Calgary AB (August 14, 2025) — World-renowned stars, epic classics, thrilling collaborations, rockin’ pops, family fun, blockbuster movies, and more — the Calgary Phil heads into its 70th anniversary season with concerts for all ages and tastes. Celebrating seven decades as Calgary’s Orchestra, the Calgary Phil is more committed than ever to making orchestral music accessible to everyone.
September alone demonstrates the exciting variety that audiences can expect throughout the season. We officially get things cooking on September 5 at The Big Four Roadhouse for the Canadian premiere of SYNTHONY: EDM Meets Orchestra, which sees the Calgary Phil, along with guest DJs and vocalists, heat up the dance floor with the biggest electronic anthems.
Two days later, on Sunday, September 7, we welcome the entire city for another free afternoon concert at Phil in the Park at Prince’s Island. Then, on September 12 and 13, we welcome not one but two Grammy Award winners to our home at the Jack Singer Concert Hall for our Classics opener. Conductor Karen Kamensek returns to lead Gil Shaham Plays Beethoven, featuring one of the foremost violinists in the world in his first ever Calgary performance.
The following week, we launch our Pops and Symphony Sundays for Kids series, respectively, with The Music of Sting + The Police (September 19 and 20) and The Gruffalo (September 21). Finally, on September 27, in one of the most anticipated concerts of the season, international piano superstar Lang Lang — also making his Calgary debut — joins the Orchestra and conductor Ramón Tebar at the Jack Singer for An Evening with Lang Lang.
That’s just the start! From September to June, the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra will perform 70 concerts in seven venues across the city. In addition to the Jack Singer, The Big Four, and Prince’s Island, the Orchestra will return to the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium and Bella Concert Hall for select concerts, as well as Grace Presbyterian Church for our annual Traditional Christmas concerts, and we’ll be making our debut at WinSport Event Centre for two performances of Home Alone in Concert for the holidays.
Throughout the season, 29 conductors from the world over will lead the Orchestra, including the aforementioned Karen Kamensek and Ramón Tebar, plus Yue Bao, Jessica Cottis, Calgary’s own Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser, Calgary Phil Music Director Laureate Hans Graf, and Calgary Phil Resident Conductor Juliane Gallant, among many others. Look out for more stellar guest artists such as Alberta’s own country music sensation Tenille Townes, rising star Amaryn Olmeda (violin), Canadian luminary Stewart Goodyear (piano), multi-disciplinary artist Vivek Shraya, the renowned Steven Isserlis, one of two living cellists inducted into the Gramophone Hall of Fame, and more.
The Orchestra also presents lively Education Concerts, which welcome thousands of students to the Jack Singer Concert Hall across the season. Seniors, students, and other groups can experience a behind-the-scenes Open Rehearsal for select concerts to discover the time and dedication it takes to prepare for a performance.
Highlights from the 2025/2026 Season
Big Stars + Fan Favourites
In addition to piano superstar Lang Lang and acclaimed violinist Gil Shaham, the Orchestra will also be joined by former Barenaked Lady and Canadian rock icon Steven Page, and multi-hyphenate phenom Vivek Shraya. Phil fans old and new will be delighted by audience favourites such as Vivaldi’s Four Seasons with conductor and violinist Timothy Chooi, Verdi’s Requiem with conductor Karen Kamensek, and the return of Music Director Laureate Hans Graf for A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Plus, the Orchestra will perform The Music of Hans Zimmer, featuring classic soundtrack selections from The Dark Knight, Insterstellar, and Dune, plus the composer of the iconic World of Warcraft soundtrack leads the Orchestra for Video Games in Concert with Eîmear Noone.
Epic Classics + Thrilling Collabs
Besides a symphonic summit of cosmic proportions with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra in April for Alberta in Harmony: The Planets, the Calgary Phil is thrilled to also share the stage with the Calgary Youth Orchestra in January at It Takes Two: A Symphonic Collaboration. The Orchestra goes Baroque at the Bella with a pair of concerts at the intimate concert hall in Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 (featuring Mathieu Lussier and Camillie Delaforge respectively). Catch the full might of the Orchestra as it brings to life sweeping, majestic works from the classical canon at concerts such as Symphonic Seas, Best of Barber: Adagio + More, Romantic Ravel, XI: Shostakovich, Mahler’s First Symphony, and more!
Rockin’ Pops + Dancefloor Shakers
September’s SYNTHONY marks just the first of many occasions for audiences to get their groove on. Genre-blending conductor Steve Hackman returns with the Halloween-themed Skull + Bones, we’ll go crazy with The Music of Prince, recreate the vibes of Studio 54 with Dance Dance Disco, and feel the heat of La Vida Loca; Latin Pop Hits. Classic rock fans will be watching every move the Orchestra and Jeans ‘n Classics make at The Music of Sting + The Police, and we’ll get by with a little help from our friends, including three guest vocalists, at Revolution: The Music of The Beatles – A Symphonic Experience.
Family Fun, Blockbuster Movies + Holiday Favourites
Symphony Sundays for Kids returns with the monstrously delightful tale of The Gruffalo in September. Throughout the season we’ll also be enthralling young concertgoers with Vivaldi’s Ring of Mystery, When Instruments Roamed the Earth, and Wandering with Wonder, by Alberta’s own Samantha Whelan Kotkas. In addition to Home Alone in Concert, the Orchestra will be playing live-to-film The Princess Bride, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, and Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi. It just wouldn’t feel like the holidays without the Calgary Phil’s annual A Traditional Christmas at Grace Presbyterian, which take place over three nights in December. Plus: back by popular demand, Handel’s Messiah.
For more information on the 2025/2026 Season and a complete list of concerts, visit ww.calgaryphil.com.
