BSO Opens its Boston Season

The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) kicks off the Opening Week of its 2025-26 season with two free concerts at Symphony Hall that invite audiences to experience the breath of phenomenal artistry and commitment to community-building that define the BSO today: the annual Concert for the City (Sept. 17), and a new addition, Music’s Next Generation – A College Showcase (Sept. 18).

Concert for the City, a celebration of music-making and community spirit, begins at 4:30 p.m. with pre-concert performances throughout Symphony Hall by local music, art, and dance groups, showcasing Boston's rich cultures and musical traditions. The event culminates in a 7:30 p.m. concert with the BSO, Boston Pops, and Tanglewood Festival Chorus led by Andris Nelsons, Keith Lockhart, and Thomas Wilkins, with the Veronica Robles Mariachi Band and cuatrista and vocalist Fabiola Me?ndez and her ensemble as special guests. Acclaimed young pianist Clayton Stephenson, a finalist in the Van Cliburn International Competition, a Gilmore Young Artist Award winner, and a Harvard-New England Conservatory graduate, closes the concert as soloist in the first movement of George Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F.  

The following evening, Music’s Next Generation – A College Showcase brings musical ensembles from Berklee College of Music, Boston University, Harvard University, New England Conservatory, Northeastern University, and Tufts University to Symphony Hall for a varied and dynamic program. From Randall Thompson’s “The Last Words of David,” performed by the Boston University Symphonic Chorus, to Toto's "Africa," performed by the Harvard University Crimson Cellos, the program showcases the varied talents of students across Boston. 

Free tickets to both Concert for the City and the College Showcase will be available starting at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 3.   

Quote from BSO President and CEO Chad Smith

“This September, to open the BSO’s 144th season, we are excited to welcome our friends and neighbors back for our sixth Concert for the City and to introduce Music’s Next Generation – A College Showcase, a brand-new event spotlighting musical groups from the city’s higher education community. We can think of no better way to start the 2025-26 season than with two free events that center local partners and celebrate the breadth of talent and artistry across Boston’s musical community. We invite everyone to experience the power of music to build community and inspire joy and look forward to seeing you at Symphony Hall this fall.”

Press kits are available for Concert for the City and the College Showcase 

Concert for the City

This first event of the BSO's 2025-26 season, this year’s Concert for the City (Wednesday, Sept. 17) kicks off at 4:30 p.m. with pre-concert performances in function spaces throughout Symphony Hall, featuring a variety of talented Boston-based youth and community music organizations: Boston Music Project, Boston Pops Gospel Choir, Boston Public Schools Hip Hop Ensemble, Boston String Academy, Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra, Cambridge Conservatory Lab Charter School, DEAFinitely, Me2 Orchestra, NEC Prep, Pastor Jeremy D. Battle, and Project STEP. Start times in each room will be staggered so attendees may wander through the building and hear parts of each group’s performance. 

The mainstage evening concert begins at 7:30 p.m. with the all-female Veronica Robles Mariachi Band and renowned cuatrista Fabiola Me?ndez and her ensemble. After intermission, BSO Music Director Andris Nelsons conducts Beethoven’s dramatic Leonore Overture No. 2 and William Grant Still's Threnody (In Memory of Jan Sibelius). Celebrating his 30th year as conductor, Keith Lockhart leads the Boston Pops in Lin-Manuel Miranda's "We Don't Talk About Bruno" from Encanto and Alan Silvestri’s Back to the Future Theme. BSO Artistic Advisor Thomas Wilkins, familiar to many students and families as the leader of the orchestra’s annual Youth and Family Concerts, closes the concert with Gwyneth Walker’s joyful “How Can I Keep from Singing?” featuring the Tanglewood Festival Chorus and the first movement of Gershwin’s jazzy Piano Concerto in F with the dynamic young soloist Clayton Stephenson.  

The BSO last hosted a Concert for the City in September 2024, featuring among other highlights Mayor Michelle Wu performing Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and Renese King singing “America the Beautiful” with the Boston Pops.  

Music’s Next Generation – A College Showcase

With over forty colleges and universities in the greater metropolitan area, Boston is a global magnet for higher education and innovation in the arts and sciences. In Music’s Next Generation – A College Showcase, the BSO invites college students to perform on the Symphony Hall stage and to share their unique takes on the future of music. From traditional Chinese music performed by the Berklee Chinese Music Ensemble to Coldplay’s “Viva la Vida” performed by the Harvard University Crimson Cellos, the College Showcase presents some of the abundant of musical talent developing on college campuses across Boston.  

The following groups will perform in the College Showcase on Thursday, September 18, starting at 7:30 p.m.: 

• The Berklee Chinese Traditional Music Club (CTM) is a dynamic, internationally oriented student organization founded in 2018. Dedicated to promoting Chinese traditional music and sharing its rich cultural heritage with the world, CTM creates a vibrant platform for cultural exchange through performances, innovative projects, and collaborative endeavors. 

• The Boston University Symphonic Chorus is the premier choir at Boston University. Dedicated to performing major works from the choral-orchestral canon as well as contemporary compositions, its membership is made up of musicians from across the greater Boston University community. 

• The Harvard University Crimson Cellos illustrate the instrument’s remarkable versatility through a repertoire ranging from classical arrangements to Billboard Hits. Since its founding in 2024, the group has showcased the cello at a variety of venues, including the Harvard Art Museum, Venezia Waterfront, Spaulding Rehabilitation Center, the Harvard Club of Boston, and Sanders Theatre. 

• Mariachi Véritas de Harvard, founded in 2001, was the first student mariachi on the east coast. The group, the only mariachi at Harvard, is student-run and performs frequently throughout the community, striving to give students and audiences alike the chance to experience Mexican culture through music. 

• The New England Conservatory Chamber Orchestra, comprised of seventeen string players, performs without a conductor and gives four concerts yearly. The program is guided by Artistic Director Donald Palma, a founding member of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.  

• Northeastern University A Capella Association for Desi Music (NAAD), founded in 2024 and comprising musicians from the many nations in South Asia, is dedicated to performing diverse music from across South Asian cultures, fusing classical, Bollywood, and contemporary styles. 

• Established in 1963, the Tufts University Jackson Jills are the oldest all-femme a cappella group at Tufts University, and perform frequently across Tufts and the broader community, arranging and singing a wide range of contemporary music genres, including pop, indie, rock, alternative, and R&B. 

How to Reserve Free Tickets 

Tickets for both events are available at no charge and can be reserved starting Wednesday, September 3, at 10 a.m. through BSO.org, by calling 888-266-1200, or by visiting the Symphony Hall Box Office (see hours).?Some tickets may remain available at the door on the day of the show.