The Mainly Mozart All-Star Orchestra Festival, the largest Mozart celebration in North America, will return to San Diego from June 17 to 27, 2026, featuring six concerts with unique programming under Music Director Michael Francis. This year's festival marks the first time in eight years that a single concertmaster will serve across the entire series, with David Kim of The Philadelphia Orchestra taking the role for all six performances. In recent seasons, concertmaster duties were shared among multiple musicians.
The festival brings together concertmasters and principal players from top U.S. and Canadian orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Atlanta Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Dallas Symphony, Toronto Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, and The Philadelphia Orchestra. The full orchestra roster for 2026 will be released in May.
The first five concerts will be held at Baker-Baum Concert Hall at The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center, with the festival finale on Saturday, June 27 at UC San Diego's Epstein Family Amphitheater. The program includes beloved works by Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, and others, performed by internationally acclaimed soloists.
Soloists for the 2026 festival include pianist Anne-Marie McDermott, who will perform Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3 on June 17; guitarist Mak Grgić, featured in Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez on June 21; pianist Anton Nel, performing Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 9, "Jenamy," on June 23; and Grammy Award-winning violinist James Ehnes, who will perform Schumann's Violin Concerto on June 25 and return on Closing Night for Brahms's Double Concerto alongside cellist Robert DeMaine.
Nancy Laturno, Founding CEO of Mainly Mozart, said, "Each year, the All-Star Orchestra Festival reaffirms San Diego's place as a destination for world-class classical music. The 2026 season pairs beloved symphonies and concertos with distinctive repertoire, offering audiences both the thrill of the familiar and the excitement of the unexpected."
Festival package tickets (6-concert, 4-concert, and 2-concert) are available beginning Feb. 15, 2026 at https://www.mainlymozart.org/allstar or by calling 619-239-0100. Single tickets for concerts at The Conrad range from $68-$155, and at Epstein Family Amphitheater from $25-$250.
Since 1988, Mainly Mozart has brought the San Diego community together for orchestral performances, intimate concerts, and music education. The festival is recognized as North America's largest Mozart festival and is one of approximately 30 organizations worldwide—and only two in the U.S.—welcomed into the International Mozarteum Foundation's "Mozart Communities." The organization also supports over 350 young musicians through the Mainly Mozart Youth Orchestra and tiered string programs. For more information, visit www.mainlymozart.org.
