New Philharmonic, the professional orchestra in residence at the McAninch Arts Center (MAC), announced their 2025-2026 Season.
“This season represents our boldest and most inspirational season yet,” says New Philharmonic Music Director and Conductor Kirk Muspratt. “From our season-opener with the 80-voice Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra (NISO) Chorus and Orff’s ‘Carmina Burana’ to our mid-season concert of songs from 17 of Broadway's most popular musicals, to our final concert featuring Daugherty’s multifaceted harp concerto ‘Harp of Ages,’ and our holiday programming in between, our audiences are in for one of the most captivating, fascinating and enticing orchestral experiences of their lives.”
New Philharmonic’s 2025-2026 Season begins with “Carmina Burana,” (Oct. 4 & 5) featuring Orff’s cantata based on 24 poems from the medieval collection of the same name. The 80-voice NISO Chorus and three acclaimed soloists--Emily Bursan (mezzo soprano), Richard Ollarsaba (baritone) and Thomas Alaan (countertenor)--will join New Philharmonic and Maestro Muspratt for this larger-than-life work. Also on the program is the exotic Polovtsian dances from Act 2 of Alexander Borodin's opera, “Prince Igor.”
The second concert of the season (Nov. 1 & 2) showcases two of the world’s best-loved ballet suites: Tchaikovsky’s captivating “Romeo & Juliet” ballet suites (orchestra version) and Prokofiev’s moving and jubilant “Cinderella” ballet suite. The latter will be accompanied by live narration.
For the holidays, New Philharmonic accompanies Salt Creek Ballet’s performance of “The Nutcracker” (Dec. 20 & 21) and closes out 2025 with three celebratory New Year’s Eve Concert performances featuring critically acclaimed soprano Alisa Jordheim. Jordheim was recently showcased in the role of Adina in New Philharmonic’s “The Elixir of Love” concert opera this past January.
New Philharmonic opens 2026 with an all-Broadway program “Broadway through the Years” (Jan. 31 & Feb. 1) a definite must for any lover of Broadway musicals. The 80-voice NISO Chorus reteams with New Philharmonic and Maestro Muspratt for a program featuring songs from more than 17 of Broadway’s most popular musicals. Also featured in the program are four guest soloists: Emily Bursan (soprano), Kate Tombaugh (mezzo soprano), Lorenzo Parnell (tenor) and Jonathan Wilson (baritone).
New Philharmonic closes the season with “Harp of Ages” by Michael Daugherty (April 11 & 12). Daugherty draws from nearly 3,000 years of harp music and styles for this fascinating work. In 2023 New Philharmonic fans enjoyed Daugherty’s “Passacaglia in Primary Colors,” part of his “Fifteen: Symphonic Fantasy on the Art of Andy Warhol,” at the MAC’s Lakeside Pavilion. This program also features Modest Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition” inspired by the composer’s visit to an art exhibition of works by his friend Viktor Hartmann.
A list of New Philharmonic’s 2025-2026 season concerts with dates, times and single concert ticket prices is attached to this release. All performances will take place in the McAninch Arts Center’s Belushi Performance Hall, located at 425 Fawell Blvd. on the campus of College of DuPage. In addition, one hour prior to most New Philharmonic concerts, free MAC Chat presentations are offered to provide audiences with a greater understanding and appreciation of the concert. For more information visit www.AtTheMAC.org.
Subscriptions for New Philharmonic’s 2025-2026 Season are now on sale. Those subscribing by May 10 receive 25% off single ticket prices, the best savings of the season. Beginning May 11, subscription savings drops to 20% off single ticket prices. Subscribers can also secure tickets at a discount to Salt Creek Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” (Dec. 20 & 21) in advance of the general public on-sale.
Single concert tickets go on sale summer 2025. Visit www.AtTheMAC.org to stay up to date. Dates, artists and prices are subject to change. For more information visit www.AtTheMAC.org or call the MAC Box Office at 630.942.4000.
