Events

• Tuesday, February 3, 2026

  Symphony Band

  7:30 pm

  Wharton Center

  MSU Bands

  The MSU Symphony Band, under the direction of David Thornton, presents a compelling program featuring Berlioz’s Marche Hongroise, the world premiere of Maxwell Kowal’s Express, and Nelhýbel’s Trittico.

  Event Details

  $$$
• Thursday, February 5, 2026

  Wind Symphony

  7:30 pm

  Wharton Center

  MSU Bands

  The MSU Wind Symphony, with guest conductor Tyler Austin and guest ensemble Newfound Winds, presents a vibrant program featuring Adams’ Incandescence, Flagello’s The Bird-While, Copland’s Buckaroo Holiday, and the world premiere of Frank Duarte’s Lenguaje, Symphony No. 1.

  Event Details

  $$$
• Friday, February 6, 2026

  Symphony Orchestra, “Holst’s The Planets”

  7:30 pm

  Wharton Center

  MSU Orchestras

  The MSU Symphony Orchestra, under Octavio Más-Arocas, offers a sweeping program featuring Gala Flagello’s introspective Everything Beautiful, Holst’s iconic cosmic masterpiece The Planets, and a student-composed Sam and Mary Austin Fanfare.

  Event Details

  $$$
• Wednesday, February 25, 2026

  Concert Band and Campus Band

  7:30 pm

  Wharton Center

  MSU Bands

  The program, conducted by Arris Golden, features Children’s March by Percy Grainger, Of Endless Miles and Empty Rafts by Michele Fernández, the world premiere of Hymn to the Red Cedar by MSU composer Carlos LaLonde, and Divertimento for Winds and Percussion by Roger Cichy.

  Event Details

  $$$
• Thursday, February 26, 2026

  Concert Orchestra, “Spotlight and Spirit”

  7:30 pm

  Wharton Center

  MSU Orchestras

  Conducted by Katherine Kilburn with conductors Zongheng Zhang and Dan Jaggars, this concert spotlioghts the winner of the annual Honors Concerto Competition, as well as Gala Flagello’s Vitality, Florence Price’s Adoration, and William Grant Still’s landmark Afro-American Symphony.

  Event Details

  $$$
• Sunday, March 15, 2026

  Jazz Orchestras with Harvey Mason, jazz drums

  3:00 pm

  Wharton Center

  MSUFCU Jazz Artist in Residence

  Renowned drummer Harvey Mason returns to MSU for the first time since 2017, joining the MSU Jazz Orchestras in a dynamic concert that showcases his influential work in jazz, funk, and fusion.

  Event Details

  $$$
• Tuesday, March 17, 2026

  Symphony Band

  7:30 pm

  Wharton Center

  MSU Bands

  This program of dynamic works, conducted by David Thornton, includes Pegasus Fanfare from The Sleeping Spirit by John Gibson, Starry Ocean by Shuying Li,  Anahita by Roshanne Etezady, Hands Across the Sea by John Philip Sousa, and The Wild Goose by Ryan George.

  Event Details

  $$$
• Thursday, March 19, 2026

  Wind Symphony

  7:30 pm

  Wharton Center

  MSU Bands

  MSU composer Zhou Tian premieres his Concerto for Saxophone with acclaimed saxophonist Joseph Lulloff, joined by Hindemith’s Konzertmusik für Blasorchester and Maslanka’s Symphony No. 8, conducted by Kevin L. Sedatole.

  Event Details

  $$$
• Friday, March 20, 2026

  Symphony Orchestra’s Honors Concert

  7:30 pm

  Wharton Center

  MSU Orchestras

  The MSU Symphony Orchestra, led by Octavio Más-Arocas, celebrates the Honors Concerto Competition winners with a vibrant program of student soloists and a Sam and Mary Austin Fanfare by an MSU student composer.

  Event Details

  $$$
• Thursday, April 16, 2026

  Concert Orchestra, “Making Herstory”

  7:30 pm

  Wharton Center

  MSU Orchestras

  Making Herstory, conducted by Katherine Kilburn with conductors Zongheng Zhang and Dan Jaggars, showcases inspiring music by women composers including Tower, Bonds, and Garrop, alongside a premiere by the Jere Hutcheson Composition Competition winner.

  Event Details

  $$$
• Wednesday, April 22, 2026

  Concert Band and Campus Band

  7:30 pm

  Wharton Center

  MSU Bands

  The program, conducted by Arris Golden, features Tuttarana by Reena Esmail, Second Suite in F by Gustav Holst, Resting in the Peace of His Hands by John Gibson, Fallingwater at Twilight by James David, and His Honor by Henry Fillmore.

  Event Details

  $$$
• Thursday, April 23, 2026

  Symphony Orchestra, “Rhythms in Motion: A Celebration of Dance”

  7:30 pm

  Wharton Center

  MSU Orchestras

  Conducted by Octavio Más-Arocas, the MSU Symphony Orchestra closes the season with an energetic program featuring Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier Suite, Contreras’s Mariachitlán, Simon’s Hellfighters’ Blues, Ravel’s Boléro, and a student-composed Sam and Mary Austin Fanfare.

  Event Details

  $$$
• Saturday, April 25, 2026

  MSU Choirs with Wind Symphony

  7:30 pm

  Wharton Center

  MSU Wind Symphony and Choirs

  MSU Wind Symphony joins forces with various MSU choirs to present a powerful concert featuring works by guest composer Jake Runestad, including Proud Music of the Storm, A Silence Haunts Me, and a piece by MSU composer David Biedenbender.

  Event Details

  $$$
• Sunday, April 26, 2026

  Spartan Youth Wind Symphony and Symphony Band

  3:00 pm

  Wharton Center

  MSU Bands

  An afternoon showcasing wind ensemble versatility with Bernstein’s Slava!, Profanation, and BSO Forever, plus works by Chambers, Yagisawa, Piunno, Sousa, and Newman, conducted by Dana Sedatole and David Thornton.

  Event Details

  $$$