As the new season at Colburn gets underway, our calendar is full of student, faculty, and guest artist performances. What’s more, this fall highlights several unique opportunities, from the Art of Song Festival to album releases to sensory-friendly performances.
Welcome to the 2026–27 season at Colburn. This year features a multitude of performances from each of the School’s units. The Colburn Orchestra, the Conservatory’s premier ensemble, promises exciting repertoire selections and welcomes guest conductors Carlos Miguel Prieto and Dame Jane Glover. The Colburn Chamber Players start the season with an exquisite performance with our renowned faculty members Eugene Izotov, Martin Beaver, Jonathan Brown, and Ben Ullery. Later this fall, faculty and students will be joined by acclaimed cellist Nina Lee.
Weekly Music Academy Showcase concerts provide students essential performance opportunities to progress their skills and build their repertoire.
The Community School of Performing Arts has a plethora of events coming up, from advanced orchestras and wind ensembles to holiday choirs and the highly anticipated Winter Honors program. Later this fall, the Trudl Zipper Dance Institute hosts the perennial favorite See the Music, Hear the Dance, featuring Jason Fowler, former New York City Ballet dancer and current stager for choreographer Christopher Wheeldon. Artists from the Los Angeles Ballet also perform excerpts from Wheeldon’s Polyphonia.
We’re also excited about the caliber of guest artists taking the stage in the coming months along with a new concert series and various special events. Here’s a glimpse at what’s happening at Colburn this fall.
Opening Notes: Discover the Magic of Music
These Saturday morning performances are specifically crafted to engage children 13 and younger, but all ages are welcome to enjoy. The concerts will spark listeners’ imagination beyond traditional expectations. For example, the November performance specifically offers a sensory-friendly musical presentation that also promotes movement, vocalization, and occasional excitement all in a safe, non-judgmental setting. For Opening Notes events performed in a more traditional format, that may involve lighting effects or sudden noises, a breakout space will be available for audience members who wish to step away.
October 10: The series kicks off with the 12 String Trio taking listeners on a theatrical adventure.
November 7: Come ready to indulge in a musical morning with a sensory-friendly concert.
December 5: Conservatory students guide audiences on an exploratory orchestral journey.
This series is generously supported by Peter Chang and Betty Hsu.
For more details on Opening Notes, click here to read “Opening Notes Strikes a Chord with All Audiences.”
Music Restored: The Ziering-Conlon Center for Exiled and Suppressed Composers at Colburn
This fall, Music Restored: The Ziering-Conlon Center for Exiled and Suppressed Composers at Colburn leads a multiday event that shines a spotlight on the music of 20th-century Viennese composers silenced as “degenerate” under the Third Reich and exiled to Los Angeles. Musicians and scholars from the Exilarte Center, a renowned program at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, joined Music Restored’s James Conlon and Adam Millstein to share their experience preserving, promoting, and playing the works of these artists whose lives and careers were impacted by the Nazi regime. On October 30, Conservatory students join them on stage for a concert in Thayer Hall.
October 28: Concert and panel discussion with Villa Aurora’s Remember the Exiles series
October 29: Concert and panel discussion with the University of Southern California’s Max Kade Institute for Austrian-German-Swiss Studies
October 30: Join Music Restored’s James Conlon, Adam Millstein, and Exilarte Center for a preconcert discussion.
Music Restored is generously supported by Marilyn Ziering alongside the many donors who are inspired by this important work. This concert is made possible by Erica Clark in recognition of the extraordinary Music Restored initiative and the equally extraordinary musicians who bring it to life.
Library Live
If you find yourself in Downtown Los Angeles on Halloween afternoon with a bit of free time before trick-or-treating, register to attend this Library Live event. Held in Colburn’s well-sourced library, the intimate environment naturally creates an immersive listening experience.
October 31: Student Chamber Ensemble Performances
Celebrating Colburn Recordings
Our student artists and faculty performers are known to deliver outstanding live performances; however, you also can enjoy their talent on a growing catalog of recordings. This season, the Colburn partnership with Delos, the exclusive recording label for the Conservatory of Music and Music Academy, showcases several new releases from students and alumni. For example, on September 18, Trio Azura, Colburn’s Ensemble-in-Residence, will release Storytellers, a unique blend of composers who challenge traditional conceptions.
Stay tuned for more news about upcoming Colburn Collection Live recordings and releases.
Additionally, Conservatory students (some of whom have since become Colburn faculty) from Carol Colburn Grigor Piano Chair Fabio Bidini’s studio have recorded compositions from Clementi, Schubert, and Mozart to Liszt and Smetana with Naxos in recent years. Bidini also served as producer, engineer, and editor for these projects. This November, Conservatory alum Yanfeng Tony Bai will release a new recording of music by Christian Sinding for the label.
If you’re an alum of the Conservatory or Music Academy who has developed a discography, let us know! Share the details at communications@colburnschool.edu.
Fall Art of Song Festival
Curated by James Conlon, renowned guest artists and Colburn’s esteemed faculty deliver a unique examination of the interplay of vocalist and instrumentalist within vocal chamber music. The Conservatory’s Professor of Chamber Music Jonathan Brown delves into the art form with an engaging workshop on art song melodies. The festival concludes with a recital that brings the genre to life.
December 3: Art of Cantabile Workshop
December 5: Chamber Art Song Recital
The Fall Art of Song Festival is generously supported by Dr. Laura Danly.
Guest Artists
Every year, Colburn welcomes world-renowned performers to share their artistry in our performance spaces. This fall, audiences can hear a diverse assortment of today’s leading musicians and ensembles.
Visit our Calendar of Events for a full listing of performances, events, and details, including dates, times, and ticket information.