Season Subscriptions Now on Sale; SSO Extends Artistic Advisor Chen’s Contract Through 2025-26 Season
Chen to Conduct Italian-Themed Opening Night and March 2026 Performance; Season to Offer a Dynamic Blend of Classics, Audience Favorites and Fresh Repertoire
Springfield—The Springfield Symphony Orchestra (SSO) has announced its 2025-26 Season Subscriptions are now on sale to the public, available on its website, SpringfieldSymphony.org or by calling the SSO Box Office, (413) 733-2291. Opening Night is on Saturday, October 11 with an Italian theme, conducted by Mei-Ann Chen, who will continue to serve as the SSO’s Artistic Advisor through the coming season.
Subscribers to the Symphony have “Classical 5” and “Pops 3” options, which start at $63.75 for the Pops subscription, and $106.25 for the Classical subscription. Subscribers receive an array of benefits, including discounted pricing; free concert ticket exchanges; invites to special SSO events; and more.
The 2025-26 Season, the SSO’s 82nd, features eight performances at Springfield Symphony Hall, filled with a blend of classics, audience favorites and fresh repertoire. This coming season marks an exciting chapter for the Orchestra and will provide audiences with new formats and creative programming, responding to the community’s desire to feature more Pops and “Hybrid” (blending Classical and Pop) performances.
Chen, an internationally-acclaimed conductor and one of Musical America’s 2015 Top 30 Influencers, began serving as Artistic Advisor for the SSO in its 2024-25 season. In this position, Maestra Chen serves as the Orchestra’s artistic face, curating programs, selecting guest soloists and facilitating other artistic needs. As with the 2024-25 Season, Chen will once again conduct two performances this coming season – Opening Night on October 11, and the March 2026 performance, “Mendelssohn, Gershwin, & A Woman’s Voice.”
Chen has served as Music Director of Chicago Sinfonietta since 2011. Chief Conductor of Austria’s Recreation – Grosses Orchester Graz at Styriarte, she also serves as an Artistic Partner with ROCO (TX) and Northwest Sinfonietta (WA). Highly regarded as a compelling communicator, Chen is a sought-after guest conductor, and has appeared with distinguished orchestras throughout the Americas, Europe, Taiwan, The United Kingdom, and Scandinavia, (over 150 orchestras to date). Chen is a recipient of a League of American Orchestras Helen M. Thompson Award, a Taki Concordia Fellowship, several ASCAP awards, and is the only woman in the history of the Malko Competition to have been named First Prize Winner.
This coming season, the SSO will also launch new community-focused initiatives and partnerships. Music on the Menu is a concert series partnering with local restaurants to promote the SSO while raising funds for the Springfield Symphony Youth Scholarship Fund. The SSO will also partner with mission-aligned nonprofit organizations for performances to broaden its reach and impact.
To learn more about the eight performances in the coming season and to purchase subscriptions, visit SpringfieldSymphony.org. Individual concert tickets go on sale September 15. MassMutual and Massachusetts Cultural Council are Season Sponsors for the 2025-26 Season.
The Springfield Symphony Orchestra is the largest Massachusetts symphony outside of Boston. It consists of over 65 musicians from the NE region of the United States and Canada, and holds many performances in a given season – as either the full orchestra or in ensemble formats.