The Oklahoma City Philharmonic employs some of the hardest-working musicians in the city. From September to May, the orchestra has 15 individual shows being performed at the Civic Center Music Hall—typically led by Maestro Alexander Mickelthwate as conductor, with several guest conductors throughout the year. The season, entitled “Orchestrating Passion,” is separated into Classics and Pops concert types that each provide a wide variety of performances, offering something for all music lovers.
The Classics concerts include what most would think of as “traditional” orchestral music—including symphonies, concertos and other classical pieces by some of the greatest composers of all time—and often feature an internationally recognized guest musician to play a solo movement with the orchestra. The season opens on Saturday, Sept. 19, with the Classics concert America the Beautiful: A 250 Celebration featuring music from American composers George Gershwin and John Adams, finishing with Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances. Up next is Worlds of Wonder on Oct. 10, which is an “immersive journey through shadow and light” and will even feature “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin. On Nov. 21, jazz, Broadway and orchestral music unite for an unforgettable evening which will conclude with Leonard Bernstein’s classic Symphonic Dances from West Side Story.
The first concert of 2027 will be Fairytales: Stories in Sound on Jan. 9. The evening will be filled with vibrant music telling familiar, enchanted stories. On Feb. 6, the OKC Phil will perform Fate, Fire & Fantasy where the magic of the screen is brought to life with works from Studio Ghibli composer Joe Hisaishi, Debussy and Tchaikovsky. March 13, witness Enigmas of Life, which includes three powerful movements from Garrop, Beethoven and Elgar. April 10, romantic and timeless music by Mozart and Bruckner will be performed in A Night in Vienna. The Classics season closes with Voices of Triumph: Symphonic Masterpieces on May 15, featuring incredible, recognizable works from John Williams, Aaron Copland and Beethoven.
The Pops concerts feature music from just about anything outside the classical realm. Anything from movie soundtracks, Broadway, pop or rock may be presented, sometimes featuring renowned vocalists. The first Pops concert is Halloween weekend, with Music to Die For: Songs from the Shadows on stage both Friday and Saturday evening, full of hauntingly beautiful and spooky selections. Dec. 4 and 5, the OKC Phil brings the popular annual concert A Very Merry Pops to the stage featuring beloved holiday music and incredible guest singers. There will also be a special daytime performance called A Tinsel Tradition: Songs of Christmas, which is a great way to bring the whole family out to see Santa and of course, the orchestra play live.
Jan. 15 and 16, watch the DreamWorks film How to Train Your Dragon with the soundtrack performed live. On Feb. 19 and 20, the concert Ebony and Ivory will feature super-talented pianist and vocalist Campbell Walker Fields as he performs with the OKC Phil. The following month, on March 19 and 20, the orchestra will perform iconic rock in The Music of the Rolling Stones. The Pops season ends on April 23 and 24 with the family-friendly performance Bugs Bunny at the Symphony, showing 17 Looney Tunes classics projected on the big screen.
This is shaping up to be an excellent season, with performance options for the whole family. For more information on the Oklahoma City Philharmonic or to purchase tickets, visit okcphil.org.