About New Philharmonic
New Philharmonic, the only professional orchestra based in DuPage County, Ill., has inspired classical music enthusiasts in Chicago and the suburbs for more than four decades. New Philharmonic was recently honored with the Illinois Council of Orchestras’ 2020 ICO Award in the category Programming of the Year. It continues to thrive with the goal of giving innovative treatment to both classic compositions and modern works while striving to make the music accessible to new audiences and youth through a variety of educational efforts. Today, under the direction of Music Director/Conductor Kirk Muspratt, named 2018 Conductor of the Year (Professional Orchestra) by Illinois Council of Orchestras, New Philharmonic consists of more than 60 professional musicians and typically performs more than a dozen concerts a year, reaching more than 7,500 from the greater Chicago area annually.
2024-2025 season support for New Philharmonic is provided in part by the DuPage Foundation, a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, Brookdale Glen Ellyn; Sullivan Taylor Family Trust, Frank Modruson and Lynne Shigley, Anonymous, and the College of DuPage Foundation. Media sponsor is 90.9 FM WDCB Public Radio.
About the MAC
McAninch Arts Center at College of DuPage is located 25 miles west of Chicago near I-88 and I-355. It houses three indoor performance spaces (780-seat proscenium Belushi Performance Hall; 186-seat soft-thrust Playhouse Theatre; and a versatile black box Studio Theatre), outdoor Lakeside Pavilion, plus the Cleve Carney Museum of Art and classrooms for the college’s academic programming. The MAC has presented theater, music, dance and visual art to more than 1.5 million people since its opening in 1986 and typically welcomes more than 100,000 patrons from the greater Chicago area to more than 230 performances each season.
The mission of the MAC is to foster enlightened educational and performance opportunities, which encourage artistic expression, establish a lasting relationship between people and art, and enrich the cultural vitality of the community. For more information about the MAC, visit www.AtTheMAC.org or @AtTheMAC on Facebook and Instagram.
Support for the McAninch Arts Center is provided in part by Brookdale Senior Living Glen Ellyn, Anonymous, College of DuPage Foundation, Sullivan Taylor Family Trust, DuPage Foundation, Ball Horticultural, Frank Modruson & Lynne Shigley, Enjoy Illinois, Illinois Arts Council, a state agency. Media Sponsor is WDCB 90.9 FM, Hotel Sponsor is DoubleTree by Hilton Lisle/Naperville.
Established as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit charitable organization in 1967, the College of DuPage Foundation raises monetary and in-kind gifts to increase access to education and to enhance cultural opportunities for the surrounding community. For more information about the College of DuPage Foundation, visit www.foundation.cod.edu or call 630.942.2462.
NEW PHILHARMONIC: 2025-2026 SEASON
(as of April 12, 2025)
Dates, artists and prices are subject to change
Ticket prices below are single-concert ticket prices. Subscriptions are on sale now. Those subscribing by May 10 receive 25% off single ticket prices, the best savings of the season. Beginning May 11 subscription savings drop to 20% off single ticket prices. New Philharmonic subscribers can secure tickets at a discount to Salt Creek Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” in advance of the general public. Single concert tickets go on sale this summer. All performances take place in the Belushi Performance Hall in the McAninch Arts Center, located at 425 Fawell Blvd. on the campus of College of DuPage. For more information visit AtTheMAC.org or call the MAC Box Office at 630.942.4000.
“Carmina Burana”
Guest Artists Emily Bursan (soprano), Richard Ollarsaba (baritone) and Thomas Alaan (countertenor)
With the 80-voice NISO Symphony Chorus directed by Thomas McNichols
7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 5
Tickets: $62 ($59 + $3 per ticket fee)
The 80-voice Northwest Indiana Symphony Chorus will be showcased in Orff’s “Carmina Burana.” This cantata collection of songs and poems will be bookended by the instantly recognizable “O Fortuna,” a staple in western popular culture, setting the mood for dramatic or cataclysmic situations and used in numerous films and television commercials. The program will also include Alexander Borodin’s exotic “Polovtsian Dances,” which opened the 2014 Olympics in Sochi and was adapted for the popular Broadway musical “Kismet” into “Stranger in Paradise.”
