The summer 2026 season runs June 20–August 12
For Immediate Release — May 29, 2026 — Boston Landmarks Orchestra, under the direction of Music Director Christopher Wilkins, announces its 25th anniversary season of free summer concerts, bringing live orchestral music to some of the city’s most beloved outdoor and neighborhood spaces from June 20 to August 12, 2026. The concerts and events celebrate community and the joy of music-making with a lineup of performances at the DCR Hatch Memorial Shell on the Esplanade and throughout Boston’s neighborhoods.
Highlights include the Orchestra’s fourth annual Juneteenth Celebration on June 20, featuring a collaboration with young musicians from the Sphinx Performance Academy and music by Florence Price, Jessie Montgomery, Michael Abels, and Tchaikovsky; “Best of Boston” opens the Hatch Shell series on July 22, celebrating the city’s musical spirit with gospel and orchestral favorites in partnership with Everyone250, Embrace Boston, and Reverence Gospel Ensemble of Berklee College of Music; performances of Max Richter’s reimagining of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons paired with Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 from July 29-August 1; Verdi’s monumental Requiem on August 5 in partnership with Cantata Singers and our own One City Choir; and the 25th Anniversary Concert on August 12 featuring Saint-Saëns’ “Organ Symphony” and Respighi’s Fountains of Rome.
New this year, Boston Landmarks Orchestra has launched the Music Circle, a year-round community for people who love great music and believe it should be free and accessible to everyone. It’s a welcoming way to stay connected beyond the concerts through behind-the-scenes stories, learning opportunities, and special experiences with the musicians.
Everyone is welcome at Landmarks Orchestra concerts. On the Esplanade, audiences are encouraged to bring a picnic–and even dogs are invited. Join us to celebrate another summer of music-making under the stars!
Music Director Christopher Wilkins says, “For 25 years, Boston Landmarks Orchestra has brought people together through the shared experience of live music. Whether someone is hearing a symphony orchestra for the first time or returning year after year with family and friends, these concerts create a sense of joy, connection, and belonging that feel uniquely Boston. This 25th anniversary season celebrates both extraordinary music and the community that has made this orchestra possible.”
Board Chair Emmett G. Price III adds, “Boston Landmarks Orchestra reflects the very best of what public arts can achieve: excellence, accessibility, and community. As we celebrate 25 years of free concerts, we also celebrate the audiences, partners, musicians, and supporters who believe that great music should be available to everyone. This season honors our history while looking ahead to an even more vibrant future.”
A full concert schedule, program notes, and accessibility details may be found at landmarksorchestra.org.
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2026 Summer Concerts and Events
All performances and events are free and open to the public.
ASL interpreters from Think Outside the Vox (thinkoutsidethevox.org) will be present at all Hatch Shell performances; haptic vests from Tactus Music (tactusmusic.com) providing tactile experience of the music for the Deaf community will be available on July 29 and August 5, see the website for current details.
A Juneteenth Celebration
Saturday, June 20 at 3pm
The Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center | 650 Dudley Street, Boston
RSVP: https://www.landmarksorchestra.org/events/2026-season/a-juneteenth-celebration/
Landmarks’ fourth annual Juneteenth concert celebrates music of Scott Joplin, Florence Price, Jessie Montgomery, Michael Abels, Julia Perry, and P.I. Tchaikovsky. This year, we are thrilled to collaborate with talented young musicians from the Sphinx Performance Academy intensive summer program, which will be in residence at Boston Conservatory in June.
Boston Landmarks Orchestra | Christopher Wilkins, conductor
String students from the Sphinx Performance Academy
Scott Joplin Treemonisha Overture
Carlos Gomes Sonata para Cordas: “O Burrico de Pau”
Julia Perry Prelude for Strings
Florence Price Andante moderato from String Quartet No. 1
Jessie Montgomery Strum
Michael Abels Delights and Dances
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Serenade for Strings: Finale (Tema Russo)
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Best of Boston
Wednesday, July 22 at 7pm | DCR Hatch Shell
in partnership with Everyone 250 & Embrace Boston
Landmarks celebrates America 250 and Boston’s rich and diverse musical heritage with a program featuring Bernstein’s beloved Symphonic Dances from West Side Story, William Grant Still’s multi-faceted portrait of America in his Symphony No. 4, and several sparkling miniatures by Leroy Anderson. Partners include Marcus Santos and his Grooversity Brazilian drumming ensemble, members of Berklee’s Reverence Gospel Ensemble, and Everyone250.
