Introducing the 25/26 Season

By UMS

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Be Present.

Milestone celebrations. Visionary works. Engaging experiences. Welcome to UMS’s 147th season.

Explore All 25/26 Events

View 25/26 Season Ticket Packages

Or browse season highlights below.

For Patrons & Season Ticketholders

Current subscribers can renew their series starting Tuesday, April 22. Season ticket packages are available to the general public starting Thursday, May 1. Learn more or flip through our interactive season brochure.

Individual event tickets go on sale Tuesday, July 29, 2025.

For the Press

View Full Press Release (PDF)

Season Highlights

Great American Orchestras

Chicago Symphony Orchestra and music director designate Klaus Mäkelä (photo by Todd Rosenberg)

The Choral Union Series includes two great American orchestras performing monumental repertoire:

• The 25/26 Season opens with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Verdi’s Requiem, featuring DSO music director Jader Bignamini*, the UMS Choral Union, and a stellar international cast of soloists. (Fri, Sep 26, 2025)
• The Chicago Symphony Orchestra returns for the first time in a decade, with new music director designate Klaus Mäkelä leading Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony and Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique. (Mon, Feb 23, 2026)

* indicates UMS debut artist

International Touring Ensembles

Philharmonia Orchestra, London with conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali and pianist Víkingur Ólafsson

The Choral Union and Chamber Arts Series welcome esteemed ensembles and artists on tour from around the world:

• London’s Philharmonia Orchestra returns to Hill Auditorium, with Finnish conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali* and Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson* making their UMS debuts. (Fri, Oct 24, 2025)
• Maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin leads the Chamber Orchestra of Europe in an all-Brahms program, joined by violinist Veronika Eberle* and cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras*. (Thu, Dec 11, 2025)
• After their roaring UMS debut in 2023, México’s Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería and conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto return with trumpet soloist Pacho Flores*. (Wed, Jan 21, 2026)
• The Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, under the direction of Tõnu Kaljuste, celebrates the famed Estonian composer Arvo Pärt in a 90th birthday celebration. (Fri, Feb 13, 2026)
• The Berliner Philharmoniker Karajan Akademie* presents some of the world’s finest young artists alongside renowned Philharmoniker principal musicians. (Fri, Mar 13, 2026)

* indicates UMS debut artist/ensemble

American Icons 250

Martha Graham Dance Company performing Appalachian Spring (photo by Melissa Sherwood)

As we approach the 250th year of our country, six cross-genre events celebrate America’s diverse and iconic voices, exceptional creativity, and innovative spirit:

• The Martha Graham Dance Company celebrates its milestone 100th anniversary season with three unique programs that exemplify Graham’s timeless and uniquely American style. (Fri-Sun, Jan 16-18, 2026)
• Julia Keefe* and a 16-piece ensemble of Native musicians from across the country highlight an oft-forgotten but rich history of Indigenous bands in the early 20th century. (Thu, Jan 29, 2026)
• Wynton Marsalis and his Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra will be joined by orchestral musicians from the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance, in a preview performance of Marsalis’s new Symphony No. 5. (Fri, Feb 6, 2026)
• Terence Blanchard* and Ravi Coltrane honor the legacies of two towering figures who were born 100 years ago and reshaped the landscape of modern jazz music: Miles Davis and John Coltrane. (Sun, Feb 15, 2026)
• A century after the publication of The Great Gatsby, Elevator Repair Service’s GATZ cleverly reenacts Fitzgerald’s masterpiece word-for-word. (Fri-Sun, Mar 27-29, 2026)
• Celebrating one of the most influential composers of our time, the Complete Piano Etudes of Philip Glass will be performed by 10 different pianists in collaboration with The Gilmore Piano Festival. (Sat, Apr 18, 2026)

* indicates UMS debut artist

Jazz Greats

Herbie Hancock (photo by Danny Clinch)

The 25/26 Jazz Series brings returning and new artists to Ann Arbor across five performances:

• Chicago-based drummer Makaya McCraven* blends past, present, and future into jazz-rooted 21st-century folk music. (Fri, Oct 10, 2025)
• One of the most celebrated artists in American history, the brilliant Herbie Hancock brings his signature mix of jazz and funk. (Sat, Oct 25, 2025)
• Vocalist Julia Keefe and her Indigenous Big Band* deepen and challenge our understanding of the “uniquely American” art form known as jazz. (Thu, Jan 29, 2026)
• The venerable Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis pairs classic big band energy with bold, fresh improvisation. (Sat, Feb 7, 2026)
• Trumpeter Terence Blanchard* and saxophonist Ravi Coltrane bring their limited tour honoring Miles Davis and John Coltrane to Hill Auditorium. (Sat, Feb 15, 2026)

* indicates UMS debut artist

Pioneering Choreography

Ballet BC’s PASSING (photo by Luis Luque)

The 25/26 Dance Series showcases past and present cutting-edge movement in the Power Center:

