The Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra is marking its 15th anniversary this year with a season built around Broadway royalty, a galaxy far, far away and four symphonies by Brahms. Lea Salonga takes the Neal S. Blaisdell Concert Hall stage Saturday and Sunday for her first-ever performances with the orchestra, kicking off a nine-month run that stretches through next June and folds in guest clarinetist Anthony McGill, violinists Augustin Hadelich and Jennifer Koh, and a world premiere from composer Fang Man.
A Milestone Season Called Resonance
The orchestra is calling the 2026/27 lineup Resonance, and HSO President and CEO Amy Iwano said the name carries real weight for the organization, as reported by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. “Resonance reflects both how far the Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra has come and the deep connection we continue to build with our community,” Iwano said. She added that the season honors live music’s ability to bring people together across generations, cultures and genres while amplifying Pacific voices and world-class artistry. Concerts run from September 25, 2026, through June 6, 2027, according to Musical America, all staged at the Blaisdell Concert Hall.
Salonga’s weekend with the orchestra is already underway: the performances land Saturday night and Sunday afternoon, per the Star-Advertiser's reporting. Speaking to KITV, Salonga said the pairing is new territory for her. “I don't think I've ever performed with the symphony. So because it's the first time,” she told the station. The dates were also confirmed by Hi Now Daily, which placed the shows at the Blaisdell Concert Hall this weekend.
Brahms, a World Premiere, and Star Wars
The season's centerpiece is Brahms: From Vienna to Hawai‘i, a February and March festival presenting all four Brahms symphonies, each paired with a newly commissioned composition inspired by the composer's work, as reported by Honolulu Star-Advertiser. That same festival will include Dai-Keong Lee's violin concerto. On a Friday program within the season, HSO Conductor Emerita JoAnn Falletta leads pianist Lisa Nakamichi, violinist Ignace Jang and cellist Julian Schwarz in Beethoven's Triple Concerto, the paper reports.
Elsewhere on the calendar, the orchestra will give the world premiere of Fang Man's Song of the Flaming Phoenix, written for orchestra and sheng, an ancient Chinese reed instrument. HSO Music and Artistic Director Dane Lam conducts a Hapa Holiday Extravaganza in December, with Carolina Rial guest performing in January. Then in May, three shows of Star Wars: A New Hope will celebrate the film franchise's 50th anniversary, as noted by Honolulu Star-Advertiser, before the season closes in June with Na Hoku Hanohano Award winner Kolohe Kai starring in a HapaSymphony.
Keeping Tickets Within Reach
Accessibility is a running theme of the season. The orchestra offers a four-ticket flex package that discounts single-ticket prices by 20%, plus a 50% discount for military personnel and first responders and a 25% discount for teachers and educators, according to the Star-Advertiser's reporting. Students with valid ID can get into performances for $15, and the orchestra has also reduced service fees while waiving them entirely for season subscribers.
“We remain committed to serving the community,” Iwano said, adding that HSO is focused on keeping performances accessible to as many people as possible. Rather than raise ticket prices, she said, the organization is working to raise funds to keep costs within reach for audiences.
Reaching Beyond the Concert Hall
The orchestra's education and outreach work extends well past Blaisdell Hall. HSO offers school matinee concerts that bus children in for morning performances, alongside its Symphony in the Schools program. The full orchestra performed at Kawananakoa Middle School last year and plans to return, as Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported, while the Na Hoku Opio Young Stars Competition gives high school students the chance to win solo performance slots with the symphony, per a report from Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra.
Next May, HSO will hold its annual Side by Side concert with the Hawaii Youth Symphony, continuing a tradition of pairing professional and student musicians on stage. Financial support from the State of Hawai‘i and the City and County of Honolulu helps the orchestra bring concerts to other parts of Oahu beyond its downtown home, according to the Star-Advertiser.
An Organization Rebuilt From Bankruptcy
The milestone season carries extra significance given the orchestra's history. The Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra traces back to the former Honolulu Symphony, which filed for bankruptcy in 2009 before being resurrected and renamed roughly 14 years ago, according to Hawai‘i Public Radio. The orchestra, founded in 1900, now supports 85 musicians and runs on a nearly $6 million budget generated through ticket sales and donors, the public radio station reported, with its stated goals including community outreach and restarting orchestra performances statewide.
That reliance on ticket revenue and donations has made state support a recurring topic at the Legislature. A 2026 bill, Senate Bill 2603, specifies an appropriation of $500,000, or as much as necessary, for fiscal year 2026-2027 operating costs of the State of Hawaii Symphony Orchestra, according to the bill text filed with the Hawai‘i State Legislature.
A Free Concert for the Community
Community participation extends to the orchestra's Community Side-by-Side program, which lets local musicians rehearse alongside HSO players. Per the orchestra's own program page, those rehearsals culminate in a free public concert, though participants must submit a nonrefundable $75 registration fee to take part. It's one more piece of an anniversary season built around the idea that an orchestra survives not just through star guest artists, but through the audiences and neighborhoods it keeps showing up for.
