2025/2026 Spring Impact Report Newsletter

Xian’s journey continues — with you by our side!

Through your support, Music Director Xian Zhang has led the orchestra in some truly extraordinary concerts this season, with more on the horizon, and our new 2026/2027 season just announced.

In a February highlight, Xian brought Qigang Chen’s Iris Dévoilée (Iris Unveiled) to Benaroya Hall for its Seattle Symphony premiere, inviting Seattle audiences to discover its unique blend of Peking and Western opera alongside Chinese instruments. The Seattle Times declared that Xian “shaped the piece with delicate, almost calligraphic gestures, allowing Chen’s shimmering orchestration to resonate and fade as if part of a single breathing organism.”

This momentous weekend of music and community was made possible by people like you. The Iris Unveiled concerts were a grand undertaking, with

Xian bringing together a cast of six soloists, including Meng Meng (Peking opera singer), Cathy Yang (erhu), Jin Yang (pipa), Lucina Yue (zheng), and Mei Gui Zhang and Tess Altiveros (sopranos). Partnerships with the Seattle Chinese Orchestra and Hwa Sheng Chinese Opera Club enriched the experience, with an in-depth Peking opera costume display and additional performances and demonstrations in the lobby before each of the concerts. Paired with the Symphony’s annual Lunar New Year Gala, this was a meaningful week celebrating the power of music and the richness of our diverse community — and the impact of your support!

Upcoming highlights this season include Xian’s collaborations with superstar soloists Daniil Trifonov, our own Principal Clarinet Benjamin Lulich and pianist Hélène Grimaud. Xian’s inaugural season

culminates in June with Gustav Mahler’s Seventh Symphony — the orchestra’s first performance of this piece in over 20 years — and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony alongside 2025/2026 Artist in Focus Steven Mackey’s RIOT . And for a unique, behind-the-scenes look at Xian and the orchestra at work, don’t miss our Open Rehearsals on May 28 and June 17.

Looking ahead to the 2026/2027 season, Xian has many more musical experiences to share with you. While curating her second season, Xian was inspired by the area’s natural landscapes and the generous community that welcomed her to Seattle. A highlight of her 13 concerts with the orchestra next season is a three-week Nature in Music Festival, exploring Edvard Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite, Ottorino Respighi’s Pines of Rome and Beethoven’s “Pastoral” Symphony. A star-studded cast of artists with Northwest connections will also share the spotlight throughout the season.

Our exciting new era with Xian has only just begun and we are so grateful for your support during her inaugural season — and beyond. Thank you for everything you do to keep our music playing for everyone in our community!

To learn more about Xian’s upcoming concerts this season, visit seattlesymphony.org/xianconducts

Music Director Xian Zhang is generously sponsored by Dr. and Mrs. Charles and Lisa Simonyi and an anonymous donor.

Xian Zhang’s position is generously underwritten as the Harriet Overton Stimson Music Director.

Benjamin Lulich’s position is generously underwritten as the Mr. & Mrs. Paul R. Smith Principal Clarinet.

Daniil Trifonov’s performances are generously sponsored by Patricia Tall-Takacs and Gary Takacs.

Steven Mackey’s performances are generously sponsored by the James D. and Sherry Raisbeck Foundation.

Performances of Xian Conducts Saint-Saëns Featuring Daniil Trifonov are generously sponsored by The Nakajima Family.

Performances of Xian Conducts Beethoven 9 are generously sponsored by the Nesholm Family Foundation.

Open during construction!

We are so grateful to the hundreds of community members who have joined us so far to support the Amplify campaign and help make the upcoming transformation a reality. Through this $20 million capital campaign to revitalize Benaroya Hall’s public spaces, we’ve already seen some exterior upgrades, including replacement of outdated marquees with new digital displays. When you join us next, expect to see signs of the exciting interior transformation as work gets underway again.

Starting this month, construction walls will enclose work areas in The Boeing Company Gallery and parts of the Samuel & Althea Stroum Grand Lobby. Lobby concessions will remain open during concerts, but food service in the Gallery will temporarily pause as we reimagine it as a more welcoming dining destination with comfortable places to gather. Daily Ticket Office operations will be relocated to make way for the new Community Room, but staff will continue to provide regular will call service and ticket sales before performances.

Through the end of the 2025/2026 season, Benaroya Hall will remain open and active. Every effort is being made to maintain the welcoming and comfortable environment you expect. From mid-July through August, we will briefly close to complete the most intensive phase of construction, reopening in time for the start of the 2026/2027 season.