• Vancouver’s Ballet BC* will be on display with two different programs for their UMS debut, featuring 20 dancers in works by some of today’s leading contemporary choreographers. (Fri-Sat, Oct 17-18, 2025)
• The Martha Graham Dance Company presents three different performances, and will bring some of its original sets by the Japanese American sculptor Isamu Noguchi. (Fri-Sun, Jan 16-18, 2026)
• Brooklyn-born, Basel-based choreographer Jeremy Nedd* presents from rock to rock…aka how magnola was taken for granite, diving into the complexities of dance ownership and cultural appropriation. (Fri-Sat, Apr 3-4, 2026)

* indicates UMS debut artist/ensemble

Unique Theater Experiences

Dimanche (photo by Mihaela Bodlovic)

Discover three unique works that have never been presented together in any other US city:

• Nigamon/Tunai* (the words translate to “song” in the Anishinaabemowin and Inga languages) is an immersive performance ritual rooted in the presence of the natural world. (Thu-Wed, Oct 2-8, 2025)
• Combining puppetry, video, mime, and clowning, Dimanche* paints a witty and tender portrait of humanity surprised by the uncontrollable forces of nature. (Wed-Sun, Jan 7-11, 2026)
• Elevator Repair Service’s GATZ comes to Ann Arbor after its sold-out run at New York’s Public Theater in November 2024. (Fri-Sun, Mar 27-29, 2026)

* indicates UMS debut artist/ensemble

Complete Piano Etudes and Preludes

Pianist Christian Sands, one of 10 different artists performing Philip Glass’s complete Piano Etudes (photo courtesy of Lincoln Center)

Two events in the closing month of the 25/26 season offer rare programs of piano repertoire:

• 10 outstanding pianists will rotate in performance of Philip Glass’s Complete Piano Etudes on the Hill Auditorium stage in a co-presentation with The Gilmore Piano Festival. (Sat, Apr 18, 2026)
• Short in length but limitless in imagination, all of Claude Debussy’s magical Preludes will be performed by one of their supreme living interpreters, Jean-Yves Thibaudet. (Wed, Apr 22, 2026)

Collaborative Chamber Artists

Sheku and Isata Kanneh-Mason (photo by James Hole)

• The Imani Winds join forces with Pulitzer Prize finalist and five-time Grammy nominated composer Andy Akiho, whose bold works push preconceived boundaries of Western classical music. (Sun, Oct 26, 2025)
• Violinist James Ehnes is joined by pianist Inon Barnatan, violist Jonathan Vinocour*, and cellist Raphael Bell* for a program of Fauré’s Piano Quartets. (Thu, Feb 12, 2026)
• Siblings Sheku Kanneh-Mason and Isata Kanneh-Mason bring their extraordinary musical chemistry to a program that bridges Romantic lyricism and 20th-century innovation. (Sat, Mar 21, 2026)

* indicates UMS debut artist

Powerful Voices

Angelique Kidjo

• Boz Scaggs* captivates audiences with his polished yet gritty voice nearly 50 years after his hit 1976 album Silk Degrees became part of the decade’s musical fabric. (Fri, Nov 7, 2025)
• Five-time Grammy Award winner Angélique Kidjo returns for the first time since 2020 with her powerhouse voice, electrifying stage presence, and joyous music. (Thu, Mar 26, 2026)
• Rhiannon Giddens, the U-M Arts Initiative’s inaugural artist-in-residence, takes the Hill Auditorium stage with her latest musical exploration. (Tue, Apr 21, 2026)

* indicates UMS debut artist

Sensational Strings

Nicola Benedetti (photo by Craig Gibson)

• The Belcea Quartet opens the 25/26 Chamber Arts Series with an evening of masterworks by Webern, Mozart, and Beethoven. (Sun, Oct 19, 2025)
• One of the foremost violinists of our time, Gil Shaham returns to UMS for the first time in a decade, performing an all-Beethoven program with his longtime recital partner Akira Eguchi. (Thu, Nov 13, 2025)
• The Danish String Quartet returns with a unique program that includes works by Stravinsky, Beethoven, and film composer and Radiohead founding member Jonny Greenwood, plus arrangements of traditional Nordic folk tunes and original compositions. (Sat, Nov 22, 2025)
• Scottish violinist Nicola Benedetti* makes her UMS debut with an ensemble featuring guitar, accordion, and cello. (Sun, Feb 8, 2026)
• The Takács Quartet returns in a program that includes a UMS co-commission by U-M alumna Clarice Assad, plus works by Franz Joseph Haydn and Claude Debussy. (Fri, Apr 17, 2026)

* indicates UMS debut artist

Holiday Traditions

Béla Fleck and the Flecktones

• Béla Fleck and the Flecktones start the holiday season with an unforgettable Thanksgiving weekend concert. (Sun, Nov 30, 2025)
• Handel’s Messiah is brought to life each year by friends and colleagues from the community who perform with the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra and the UMS Choral Union. (Sat-Sun, Dec 6-7, 2025)
• Fiddler Martin Hayes and the Common Ground Ensemble lead a family-friendly concert celebration a few days after St. Patrick’s Day. (Fri, Mar 20, 2026)

Discover all upcoming events. Additional 25/26 Season programming — including School Day Performances, UMS Digital Presentations, and our Fall residency at the Ypsilanti Freighthouse — will be announced over the coming months.