Boston Landmarks Orchestra, Christopher Wilkins, conductor
Members & Alumni of the Reverence Gospel Ensemble of Berklee College of Music
Marcus Santos and Grooversity
Dudley S. Buck Festival Overture on the American National Air
Omar Thomas Of Our New Day Begun
Members of the Reverence Gospel Ensemble of Berklee
Leonard Bernstein Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
William Grant Still Symphony No. 4 “Autochthonous”
Leroy Anderson selections to include Serenata; The Last Rose of Summer; The Rakes of Mallow; Fiddle Faddle; plus one selection chosen by members our Music Circle
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Four Seasons Recomposed & Mozart’s 40th
Wednesday, July 29 at 7pm | DCR Hatch Shell
Friday July 31 at 7pm, Bethel AME Church, Jamaica Plain
Saturday August 1 at 3pm location TBA
Concert and film composer Max Richter’s stunning reimagining of Vivaldi’s iconic Four Seasons has become a viral hit since its 2012 premiere. Another perennial favorite, Mozart’s 40th symphony, has long been heard as a gateway to the Romantic age. Its conflicts and turbulence are illuminated through a dark beauty that listeners have always found deeply consoling.
Boston Landmarks Orchestra, Christopher Wilkins, conductor
Michael Jorgensen, violin
Florence Price (orchestrated by William Grant Still) Nimble Feet from Dances in the Canebrakes
William Grant Still Summerland
Max Richter Recomposed Antonio Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons
Wolfgang Amadè Mozart Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, K. 550
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Verdi Requiem
Wednesday, August 5 at 7pm | DCR Hatch Shell
in partnership with Cantata Singers
Verdi’s electrifying Requiem—with its blazing choruses, dramatic operatic solos, and powerful orchestra—marks the return of our One City Choir, in partnership with Cantata Singers, led by Noah Horn. Randall Thompson’s The Testament of Freedom, with texts of Thomas Jefferson, continues our celebration of America 250.
Boston Landmarks Orchestra, Christopher Wilkins, conductor
One City Choir and Cantata Singers, Noah Horn, chorusmaster and conductor
Felicia Moore, soprano
Erica Brookhyser, mezzo-soprano
Jonghyun Park, tenor
Donnie Ray Albert, baritone
Randall Thompson The Testament of Freedom (excerpts)
Giuseppe Verdi Messa da Requiem
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Organ Symphony & Fountains of Rome
Wednesday, August 12 at 7pm | DCR Hatch Shell
25th Anniversary Concert
in partnership with the Esplanade Association
Landmarks’ 25th Anniversary season concludes with a celebratory program featuring Saint-Saëns’ majestic Organ Symphony and Beethoven’s triumphant Leonore Overture No. 3. Presented in partnership with the Esplanade Association, the concert also includes Respighi’s Fountains of Rome and Mendelssohn’s The Hebrides, setting the stage for an unforgettable evening of music in this jewel of a public park.
Boston Landmarks Orchestra, Christopher Wilkins, conductor
Felix Mendelssohn The Hebrides
Anna Clyne Wild Geese
Ottorino Respighi Fountains of Rome
Ludwig van Beethoven Leonore Overture No. 3
Camille Saint-Saëns Symphony No. 3 in C minor, op. 78 “Organ Symphony”
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About Boston Landmarks Orchestra
Boston Landmarks Orchestra was founded in 2001 by conductor and community advocate Charles Ansbacher. The orchestra comprises many of the area’s finest professional musicians. In its earliest years, the orchestra performed in such historically important settings as Fenway Park, the USS CONSTITUTION pier, Jamaica Pond, Franklin Park, Copley Square, Boston Common, and other landmark locations. Since 2007, its principal home has been at the DCR’s Hatch Memorial Shell. For more history visit landmarksorchestra.org.
Major funders of Boston Landmarks Orchestra include Liberty Mutual, the Klarman Family Foundation, and the Yawkey Foundation. These programs are supported in part by grants from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, WCVB Channel 5 and CRB Classical 99.5 are proud media sponsors.
Press contact: Stephanie Janes, 617-419-0445, [email protected]