Yo-Yo Ma, Gil Shaham, and much more as VSO unveils 150-plus concerts for 2025-26 season

Summer concerts return to Vancouver parks, plus the new year includes Steve Hackman’s epic synthesis of Radiohead’s seminal OK Computer with Brahms’s First Symphony

Cello icon Yo-Yo Ma (left) and violinist Gil Shaham.

STRINGS LEGEND Yo-Yo Ma will take on Elgar’s famous Cello Concerto as part of a Vancouver Symphony Orchestra season that also includes violinist Gil Shaham, Australian duo TwoSet Violin, and pianist Hélène Grimaud.

In today’s announcement of the 150-concert-strong 2025–26 roster, the VSO said the program includes Beethoven’s “Eroica” Symphony, Mahler’s Third Symphony, Fauré’s Requiem, and Strauss’s Also sprach Zarathustra, alongside the work of contemporary composers like John Adams and Kaija Saariaho.

Star musicians hitting the roster include Russian pianist Alexander Malofeev with Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto (September 12 and 13), and violin sensation Maria Ioudenitch with Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto (October 17 and 18).

Special guest conductors include Alexander Shelley, Peter Oundjian, Han-Na Chang, and Jun Märkl. Steve Hackman will take the podium for an epic synthesis of Radiohead’s seminal OK Computer with Brahms’s First Symphony (March 21, 2026, at the Orpheum).

The VSO Pops Series spans the music of James Bond, Phil Collins, Disney, and the disco era, while special Movie Nights screenings with a live orchestra include Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Disney’s Encanto, and holiday fare like Home Alone, Elf, The Holiday, and Hocus Pocus.

The free Day of Music takes over the city May 24, while the popular summertime Symphony in the Park is set for July 12 at Deer Lake Park. Symphony at Sunset happens July 5 outdoors at Sunset Beach.

There’s much more in store, with subscription and ticket information available here.

Featured

Janet Smith

Janet Smith is founding partner and editorial director of Stir. She is a Webster Award–winning arts journalist who has spent more than three decades immersed in Vancouver’s performing arts, film, and gallery scenes. She sits on the Vancouver Film Critics’ Circle.

Articles

Domestic life and video-game music shaped Basia Bulat’s most recent batch of songs

Montreal-based singer-songwriter talks about the dreamy layers of sound that went into her latest album—and stripping them away for her new EP and solo tour

Little Miss Higgins celebrates fall with her Harvest Tour at the Shadbolt Centre, October 1

Audiences can expect a heartwarming set, plus a merch table filled with homegrown garlic and handmade soap

At Come Toward the Fire, singer-songwriter Logan Staats values connections—to both audiences and other Indigenous artists

The Mohawk musician’s career trajectory has taken him from bar shows to The Launch to Nashville, but he’s always stayed grounded in his Six Nations community

Chutzpah! Festival unveils 2026 programming, with actor Ari’el Stachel, comedian Jacob Samuel, dance artist Meghann Michalsky, and more

The 26th annual edition spans theatre, dance, comedy, and music from November 3 to 15

Branford Marsalis and Dianne Reeves celebrate John Coltrane at the Chan Centre, October 13

The pair of Grammy Award winners honour the jazz legend’s legacy in honour of his centennial

Beacon of Light launches the Vancouver Chamber Choir's 56th season, October 2

Program features the Canadian premiere of Tawnie Olson’s Missa Brevis, kicking off her tenure as Composer-in-Residence

Singer-guitarist John Pizzarelli continues the storied tradition of Italian-American jazz

The New York artist draws on everything from the guitar work of legends like Joe Pass and his own father to the unmistakable voice of Tony Bennett—the inspiration of his latest album

Chor Leoni announces 2026–27 season featuring sea shanties, returning holiday favourites, and day of free concerts

A new series of public performances and a cross-country collaboration with La Nef and Seán Dagher mark the choir’s 35th season

Vancouver New Music unveils 2026–27 season, featuring artists from around the world

Japan’s Kuniko Kato Quartet opens the lineup as part of the VNM Festival: Open Frequencies, performing the music of Steve Reich

Mexico’s Silvana Estrada brings her eclectic influences to the Chan Centre on October 4

