Spark curiosity & joy with your HPO in 25-26
MAINSTAGE CONCERTS
The Journey Begins
Saturday, September 20, 2025 at 7:30PM
FirstOntario Concert Hall (1 Summers Lane)
Embark on an exciting musical journey with your HPO in its season-opening concert with the early ‘hits’ of iconic composers! Music Director James Kahane leads the Orchestra in Sibelius’ En Saga, described by the composer as “an adventure in an inner landscape” while Abigail Richardson Schulte’s Eris evokes the icy planetoid, telling the tale of the disruptive Greek goddess. More thrills abound in the teenage Shostakovich’s sensational First Symphony and Roman Rabinovich stars as the brilliant protagonist in Prokofiev’s daring First Piano Concerto.
Jurassic Park: Film with Live Orchestra
Saturday, October 18, 2025 at 2PM & 7:30PM
FirstOntario Concert Hall (1 Summers Lane)
Experience the sheer movie magic of Steven Spielberg’s mega blockbuster Jurassic Park like never before, projected in HD with your HPO performing John Williams’ iconic score live to picture! This action-packed adventure, featuring visually stunning imagery and groundbreaking special effects, pits humans against prehistoric predators in the ultimate battle for survival. Welcome to Jurassic Park!
Light Emerges
Saturday, November 8, 2025 at 7:30PM
FirstOntario Concert Hall (1 Summers Lane)
Travel with the HPO and guest conductor Nil Vendetti to picturesque destinations and worlds of deep emotion. After Verdi’s tumultuous overture to his opera about tragic destiny, the HPO’s own Principal Cello Leana Rutt takes the spotlight in Elgar’s passionately brooding Cello Concerto, a lament for a lost world. Kilar’s Orawa then brings you to an exuberant highlanders’ dance in the Tatras mountains, while Mendelssohn’s jubilant Fourth Symphony captures his vibrant impressions of Italy.
‘Tis the Season
Saturday, December 13, 2025 at 7:30PM
FirstOntario Concert Hall (1 Summers Lane)
Celebrate the festive season with your HPO in a heartwarming concert of music that is sure to get you into the holiday spirit! Hear favourite carols, classic holiday songs and other merry tunes performed in glorious orchestral sound by the Orchestra augmented by the young musicians of the HPYO plus the beautiful voices of the Hamilton Children’s Choir, and featuring a cast of local dancers.
Monomyth: The Hero’s Journey
Saturday, January 17, 2026 at 3PM (MATINEE)
FirstOntario Concert Hall (1 Summers Lane)
Start your new year with the HPO in an invigorating concert for the heroic at heart! Alondra de la Parra conducts the Orchestra in three stand-out symphonic classics, including Beethoven’s revolutionary Third Symphony, evoking a hero’s journey of overcoming adversity with courage and optimism. Grazyna Bacewicz’s blazing Overture tops the program and Thomas Enhco is the intrepid soloist exploring all the brilliance and beauty of Mozart’s exquisite Piano Concerto No. 21.
From Hamilton With Love: HPO & Dwayne Gretzky
Saturday, February 14, 2026 at 7:30PM
FirstOntario Concert Hall (1 Summers Lane)
Celebrate love and Hamilton with your HPO and Dwayne Gretzky and conductor Lucas Waldin to perform your favourite hits from the 60s, 70s and 80s! Enjoy electrifying renditions of familiar favourites by “Canada’s Greatest party band” with full orchestral sound in a dynamic celebration of the songs we all forgot we loved.
Dancing Through Life
Saturday, March 21, 2026 at 7:30PM
FirstOntario Concert Hall (1 Summers Lane)
Enjoy the elegance and energy of your HPO performing dance-inspired music! Canadian violinist Susanne Hou melds dazzling technique with gorgeous tone in Saint-Saëns’ fiery, Spanish-inflected Introduction et Rondo Capriccioso, while Philippe Hersant’s Rondes de Nuit evokes the bustling nightlife of Madrid, past and present. These pieces are framed by Ravel’s modern take on 18th-century dances and Dvořák’s dance-infused Eighth Symphony that is a splendid showcase for the musicians of the orchestra.
