes place prior to each performance.

  2027 Season

Monday, January 25, 2027, at 7:30pm

National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine

Volodymyr Sirenko, conductor (Pictured)

Antonii Baryshevskyi, piano

Dmitry Bortniansky: Overture to Il Quinto Fabio

Franz Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major, S. 124

Valentyn Silvestrov: Silent Music

Antonín Dvořák: Symphony No. 5 in F major, op. 76

Ukraine’s leading orchestra brings music shaped by resilience and lyricism, pairing Romantic fire with introspective modern voices. Liszt’s virtuosic Piano Concerto No. 1 blazes with brilliance, while Valentyn Silvestrov’s Silent Music offers a moment of hushed, almost sacred reflection. Anchored by Dvořák’s radiant Fifth Symphony, this concert is a powerful reminder of music’s ability to affirm life—even in the most difficult times.
Sunday, January 31, 2027, at 5:00pm

San Diego Symphony Orchestra

Rafael Payare, Music Director (Pictured)

Béla Bartók: The Miraculous Mandarin, op.19, BB 82: Suite

Hector Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique, op.14

Few programs are as electrifying—or as visceral—as this one. Bartók’s Miraculous Mandarin explodes with danger, rhythm, and raw energy, setting the stage for Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique, one of the most vivid orchestral journeys ever written. Under the magnetic leadership of Rafael Payare, this is symphonic storytelling at its most theatrical, provocative, and unforgettable.
Friday, February 5, 2027, at 7:30pm

Saturday, February 6, 2027, at 7:30pm

Minnesota Orchestra

Thomas Søndergård, Music Director

Augustin Hadelich, violin (Pictured)

Thomas Adès: Inferno Suite, from Dante

Serge Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major, op.19

Benjamin Britten: Passacaglia from Peter Grimes, op.33b

Claude Debussy: La mer

A weekend of orchestral color and virtuosity, led by one of today’s most expressive conductors and featuring one of the great violinists of our time. Augustin Hadelich brings elegance and poetry to Prokofiev’s First Violin Concerto, while Debussy’s La mer closes the program in a wash of shimmering sound. From Britten’s dramatic Peter Grimes Passacaglia to Thomas Adès’s Inferno, this is music that dazzles, disturbs, and ultimately transforms.
Wednesday, February 10, 2027, at 7:30pm

Pacific Symphony

Alexander Shelley, Artistic and Music Director (Pictured)

Soloists TBA

Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 in D minor, op.125, (“Choral”)

Few works speak as directly to the human spirit as Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Its final movement—an ecstatic vision of unity and joy—remains one of the most powerful artistic statements ever created. With full chorus and soloists, this performance offers not only a monumental musical experience for the audience, but also a shared moment of hope and affirmation that resonates far beyond the concert hall stages.
Friday, February 26, 2027, at 7:30pm

Saturday, February 27, 2027, at 7:30pm

London Symphony Orchestra

Sir Antonio Pappano, Chief Conductor (Pictured)

Alisa Weilerstein, cello

Elizabeth Maconchy: Nocturne

Edward Elgar: Cello Concerto in E minor, op.85

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 in E minor, TH29

This is orchestral music at the highest possible level. The legendary London Symphony Orchestra joins Sir Antonio Pappano—one of the great musicians of our era—for a program of emotional depth and sweeping grandeur. Alisa Weilerstein brings extraordinary intensity to Elgar’s Cello Concerto, a work of aching beauty and introspection, while Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony surges with passion, drama, and triumph. This will be a landmark event of the season.
Tuesday, March 9, 2027, at 7:30pm

Academy of St Martin in the Fields

Conrad Tao, piano and conductor (Pictured)

Ruth Crawford Seeger: Music for Small Orchestra

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major, K. 488

Aaron Copland: Appalachian Spring

Grace, clarity, and imagination define this program. Conrad Tao—an artist of rare versatility—leads from the keyboard in Mozart’s luminous Piano Concerto No. 23, then guides the orchestra through Copland’s beloved Appalachian Spring, a portrait of optimism and open horizons. With Ruth Crawford Seeger’s striking Music for Small Orchestra, this concert bridges American modernism and timeless lyricism in a performance of exceptional intimacy.
Sunday, March 21, 2027, at 5:00pm

Los Angeles Philharmonic

Philippe Jordan, conductor (Pictured)

Jan Lisiecki, piano

Johannes Brahms: Variations on a Theme of Joseph Haydn, op. 56a

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466

Johannes Brahms: Symphony No. 1 in C minor, op. 68

 

*Benefactors Dinner to follow concert

As the crown jewel of the season, the Los Angeles Philharmonic returns with an expansive, deeply satisfying program that pairs Jan Lisiecki’s probing, dramatic Mozart with the warmth and serenity of Brahms’s Second Symphony. Under Philippe Jordan’s masterful direction, this is music that unfolds with generosity and humanity—an evening that invites reflection, joy, and connection.
Thursday, April 15, 2027, at 7:30pm

San Francisco Symphony Orchestra

Sir Donald Runnicles, conductor (Pictured)

Francesco Piemontesi, piano

 

Johannes Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, op. 83

Ralph Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 5 in D major

The season concludes with Brahms’s monumental Piano Concerto No. 2, a work of sweeping grandeur and lyrical intimacy, brought to life by Francesco Piemontesi and the San Francisco Symphony under Sir Donald Runnicles. Vaughan Williams’s Fifth Symphony follows with radiant calm and pastoral warmth—music of quiet strength and reassurance—offering a noble and deeply satisfying close to the season.

About the Palm Springs Friends of Philharmonic:

The Palm Springs Friends of Philharmonic continues to be recognized as one of the premiere presenters of symphony orchestras in the U.S. Each season, the Philharmonic brings a series of world-class symphony concerts to the beautiful 1,127-seat McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert.

The PS Phil’s 53rd season will continue to celebrate a legacy of great performances by national and international orchestras and conductors.

The PS Phil also fosters music appreciation for local youth and encourages promising young musicians through free tickets to concerts, scholarships, education, and instrument donation programs.

New or returning subscribers can now secure their seats, but act now, as they sell out quickly. Tickets are sold on a subscription-only basis, with eight-concert packages available from $535 to $1,635, depending upon your seating choice. Visit www.psphil.org/concerts-tickets/ for detailed information.

In addition to the price of a subscription, the Board of Directors asks that every subscriber become a member of the PS Phil by making an annual donation. It is only through the generosity of our patrons that we can bring the world’s finest orchestras to the Coachella Valley.

For subscriptions, tickets, information or ways to support Palm Springs Friends of Philharmonic, a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization, call 760-341-1013 or visit www.PSPhil.org. Programs and artists are subject to change without notice.
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