Mainly Mozart today announced the dates and program for its 38th All‑Star Orchestra Festival, the largest Mozart celebration in North America, bringing together concertmasters and principal players from the nation's top orchestras for a remarkable summer concert series in San Diego. This year's festival runs June 17–27, 2026 with six performances, each with unique programming, under Music Director Michael Francis. The first five concerts will be presented in Baker‑Baum Concert Hall at The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center, with the festival finale on Saturday, June 27 at UC San Diego's Epstein Family Amphitheater.
The All-Star Orchestra musicians represent top U.S and Canadian orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Atlanta Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Dallas Symphony, Toronto Symphony, San Francisco Symphony and The Philadelphia Orchestra. The full orchestra roster for 2026 will be released in May. For the first time in eight years, the 2026 season will feature a single concertmaster across the entire series, with David Kim of The Philadelphia Orchestra serving in the role for all six concerts.
"Each year, the All-Star Orchestra Festival reaffirms San Diego's place as a destination for world-class classical music," said Nancy Laturno, Founding CEO, Mainly Mozart. "The 2026 season pairs beloved symphonies and concertos with distinctive repertoire, offering audiences both the thrill of the familiar and the excitement of the unexpected."
Soloists for the 2026 festival include acclaimed pianist Anne-Marie McDermott, who will perform Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3 on June 17. Internationally celebrated guitarist Mak Grgić will be featured in Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez on June 21. Pianist Anton Nel takes center stage in Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 9, "Jenamy," on June 23. Grammy Award-winning violinist James Ehnes performs Schumann's Violin Concerto on June 25 and returns on Closing Night for Brahms's Double Concerto alongside Robert DeMaine, Principal Cello of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
The festival program includes a diverse range of works: from Mozart's Ballet Music from Idomeneo and Beethoven's "Eroica" Symphony to Copland's Appalachian Spring and Pärt's Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten. The final concert at Epstein Family Amphitheater features Beethoven's Symphony No. 5. Festival packages and single tickets are available at mainlymozart.org/allstar or by calling 619-239-0100. Single tickets range from $68-$155 at The Conrad and $25-$250 at Epstein Family Amphitheater.
Since 1988, Mainly Mozart has brought the San Diego community together to experience orchestral performance and music education. In 2025, the Festival earned recognition as North America's largest Mozart festival and became one of approximately 30 organizations worldwide welcomed into the International Mozarteum Foundation's "Mozart Communities." For more information, visit www.mainlymozart.org.
