Mainly Mozart has announced the dates and program for its 38th All-Star Orchestra Festival, scheduled for June 17–27, 2026, in San Diego, California. The festival, recognized as the largest Mozart celebration in North America, brings together concertmasters and principal players from the nation's top orchestras for a remarkable summer concert series. Under Music Director Michael Francis, six performances will take place, each with unique programming.
The first five concerts will be held at Baker-Baum Concert Hall at The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center, with the festival finale on Saturday, June 27 at UC San Diego's Epstein Family Amphitheater. Musicians from orchestras including the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Atlanta Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Dallas Symphony, Toronto Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, and The Philadelphia Orchestra will participate. The full orchestra roster for 2026 will be released in May.
For the first time in eight years, the 2026 season will feature a single concertmaster across the entire series, with David Kim of The Philadelphia Orchestra serving in the role for all six concerts. Nancy Laturno, Founding CEO of Mainly Mozart, stated, "Each year, the All-Star Orchestra Festival reaffirms San Diego's place as a destination for world-class classical music. The 2026 season pairs beloved symphonies and concertos with distinctive repertoire, offering audiences both the thrill of the familiar and the excitement of the unexpected."
Soloists for the 2026 festival include acclaimed pianist Anne-Marie McDermott, who will perform Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3 on June 17; internationally celebrated guitarist Mak Grgić, featured in Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez on June 21; Grammy-nominated pianist Anton Nel, performing Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 9, "Jenamy," on June 23; and Grammy Award-winning violinist James Ehnes, who will play Schumann's Violin Concerto on June 25 and return on Closing Night for Brahms's Double Concerto alongside cellist Robert DeMaine.
Festival packages and single tickets are available at mainlymozart.org/allstar or by calling 619-239-0100. Single tickets at The Conrad range from $68-$155, and at Epstein Family Amphitheater from $25-$250.
Mainly Mozart has been bringing the San Diego community together since 1988 to experience orchestral performance and music education. The All-Star Orchestra Festival is the nation's largest annual gathering of concertmasters and principal players. In 2025, the festival earned recognition as North America's largest Mozart festival and became one of approximately 30 organizations worldwide, and only two in the US, welcomed into the International Mozarteum Foundation's "Mozart Communities." Beyond the stage, Mainly Mozart supports over 350 young musicians through the Mainly Mozart Youth Orchestra and tiered string programs. For more information, visit www.mainlymozart.org.
