The 34-year-old New Century Chamber Orchestra (NCCO) has never fit into the dictionary definition of “chamber music,” and the orchestra’s 2026-2027 season is no exception.
Directed by famed violinist Daniel Hope, NCCO’s programming goes far beyond “classical music composed for a small group of instruments."
Hope, who continues to lead organizations around the world, becomes NCCO’s longest serving music director with his new three-year contract extension. He began his tenure with the 2018-2019 season, after Stuart Canin (1992-1999), Krista Bennion Feeney (1999-2006), and Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg (2008-2017).
For the most impressive novelty of the new season — reminiscent of its acclaimed Berlin 1938 and Los Angeles 1943 shows — NCCO will close its upcoming season on May 14–16, 2027, with an original show featuring eclectic music, called San Francisco RISING.
Created by Hope and baritone Thomas Hampson, the show is described as “an immersive, evening-length experience that combines music, narration, and multimedia imagery to tell the story of San Francisco’s transformation from the Gold Rush through the signing of the United Nations Charter in 1945.”
The concert is presented in the city’s historic Herbst Theatre, the very site where the United Nations Charter was signed.
Swiss Composer Ernest Bloch — who taught music in San Franciso and Berkeley for many years — serves as a central musical figure, while songs and traditions from Chinese, Irish, Mexican, and Black communities reflect the diversity that helped shape San Francisco.
Hope says of the season:
“We’re joined by fantastic guest artists like Marcus Roberts and his trio, Lara Downes, and Omar Massa. We have music from today’s voices, including Caroline Shaw and Rhiannon Giddens alongside icons such as Duke Ellington and Igor Stravinsky, and, of course, the great classical composers like Mozart. It’s music you know alongside music which will probably surprise you.”
The main concerts of the NCCO season:
– Nov. 5–8, “GROOVE” with the Marcus Roberts Trio, celebrating the music of Duke Ellington and George Gershwin.
– Dec. 10–12, “REFLECT” with violinist Benjamin Beilman, who leads a program of Olli Mustonen’s Nonet No. 2; Eugène Ysaÿe’s Rêve d'enfant, Jean Sibelius’s Suite for Violin and String Orchestra; and Arnold Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht (Transfigured Night).
– Jan. 28–30, 2027, “BLOOM” with pianist Lara Downes, leading performances of Clarice Assad’s commissioned Beauty Has No Borders; Mozart’s Symphony No. 29; Igor Stravinsky’s Apollon musagète (Apollo, Leader of the Muses).
– April 15–18, 2027, “PULSE” with Omar Massa, Argentine bandoneon virtuoso, whose new Double Concerto for Bandoneon and Violin is on the program, along with Astor Piazzolla’s and Gabriela Ortiz’s symphonic tango compositions.
“Next season alone tells you everything you need to know — jazz, world premieres, a landmark multimedia work about the city we call home,” says NCCO Executive Director David Taylor.
“That's Daniel. Endlessly curious, endlessly ambitious, and completely in sync with what makes New Century special. What's truly unique is the way he makes music with our musicians rather than simply directing them. It’s a creative partnership that you can hear in every performance, and we are so proud to have him leading this orchestra for years to come."
