Landmark season features Olga Kern, Bella Hristova, Beethoven’s Fifth, Verdi’s Requiem, Mahler’s “Titan,” Holiday Pops and more
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — The Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra will celebrate its 45th season with a 2026–2027 Orchestra Series filled with internationally acclaimed guest artists, monumental symphonic works, inventive collaborations and beloved Lowcountry traditions.
Led by Music Director John Morris Russell, the nine-program season opens October 25 with internationally renowned pianist Olga Kern performing Beethoven’s majestic Piano Concerto No. 5, “Emperor,” alongside Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture. The opening concert is one of two special one-performance-only programs bookending HHSO’s anniversary season.
“For 45 years, HHSO has brought our community together through the power of music,” said HHSO President and CEO Alan Jordan. The anniversary season continues that tradition with performances designed to showcase the scope, artistry and collaborative spirit of the orchestra.
A Season of Extraordinary Music
Following the opening concert, violinist Bella Hristova returns to Hilton Head November 15 and 16 for Wynton Marsalis’ Violin Concerto in D, a genre-spanning work infused with jazz, blues, bluegrass and classical traditions. The program also includes Dvořák’s dramatic Symphony No. 7.
The HHSO’s annual Holiday Pops concerts return Thanksgiving weekend with performances in both Bluffton and Hilton Head. American Idol and Broadway vocalist Melinda Doolittle joins the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra Chorus and 2026 Youth Concerto Competition winner Mana Takahashi for a festive program of holiday favorites.
The new year begins on a grand scale with Saint-Saëns’ Symphony No. 3, “Organ,” January 17 and 18. The program makes full use of First Presbyterian Church’s pipe organ and also features trumpet soloists Antonio Marti and Paul Wesley Lott and organist Chad Martin.
Tenor Jay Dref returns by popular demand January 31 and February 1 for “POP”-era, an evening spanning Broadway, opera, Sinatra classics and Italian love songs.
Beethoven, Chopin and a Rising Piano Star
One of classical music’s most recognizable works takes center stage February 14 and 15 when guest conductor Joseph Young leads Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5.
The program also welcomes Jueon Lee, 2026 Hilton Head International Piano Competition Gold Medalist, performing Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2. The concert includes Anna Clyne’s Sound and Fury, narrated by Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park’s Ahmad Ward.
Music Meets Theater and Dance
The Orchestra Series moves beyond the traditional concert experience February 28 and March 1 with The Soldier’s Tale.
HHSO joins forces with Lean Ensemble Theater and Hilton Head Dance Theatre for Stravinsky’s theatrical work combining live orchestral music, storytelling, acting and dance. Haydn’s Symphony No. 100, “Military,” completes the program.
A Monumental Verdi Requiem
On April 11 and 12, HHSO presents one of the most ambitious collaborations of its 45th season: Giuseppe Verdi’s Requiem.
The performance brings together the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra, the HHSO Chorus under director Dr. Dustin Ousley, the Claflin University Concert Choir under director Charlie J. Toomer, and classical voices presented by the Savannah VOICE Festival.
With forces ranging from full orchestra to massed chorus and solo voices, the performance will be among the largest artistic collaborations in HHSO history.
Mahler’s “Titan” Brings the Season to a Spectacular Close
The season concludes April 25 with the second one-performance-only event of the anniversary year: Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, “Titan.”
Featuring the largest orchestra assembled by HHSO for the season, Mahler’s sweeping First Symphony offers a fitting finale to a year celebrating the full scale and expressive power of live orchestral music.
2026–2027 Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra Series
Olga Kern — Beethoven “Emperor” October 25, 2026, 4 p.m. John Morris Russell, conductor Olga Kern, piano Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5, “Emperor” Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet, Fantasy Overture
Bella Hristova — Marsalis Concerto November 15, 2026, 4 p.m. November 16, 2026, 7:30 p.m. John Morris Russell, conductor Bella Hristova, violin Wynton Marsalis: Violin Concerto in D Dvořák: Symphony No. 7
Holiday Pops November 28, 2026, 7 p.m. — St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church, Bluffton November 29, 2026, 4 p.m. — Hilton Head Island November 30, 2026, 7:30 p.m. — Hilton Head Island John Morris Russell, conductor Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra Chorus Melinda Doolittle, vocalist Mana Takahashi, violin
Saint-Saëns Organ Symphony January 17, 2027, 4 p.m. January 18, 2027, 7:30 p.m. John Morris Russell, conductor Antonio Marti and Paul Wesley Lott, trumpets Chad Martin, organ Works by Rameau, Tomasi, Vivaldi and Saint-Saëns
“POP”-era with Jay Dref January 31, 2027, 4 p.m. February 1, 2027, 7:30 p.m. John Morris Russell, conductor Jay Dref, vocalist
Beethoven Symphony No. 5 February 14, 2027, 4 p.m. February 15, 2027, 7:30 p.m. Joseph Young, guest conductor Jueon Lee, piano Ahmad Ward, narrator Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 2 Anna Clyne: Sound and Fury Beethoven: Symphony No. 5
The Soldier’s Tale February 28, 2027, 4 p.m. March 1, 2027, 7:30 p.m. John Morris Russell, conductor Lean Ensemble Theater Hilton Head Dance Theatre Haydn: Symphony No. 100, “Military” Stravinsky: The Soldier’s Tale
Verdi Requiem
April 11, 2027, 4 p.m.
April 12, 2027, 7:30 p.m.
John Morris Russell, conductor
Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra Chorus
Claflin University Concert Choir
Classical voices presented by the Savannah VOICE Festival
Verdi: Requiem
Mahler “Titan” Symphony
April 25, 2027, 4 p.m.
John Morris Russell, conductor
Mahler: Symphony No. 1, “Titan”
Tickets and Subscriptions
With the exception of the Bluffton Holiday Pops performance, Orchestra Series concerts are presented at First Presbyterian Church, 540 William Hilton Parkway, Hilton Head Island. Most programs offer a choice between Sunday performances at 4 p.m. and Monday performances at 7:30 p.m.
Single tickets and season subscription packages are available through the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra. Subscription options include flexible nine-, six- and three-concert packages.
For tickets and additional information, visit hhso.org or call the HHSO ticketing and customer service office at 843-842-2055.