The Philadelphia Orchestra is set to travel to North Carolina, embarking on the first of three domestic tours throughout the 2025–26 season. These three tours will each commemorate two historic milestones: the Orchestra’s 125th anniversary and the upcoming America 250 celebration.
This initial tour will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 4, and Wednesday, Nov. 5, as the Philadelphia Orchestra heads down to the University of North Carolina, where they will perform two concerts in partnership with Carolina Performing Arts in the university’s Memorial Hall.
On Tuesday, the Orchestra will be joined by Grammy award–winning American classical pianist Emanuel Ax for a performance of Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto. On Wednesday, Music and Artistic Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin leads the Orchestra in Jennifer Higdon’s Concerto for Orchestra, which was commissioned and premiered by The Philadelphia Orchestra in 2002.
“Returning to Carolina Performing Arts during our 125th anniversary season is a homecoming,” said Music and Artistic Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin. “These concerts at Memorial Hall honor the roots of The Philadelphia Orchestra while embracing the energy of a new chapter. As we share this moment with our North Carolina audiences and look ahead to America’s 250th birthday, we reaffirm our belief in music’s power to unite, uplift, and move us forward together—as one country.”
The Orchestra, founded in 1900, will commemorate both its own 125th anniversary alongside the 250th anniversary of America’s founding. They will do so by sharing works by American composers of the past and present, along with masterpieces that the orchestra originally premiered in the United States by the Orchestra throughout its history.
In addition to the performances, 10 musicians of the Orchestra will lead clinics with student musicians, Principal Librarian Nicole Jordan will join a discussion with UNC students in a “Great Musical Works” class, and former Assistant Conductor Austin Chanu will engage with the UNC Wind Ensemble.
“We are thrilled that the first of our three domestic tours this season will take place at UNC,” said President and CEO Ryan Fleur. “Throughout its history, The Philadelphia Orchestra has been a cultural ambassador, bringing the best of Philadelphia to audiences across the nation and around the globe. The convergence of our 125th anniversary and the America 250 celebration presents a wonderful opportunity to inspire and connect with audiences across the nation. We are grateful to the team at Carolina Performing Arts for their collaboration and commitment to classical music and look forward to building on this fruitful partnership.”
For more information and for concert tickets, visit carolinaperformingarts.org.