When the doors of Benaroya Hall reopen this fall, we will celebrate a vibrant renovation and a renewed promise to serving our community. Expanded seating, improved wayfinding and refreshed finishes throughout will ensure that each visit feels more inviting, more comfortable and more inspiring at every turn.

Thank you for your steadfast support as Benaroya Hall undergoes this transformation, enhancing visits for years to come and creating a more welcoming experience for all.

Visit seattlesymphony.org/amplify to see what we’re working on behind the walls — we look forward to sharing this exciting future with you!

Making music for today

Your support sustains the array of education programs offered by the Seattle Symphony, giving young artists and students an opportunity to explore what music means to them.

Our longest-running initiative, the Merriman-Ross Family Young Composers Workshop, has been active for more than three decades.

During this 15-week tuition-free course, young composers have the opportunity to work alongside professional artists to compose a new piece and have it premiered by Seattle Symphony musicians at Benaroya Hall. Throughout the workshop, students learn practical skills — how to make music, with all the tools and technology that exist today — and experience the process of creating a work and getting it performance-ready.

In recent seasons, participants have learned to write music incorporating electronic sounds with acoustic instruments, working alongside workshop director and composer Marcin Pączkowski in Benaroya Hall’s Octave 9: Raisbeck Music Center to explore new sonic possibilities in electroacoustic music. This format has allowed the workshop to reach young composers from a wide variety of genres and with varying musical skills, not just those focused on classical music. “It helped me get out of my shell and experiment with music I didn’t even know I liked,” says Aiden Ramirez, a student of the program in 2025.

You can experience this year’s culminating

performance of the Merriman-Ross Family Young Composers Workshop for yourself on June 8 at Benaroya Hall. This concert is free and open to the community.

In the summer of 2026, the Symphony is also launching the Young Artist Collaborative, a new week-long summer intensive giving instrumentalists ages 13–18 the chance to learn about collaborative musicianship by studying and playing alongside Symphony musicians in various ensemble settings. “We wanted to provide a meaningful educational opportunity that is less about competition and more about collaboration,” Community Engagement Programs Manager Allison Damon shares.

Programs like these help meet young people where they are in their musical journeys and give them tools to explore new creative boundaries. Thank you for helping to inspire and empower the next generation of musicians!

SCAN TO WATCH

Scan the QR code to watch a recent Seattle Channel segment featuring the Young Composers Workshop.

The Merriman-Ross Family Young Composers Workshop is generously underwritten by Pamela Merriman, Sonja Ross, and Kelley Ross. Additional support is provided by Patricia M. Davis, Ann Holbrook, and Michel and Christine Suignard.

The Arakawa Foundation proudly supports the Seattle Symphony’s Youth Education Partnerships. Additional support is provided by Delta Air Lines. The Seattle Symphony’s Family, School & Community programs are supported by 4Culture, ArtsFund, the Merriman-Ross Family, and individual contributions to the Seattle Symphony Annual Fund. Free or reduced cost access is supported by 4Culture.

Celebrating a musical legacy

This February, we were thrilled to announce the establishment of the William & Sarah Ovens Bassoon, a new endowed chair in the orchestra honoring the artistry and enduring legacy of our musicians.

Endowed chairs are among the most meaningful traditions in the life of an orchestra, recognizing exceptional talent and providing lasting support.

During their lifetimes, William and Sarah Ovens cherished the Seattle Symphony and the transformative power of music. With their generosity

and passion, they created a permanent legacy that will enrich our community for years to come. The William & Sarah Ovens Bassoon ensures that the orchestra’s musicians can continue to perform at the highest level, captivating audiences and inspiring the next generation.

Following an onstage announcement at the orchestra’s February 1 concert, friends, musicians and supporters gathered in the Norcliffe Founders Room to celebrate the establishment of the William & Sarah Ovens Bassoon and to recognize Paul Rafanelli as the inaugural chairholder. A member of the Symphony since 1992, Paul has long been a cornerstone of the orchestra’s woodwind section and a familiar face to our audience. Beyond the concert hall, he shares his passion for music as a devoted teacher, having served on the faculty of the University of Puget Sound and now as an Artist in Residence at the University of Washington.

The William & Sarah Ovens Bassoon stands as both a tribute and a promise. Every endowed chair is a living legacy honoring the musicians who bring our music to life. Thank you to all the donors whose vision and generosity helps secure our Symphony’s bright future.

Help us share the joy of music in a BIG way! Early giving begins April 28.