The Mainly Mozart All-Star Orchestra Festival will return to San Diego from June 17 to 27, 2026, featuring six performances with unique programming under Music Director Michael Francis. The festival, now in its 38th year, is recognized as the largest Mozart celebration in North America and brings together concertmasters and principal players from top orchestras across the United States and Canada.
This year's festival marks the first time in eight years that a single concertmaster will serve for the entire series. David Kim of The Philadelphia Orchestra will hold the role for all six concerts. In recent seasons, concertmaster duties were shared among multiple musicians. The full orchestra roster for 2026 will be released in May.
The first five concerts will take place 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 all-star musicians represent ensembles 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.
Soloists for the 2026 festival include acclaimed pianist Anne-Marie McDermott, who will perform Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3 on June 17. Internationally celebrated guitarist Mak Grgić will be featured in Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez on June 21. Pianist Anton Nel, a Grammy-nominated artist, takes center stage in Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 9, "Jenamy," on June 23. Grammy Award-winning violinist James Ehnes will perform Schumann's Violin Concerto on June 25 and return for the Closing Night on June 27 for Brahms's Double Concerto alongside Robert DeMaine, Principal Cello of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Ticket packages for the festival are available starting 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 to $155, while single tickets for the finale at Epstein Family Amphitheater range from $25 to $250.
The festival program includes works by Mozart, Beethoven, Prokofiev, Copland, Rodrigo, Mendelssohn, Strauss, Schumann, Brahms, and others. Notable pieces include Beethoven's Symphony No. 3 "Eroica," Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 4 "Italian," and Mozart's Symphony No. 41 "Jupiter." The festival finale will feature Beethoven's Symphony No. 5.
Since its founding in 1988, Mainly Mozart has brought the San Diego community together for orchestral performances, intimate concert settings, and music education. In 2025, the festival earned recognition as North America's largest Mozart festival and became part of the International Mozarteum Foundation's "Mozart Communities," one of only two in the U.S. The organization also supports over 350 young musicians through the Mainly Mozart Youth Orchestra and tiered string programs. More information can be found at www.mainlymozart.org.