“Romeo & Juliet” and “Cinderella”
7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2
Tickets: $60 ($57 + $3 per ticket fee)
Tchaikovsky composed his symphonic poem and overture-fantasy based on Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” to create one of the most splendid tragic love themes in Western Classical music. The program will also feature the music of Sergei Prokofiev’s moving, magical and jubilant fairytale ballet, “Cinderella” accompanied by live narration.
New Year’s Eve Concert
With Guest Vocalist Alisa Jordheim
1:30, 5 and 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 31
Tickets: $73-$83 ($70-$80 + $3 ticket fee)
New Philharmonic presents an entertaining and eclectic New Year’s Eve program filled with works from classical to opera to pops, a champagne toast, secret surprises and more. Acclaimed soprano Alisa Jordheim, who wowed audiences as Adina in “The Elixir of Love” concert opera this past January, returns to perform a selection of classical and contemporary works and lead audiences in the traditional “Auld Lang Syne.”
“Broadway through the Years”
Guest Artists Emily Bursan (soprano), Kate Tombaugh (mezzo soprano), Lorenzo Parnell (tenor), and Jonathan Wilson (baritone)
With the 80-voice NISO Symphony Chorus directed by Thomas McNichols
7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 31, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 1
Tickets: $66 ($63 + $3 per ticket fee)
The 80-voice NISO Symphony Chorus joins New Philharmonic for this concert featuring works from 17 of Broadway’s most popular shows including “Oklahoma,” “Hello Dolly!,” “The Sound of Music,” “Les Misérables,” South Pacific,” The Music Man,” “Mamma Mia,” “A Chorus Line,” “Cabaret,” Sweeney Todd,” “Evita,” “Phantom of the Opera,” “Chicago,” “Into the Woods” and more. Guest soloists include three that New Philharmonic audiences will recognize: Emily Bursan (soprano), Kate Tombaugh (mezzo soprano) and Jonathan Wilson (baritone). Lorenzo Parnell (tenor) will be making his New Philharmonic debut with these concerts.
“Harp of Ages’” and “Pictures at an Exhibition”
7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 11, and 3 p.m. Sunday, April 12
Guest Harpist Nichole Young
Tickets: $60 ($57 + $3 per ticket fee)
Commissioned by the Colorado Symphony, Daugherty’s “Harp of Ages” reflects on the many ages of the harp from circa 1000 BC with “David’s Prayer” to a fanciful 2300 AD with “Uhura’s Song.” Each piece is inspired by the seven pedals on the modern harp to associate each movement with a memorable figure including a Greek lyric poet, a Mexican nun, innovators of the jazz harp, mute member of the Marx Brothers, Irish harpist Turlough O’ Carolan and more. Modest Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition” was inspired Mussorgsky’s visit to an art exhibition of paintings at the Imperial Academy of Arts in Saint Petersburg following the passing of his friend, Russian artist Viktor Hartmann. This inspirational 10-movement piece stands as one of the virtuosic heavyweights in the piano repertoire and has been transcribed for orchestra.
Additional Event:
Salt Creek Ballet presents “The Nutcracker” with New Philharmonic
1 & 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 20; 1 & 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 21
Tickets: $50 ($47 + $3 per ticket fee); Youth $40 ($37+$3 per ticket fee)
Special Pricing for New Philharmonic 2025-2026 Season Subscribers: $37 ($34 + $3 per ticket fee).
The MAC welcomes back Salt Creek Ballet to perform the holiday tradition: Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker.” This magical full-scale production features live accompaniment from New Philharmonic – a rare opportunity to see this magnificent ballet set to live music.