Myth & Memory
Saturday, April 18, 2026 at 7:30PM
FirstOntario Concert Hall (1 Summers Lane)
Immerse yourself in the rich symphonic sound of three distinguished orchestral works performed by your HPO. Beethoven’s sole violin concerto, starring the HPO’s own concertmaster Stephen Sitarski, is an expansive epic of lyrical beauty, while Brahms’ powerful Third Symphony is a finely wrought musical drama of intense feelings in a restless search for inner tranquility. Raphael’s vivid frescoes depicting the story of Cupid and Psyche shine in Hindemith’s score inspired by his visit to Rome’s Villa Farnesina.
Tchaikovsky’s Fate
Saturday, May 2, 2026 at 7:30PM
FirstOntario Concert Hall (1 Summers Lane)
Don’t miss the HPO’s gripping season finale concert! James Kahane and the Orchestra plumb the depths of emotion in Arvo Pärt’s haunting musical memorial for English composer Benjamin Britten. Pianist Anna Fedorova brings her consummate artistry to Rachmaninoff’s scintillatingly inventive variations on Paganini’s famous theme. The journey culminates with Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony, wrestling with Fate’s mysterious ways—from solemn submission to passionate desire to triumphant hope.
OFF-THE-MAINSTAGE CONCERTS
Considering Matthew Shepard
November 26, 2025, at 7:30PM
McIntyre Performing Arts Centre (135 Fennell Ave. W.)
The HPO is proud to present Considering Matthew Shepard, featuring The Elora Singers. Composer Craig Hella Johnson’s moving fusion oratorio is a reflection and response to the life, legacy and tragic death of Matthew Shepard, a young gay man whose murder in 1998 became a catalyst for change. Johnson’s composition weaves together poetry, personal reflections and historical texts to create a profound musical journey with soloists, choir and chamber orchestra. Musicians of the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra are joined by The Elora Singers for this performance sharing a hopeful message of love over hate and light over darkness.
Handel’s Messiah
December 5, 2025 at 7:30PM
December 7, 2025 at 3PM
St. Catherine of Siena Roman Catholic Church (620 Rymal Rd. E.)
The HPO and the Bach Elgar Choir come together for Handel’s monumental work Messiah. From the soft beauty of the opening notes to the resounding joy of the Hallelujah Chorus, this performance promises to uplift and delight audiences during the festive season.
Mozart’s Don Giovanni
Saturday, February 7, 2026 at 7:30
Ancaster Memorial Arts Centre
One of Mozart’s masterpieces, Don Giovanni combines comedy and tragedy in the retelling of the Don Juan legend. The HPO is thrilled to collaborate with COSA on sharing the magic of opera with Hamilton.
Intimate & Immersive: Earth Songs
April 8, 2026, at 7:30PM
The Cotton Factory (270 Sherman Ave. N.)
HPO’s Intimate & Immersive series draws audiences into an atmospheric journey that blurs the lines between performer and spectator in one of Hamilton’s most inspiring and historic venues, the Cotton Factory. Hear the music unfold all around you while the space is visually transformed with a multimedia artistic installation designed to respond to and elevate the sonic experience. HPO Intimate & Immersive is not just a concert — it’s a deep sensory encounter. Whether you’re a lover of contemporary art, classical music, or unforgettable spaces, this concert promises a night of bold creativity and connection.
NEW THIS SEASON!
Inside the Orchestra: Ravel
March 20, 2026, at 7:30PM
The Cotton Factory (270 Sherman Ave. N.)
Go deeper into the symphonies featured on the HPO mainstage at Inside the Orchestra! Sit on stage for a rehearsal of Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin infused with fascinating insights into the music and the rehearsal process. Music Director James Kahane hosts this unique event, guiding us through a listening journey for a deeper musical experience. Enjoy Inside the Orchestra as a standalone event or come back again the next evening for our mainstage concert and experience the music from the audience and hear Ravel’s work from a new perspective.
Inside the Orchestra: Brahms
April 17, 2026, at 7:30PM
FirstOntario Concert Hall
Go deeper into the symphonies featured on the HPO mainstage at Inside the Orchestra! Sit on stage for a rehearsal of Brahm’s Symphony No. 3 infused with fascinating insights into the music and the rehearsal process. Music Director James Kahane hosts this unique event, guiding us through a listening journey for a deeper musical experience. Enjoy Inside the Orchestra as a standalone event or come back again the next evening for our mainstage concert and experience the music from the audience and hear Ravel’s work from a new perspective.