Carnegie Hall is set to feature a distinguished series of concerts during its 2026-27 season, headlined by renowned artists Renée Fleming and Béla Fleck and a complete staging of Richard Wagner's monumental Ring Cycle. This announcement includes several notable shifts in the classical and folk music scenes, driven in part by recent developments in other major cultural institutions.
On December 3, Fleming and Fleck will jointly deliver an evening devoted to Appalachian folk music, marking the culmination of plans that began in 2025. This program, slated to take place before their recent withdrawal from appearances at the Kennedy Center, highlights the artists’ continued collaboration despite earlier venue-related changes. The duo is also scheduled to present this program at Charleston's Spoleto Festival on May 23, 2026, with further city engagements under discussion.
The 2026-27 season will also see Gianandrea Noseda conduct an extensive concert series of Wagner’s "Der Ring des Nibelungen" with the Zurich Opera orchestra from March 18 to 23. This will represent the first time Carnegie Hall offers a full unabridged presentation of the four operas comprising the Ring Cycle. Historically, only "Das Rheingold" and "Die Walküre" have been performed in their entirety at this venue.
Noseda commented on the concert approach, acknowledging the absence of theatrical elements such as costumes and staging. He noted, "It’s fantastic that with this project we will do something historically important. Of course, you miss the visual aspect, but you can get probably more precise musical performances because everybody's focused without movements, without costumes, without lighting." The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO), with which Noseda serves as music director, is currently displaced due to the Kennedy Center's sudden two-year closure for renovations. The orchestra continues efforts to secure a temporary performance space.
In addition to these highlights, Carnegie Hall will feature the Orchestra of St. Luke’s performing Philip Glass's Symphony No. 15, titled "Lincoln," on January 31, 2027. This work, commissioned by the NSO and initially slated for its world premiere at the Kennedy Center on June 12, 2026, was withdrawn by Glass in protest, citing conflicting values at the Kennedy Center. The symphony is expected to premiere elsewhere before its New York engagement.
The season will open on October 8 with the Berlin Philharmonic under chief conductor Kirill Petrenko, including a program featuring tenor Jonas Kaufmann. Yannick Nézet-Séguin will conduct a project encompassing all nine of Gustav Mahler’s completed symphonies with three prominent orchestras: the Vienna Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Notably, Mahler’s "Symphony of a Thousand" (No. 8) will be performed three times from June 10 to 12, 2027, by a massive ensemble comprising a 350-person chorus and 126-piece orchestra. This series is scheduled for the Metropolitan Opera rather than Carnegie Hall.