FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
May 28, 2026
Madison Symphony Orchestra Closes 100th Season
with Free Centennial Festival Weekend
Festival Symphony Concert to feature Wisconsin native Julian Rhee on Sunday
Madison, Wis. –Madison Symphony Orchestra (MSO) will close its 100th anniversary season with Centennial Festival Weekend on Saturday and Sunday, June 13-14 at the Overture Center. It will feature MSO musicians and a broad lineup of community artists performing throughout the building. The festival is free and open to the public as a gift to the community by the Madison Symphony Orchestra in recognition of 100 years of support for MSO.
The two-day festival will include performances spanning classical, jazz, blues, Latin, gospel and global music, along with hands-on activities such as art stations, an instrument petting zoo, origami, yoga, meditation and sound bath sessions. Featured community performers include the Madison Cello Ensemble, Wisconsin Dells Singers and Dance Troupe, Kanopy Dance, Charanga Agoza, Tony Castaeda Latin Jazz Band, Cash Box Kings, Madison Youth Choirs, Mariachi Corcel de Madison and Grupo Candela, among many others.
In addition to the individual performers, Saturday programming also includes the Madison Symphony’s Festival Family Concert, led by MSO Associate Conductor Kyle Knox and narrated by Madison broadcaster John Stofflet, and a special Overture Concert Organ performance by Greg Zelek. Both events are free and open to the public, with no tickets issued and general admission seating. Advance registration is encouraged.
The weekend concludes Sunday with the Festival Symphony Concert, “For the Love of Music,” featuring violinist and Wisconsin-native Julian Rhee. The winner of the 2017 Madison Symphony Orchestra’s Bolz Young Artist Competition, Rhee will join Maestro John DeMain for his final concert as Music Director. The concert is free. No tickets will be issued, and seating is general admission in select areas of the hall. Advance registration is encouraged.
For more information: https://madisonsymphony.org/event/festivalsymphony/.
To view the entire Centennial Festival Weekend up-to-the-minute schedule: https://madisonsymphony.org/event/centennial-festival-weekend/
About the Madison Symphony Orchestra
The Madison Symphony Orchestra celebrates its 100th Anniversary season in 2025-2026. The MSO has grown to be one of America’s leading regional orchestras, providing Madison and south-central Wisconsin with cultural and educational opportunities to interact with great masterworks and top-tier guest artists from around the world. 2025-2026 marks John DeMain’s 32nd year and final season as Music Director. Learn more at madisonsymphony.org.
The Presenting Festival Sponsors for these concerts are the Madison Community Foundation and MGE Foundation. Additional lead festival sponsors include Diane Ballweg, Jim and Susan Bakke, Barbara and Norman Berven, Lau and Bea Christensen, W. Jerome Frautschi, Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation, and Kay Schwichtenberg and Herman Baumann.
The major sponsors for the final concert include Myrna Larson, John J. Frautschi Family Foundation, David and Kato Perlman, Pamela Ploetz and John Henderson and Peggy and Tom Pyle. Other supporting sponsors include Jeffrey and Angela Bartell and the Madison Symphony Orchestra League, which is the Julian Rhee Sponsor.
Contact: Emma Potter
Phone: (608) 257-3734 x230
Email: epotter@madisonsymphony.org
Web: madisonsymphony.org
MSO 25-26 Symphony Season Press Photos: https://madisonsymphony.org/press-room/