The singer-songwriter and Latin Grammy winner has collaborated with artists from all over the world, and she will perform with Vancouver’s own Black Dog String Quartet

Vetta Chamber Music launches its 41st season with Legacy, September 25 to 28

Former artistic director Joan Blackman, esteemed pianist Jane Coop, and newly appointed artistic director Hung-Wei Huang join forces onstage

Montreal’s Basia Bulat tours to the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, September 20

Singer-songwriter performs tracks off her latest album, playing guitar, piano, and autoharp

I Pagliacci opera triggers the tears of a clown, August 26 to September 5

Nebula Performances stages a full production of Ruggero Leoncavallo’s famous work, with Wanshuai Yu in the leading role

Pi Theatre and EDAM present the world premiere of birdcage, September 3 to 5

Meditative piece is a collaboration between interdisciplinary artist Alex Mah and violinist Ilana Waniuk

Improv Butoh rises again at Kokoro Dance’s KW Studios, August 21

Guitarist Cole Schmidt performs at a jazz-driven music-and-dance series reborn after the June passing of Tony Wilson

Elektra announces its 40th anniversary season with new voices and returning favourites

For 2026–27, the choir will premiere new commissions by Canadian composers Suba Sankaran and Alex Eddington, as well as revisiting works from its inaugural year

The Chan Centre hosts anaiis in her Canadian debut, September 16

Toulouse-born artist’s latest album draws on her new experience as a mother

Flutist Mark Takeshi McGregor strives to keep Jocelyn Morlock’s music alive

With the new CD Artemis Sleeps, the late composer’s former roommate celebrates chamber works that range from pithy to rhapsodic to enigmatic

A History of Motown explores the soulful sounds that shaped popular music, August 19 to 29

Singer Krystle Dos Santos and her band celebrate the record label that brought us legendary performers including Aretha Franklin and Marvin Gaye

John Pizzarelli Trio honours Tony Bennett at CapU Centre, September 10

With songs from his latest album, the swing ambassador pays tribute to another great swinger

Amy Helm brings her soulful songs and stellar vocals to St. James Hall on August 20

The daughter of the Band’s legendary drummer and singer Levon Helm is a musical force to be reckoned with in her own right

Mivule to finish the Vancouver Public Library’s Rooftop Rhythms series on an upbeat note on August 15

The eight-piece band blends reggae and Afrobeat, exploring singer Brian Baroda’s experiences as a South Sudanese refugee

Laura Crema pays tribute to Jazz on a Summer’s Day star, August 9 at VIFF Live

Local singer puts her own improvisational spice on classic songs in ode to Anita O’Day’s iconic performance in the acclaimed, 1959 Newport Jazz Festival documentary

Vancouver Classical Guitar Festival showcases masters of the nylon strings at CapU, August 13 to 16

Highlights of the fest include a solo concert by acclaimed Argentine tango guitarist Máximo Diego Pujol, plus performances by a slate of B.C.–based musicians

Vancouver Youth Choir takes it outside for Music on Main’s Summer Pop-Up Concerts series

Artistic director and founder Carrie Tennant says the choir helps its young members make authentic human connections in an era when that is more challenging than ever

Vetta Chamber Music’s 2026-27 season blends tradition with a focus on the future

In his first season as the ensemble’s artistic director, violist Hung-Wei Huang is bringing back a few familiar faces and tapping into the creativity of kids from local schools

With Lachrimae, lute virtuoso Lucas Harris explores the uplifting powers of musical melancholy

The eclectic program mixes masterpieces by Renaissance composer John Dowland and Joni MItchell at Early Music Vancouver’s Summer Festival

VIFF Live announces 2026 program of film screenings, immersive concerts, and “reworlding”

The series includes appearances by Canadian and international artists, including throat-singing duo Silla, composer Kelly Moran, and experimental rock act Xiu Xiu

Early Music Vancouver artist in residence Marc Mauillon loves the challenge of 17th-century opera

Tackling the title role in Monteverdi’s Orfeo as part of EMV’s Summer Festival requires a different approach, the French singer says—and a willingness to push beyond beautiful singing

Austin Powers swings, Andrea Superstein sings at VIFF Centre on July 25

As part of VIFF Live, Juno-nominated artist will perform a set of classic Burt Bacharach material before a screening of Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery