64th season to highlight masterworks from Beethoven to Richter during three-week 2026 summer run in Jacksonville
By Lee Juillerat for Ashland.news
Classical music by musical masters will be featured at the 64th season of the Britt Festival Orchestra under the leadership of its new music director, Norman Huynh, in 2026.
Britt’s three-week season — from June 18 to July 3 — at the outdoor theater in historic Jacksonville will showcase the power, beauty, and thrill of live symphonic music, from Dvorak to Beethoven and more.
“I’m very excited to start my first season music director,” Huynh said in a telephone interview from Alabama. “What I love about the Britt Pavilion is it’s so incredible to make music in a beautiful setting. The orchestra is talented and so amazing – and so are the people of Jacksonville and Southern Oregon.”
Huynh envisions the three-week season as a “celebration of incredible orchestral work … all the concerts will feature major orchestral pieces.”
The deets
Tickets are on sale now at britt.org. There will not be a member pre-sale for the Britt Festival Orchestra concerts. Britt officials recommend people make sure they are using the website britt.org, as there are several websites that look official while charging higher prices and distributing potentially invalid tickets. Tickets may also be purchased at the Britt box office from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays at 216 W. Main St., Medford, or by calling 541-773-6077.
He also notes the season’s lineup will include several renowned guest artists, including pianist Olga Kern and soprano Janai Brugger, violinist William Hagen, soprano Janai Brugger, and the Grammy and Emmy-winning ensemble, “Time For Three.”
Offerings will feature several orchestral favorites, including Beethoven’s tribute to nature and Max Richter’s Four Seasons Recomposed. The Britt will again feature a film live with the orchestra intended to add to “the immersive experience for attendees.”
The schedule includes two Beethoven classics, “New World Symphony” and “Pastoral Symphony,” along with Holst’s “The Planets” and Mozart’s “Jupiter Symphony.”
“What’s not really captured on paper is my style and how I present the program,” Huynh explained. “I do my best to make it relevant to the listener … what this music represents and how we put it together.
“I’m hoping,” he added, “to give birth to new classical music fans.”
The upcoming season will begin June 18, 2026, and run until July 3, 2026. The schedule includes:
Thursday, June 18 – Dvorak’s “New World Symphony,” Olga Kern, piano. Bedrich Smetana, “Ma Vlast: No. 2. Moldau (Vltava)”, Sergei Rachmaninoff, “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini,” Antonin Dvorak, “Symphony No. 9 From the New World.”
Thursday June 25 – Holst: “The Planets,” featuring Gabriela Lena Frank, TBD (World Premiere).
Saturday June 27 – “Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony,” featuring Janai Brugger, Soprano. Felix Mendelssohnm, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Overture,” Samuel Barber, “Knoxville: Summer of 1915.” Ludwig Van Beethoven, “Symphony No. 6 in F Major, “Pastoral.”
Thursday July 2 – Mozart’s “Jupiter Symphony” and Time For Three, ensemble. Kevin Puts, “Contact,” Wolfgang” Amadeus,” Mozart, “Symphony No.41 in C Major, K. 551, “Jupiter.”
Friday July 3 – Richter’s “Four Seasons” and Copland “Symphony No. 3,” William Hagen, violin. Max Richter, “Four Seasons Recomposed,” Aaron Copland, “Symphony No.3.”
Concertgoers are invited to attend free pre-concert talks at the Sam & Hannelore Enfield Stage in the Performance Garden. Each talk begins at 7 p.m. and will feature a discussion about that evening’s performance.
About Norman Huynh
American conductor Norman Huynh has attracted significant acclaim not just for his natural musicality and technical command, but for his dynamic presence, creative programming, and highly sought-after abilities in connecting with new audiences.
The music director of the Bozeman Symphony Orchestra, with a distinguished career as a guest conductor, his past and future guest appearances include his sold-out subscription debut with the New York Philharmonic, as well as performances with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, San Diego Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, Mobile Symphony Orchestra, Oregon Symphony, Portland (Maine) Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and the Britt Music & Arts Festival.
With a range of repertoire from the Baroque to the contemporary, his prowess as an insightful collaborative conductor includes concerts conducting not only renowned, multi-award-winning stars in the world of classical music, but throughout the genres of R&B, hip-hop, and pop.
These include violinists Itzhak Perlman and Augustin Hadelich; bassist Edgar Meyer; guitarist Pablo Sáinz Villegas; composers Kevin Puts, Andy Akiho, and Phillip Glass; singer-songwriters Smokey Robinson and Gladys Knight; rappers, musicians, and actors Leslie Odom Jr., Wyclef Jean, and Nas; indie and folk artist Gregory Alan Isakov; and pop groups such as Pink Martini and Boyz II Men. In addition, Huynh has received considerable acclaim for his work conducting orchestral performances of live film soundtracks, ranging from “An American in Paris“ to the Harry Potter films.
A proud first-generation Asian American, Huynh’s passion for engaging new audiences reflects his own entry point to classical music as a 12-year-old “band geek” trombonist in Alabama. The euphonium player turned maestro continues to find passion in exploring new ways to create these same entry points for others. In 2015, he and the Portland Symphony Orchestra earned the 2015 Yale Distinguished Music Educator Award, awarded “in recognition of innovative approaches to music education.”
Huynh previously served as the associate conductor of the Oregon Symphony and assistant conductor of the Portland Symphony Orchestra. He was a featured conductor in the 2022 Bruno Walter National Conductor Preview alongside the Louisiana Philharmonic. He was also selected for private mentorship by the late maestro Kurt Masur as a prestigious Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy Scholarship recipient.
Previous music directors include founder John Trudeau (1963–87), James DePriest (1988–92), Peter Bay (1993–2013), and Teddy Abrams (2014–23).
Email freelance writer Lee Juillerat at [email protected].
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