Season-opening concert features conductor Stilian Kirov, the first of five Music Director finalists to lead the orchestra this season, in works by Copland, Gershwin, Barber, and Bernstein.
PLANO, TX: The Plano Symphony Orchestra (PSO) opens its 2026–27 season on Saturday, September 19, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. at the Robinson Fine Arts Center with All-American Program spanning four titans of 20th-century music: Copland, Gershwin, Barber and Bernstein. Tickets for the concert range in price from $33-$90 with $15 student tickets available in most sections and can be purchased through the Plano Symphony Orchestra Box Office (972-473-7262/planosymphony.org). The Robinson Fine Arts Center is located at 1800 Alma Drive in Plano, Texas.
The program opens with Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man, followed by Gershwin’s jazz-inflected Concerto in F for Piano and Orchestra, featuring pianist Sean Chen. The concert continues with Barber’s Second Essay for Orchestra and closes with the propulsive, unmistakably American sound of Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story.
This season marks a significant milestone for the PSO as longtime Maestro Héctor Guzmán transitions into the role of Music Director Emeritus and the five finalists for the Music Director position will be featured — each candidate will lead one concert, offering audiences a unique opportunity to experience their artistry firsthand. The opening night celebration will be conducted by Stilian Kirov.
About the Artists
Stilian Kirov is First Prize Winner of the Debut Berlin Concert Competition and made his debut with the Berlin Philharmonic in 2017. That same year, he began his tenure as Music Director of the Illinois Philharmonic, a role he continues alongside his position as Music Director of the Bakersfield Symphony. In 2024, he joined the Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra as Interim Artistic Advisor and Principal Conductor. A four-time recipient of the Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award (2016–2019), Kirov is recognized as a dynamic artistic leader, educator, and advocate for community engagement.
Pianist Sean Chen has been praised as a “thoughtful musician well beyond his years” (The Republic), bringing “alluring, colorfully shaded renditions” (The New York Times) and “genuinely sensitive” (Los Angeles Times) playing to audiences around the world in solo and chamber recitals, concerto performances, and masterclasses. Chen won the 2013 American Piano Awards, placed third at the 2013 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, and was named a 2015 Annenberg Fellow. He is the Jack Strandberg/Missouri Endowed Chair Associate Professor of Piano at the University of Missouri–Kansas City Conservatory.