New World Symphony Welcomes 32 New Fellows to its 2026-27 Class, Representing 14 States and 6 Countries Worldwide
Before New World Symphony (NWS) officially begins its 2026-27 season in October, audiences can enjoy two pay-what-you-wish pre-season performances that offer an early glimpse of the exceptional artistry of the NWS Fellows and the musical excellence that will define the season ahead. All performances will take place at the New World Center.
On Saturday, September 19, NWS Fellows will be joined by South Korean guitarist, composer and DJ JIJI, a member of the Grammy-nominated music collective Wild Up, who is known for her “mesmerizing” and “stirring” performances (The Washington Post). Led by Brazilian-born conductor Marcelo Lehninger, the program will feature JIJI performing Joaquín Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez, a breakthrough work he composed at the suggestion of guitarist Regino Sainz de la Maza, to whom the concerto is dedicated. Aranjuez is the former summer palace of the Bourbon kings, outside Madrid on the road to Toledo. Using his thorough knowledge of the Spanish musical heritage, Rodrigo conjured the idealized essence of a Spain past, in what guitarist John Williams called Rodrigo’s “distinctive style of dissonant elegance.” The concert begins with Antônio Carlos Gomes’ Overture to Il Guarany, a vibrant orchestral introduction to his breakthrough 1870 opera, and also features Richard Strauss’ exuberant Don Juan and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s lively Capriccio espagnol based on traditional Spanish folk melodies.
On Saturday, September 26, guest conductor Nicholas Hersh leads the NWS Fellows in a chamber program showcasing masterworks of the 20th and 21st centuries. Spanning haunting memorials, rhythmic minimalism, modernist brilliance, and profound emotional depth, the program includes Einojuhani Rautavaara’s A Requiem in Our Time, Steve Reich’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Double Sextet, Igor Stravinsky’s Symphonies of Wind Instruments, and Dmitri Shostakovich’s Chamber Symphony, a powerful meditation on war, loss, and remembrance.
NWS officially kicks off its 2026-27 season on October 3 and 4, 2026 at New World Center, with Artistic Director Stéphane Denève leading the NWS Fellows in Fandango by Latin Grammy-winning composer Arturo Márquez, commissioned and performed by violinist Anne Akiko Meyers, who makes her NWS debut. NWS Conducting Fellow Ziwei Ma, who holds NWS’s Judith Rodin Fellowship for an Outstanding Woman Musician, opens the program with Kauyumari by Grammy- and Latin Grammy-winning Mexican composer Gabriela Ortiz. The concert concludes with French orchestral masterpieces Debussy’s Iberia and Ravel’s Boléro, with Boléro accompanied by custom visuals created by NWS Media featuring projections of two Miami City Ballet principal dancers, Stanislav Olshanskyi and Macarena Gimếnez, performing choreography by MCB principal dancer Natalia Arja.
The NWS Fellowship Experience
New World Symphony welcomes 32 new Fellows to its 2026-27 class, representing 14 states and 6 countries worldwide. The New World Symphony is a global leader in orchestral and artistic training. Talented musicians, aged typically between 22-30, are awarded fellowships that can last up to three years and consist of a robust curriculum of musical, entrepreneurial, and community engagement training. Each season, Fellows are mentored by over 100 visiting faculty members and guest artists, and design and execute their own entrepreneurial projects. Fellows in various stages of their fellowship make up the orchestra each season. NWS has over 1,300 alumni transforming communities in over 30 countries.
Eighty-seven Fellows comprise the New World Symphony across 17 instruments and three non-instrumental positions. The Fellows are selected for this highly competitive opportunity based on their musical achievement and promise, as well as their passion for the future of classical music. For the 2026-27 season, over 1,800 musicians applied to be a NWS Fellow, resulting in an acceptance rate of approximately 3%.
Fifty three New World Symphony Fellows and alumni secured positions in the 2025-26 season with renowned orchestras and institutions including the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Houston Symphony, Ojai Music Festival, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Washington National Opera and Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra, underscoring NWS’s role in cultivating and launching the careers of today’s exceptional young musicians.
Tickets and subscription packages
Subscriptions and single tickets for the New World Symphony’s full 2026-27 season are now available via phone (305-673-3331) or online at nws.edu. Subscription packages include three orchestral series, three concerts at the Arsht Center, chamber music at the New World Center, and a series of Concerts for Kids tailored for children aged 4-9.
Over one-third of all NWS concerts are pay-what-you-wish, many starting at $0. Programs, artists, dates, prices, and availability are subject to change.
Please click here for the complete 2026-27 season concert schedule.