MAY 2026: SYMPHONIC AND ART MUSIC CALENDAR FOR NEW ORLEANS
The LPO present Stravinsky this month (photo via the LPO)
CLASSICALLY UNTRAINED
Compiled by David S. Lewis
Art music listings for New Orleans. Your ONLY guide to symphonic / classical / opera music in the city! This is the only calendar of its kind in the region! (Read more about this calendar and features)
Sunday, May 3rd
Tulane Student Composer Concert
Tulane University, Dixon Concert Hall (104 Dixon Hall, in the annex)
Doors 1:30pm; music 2pm
To steal shamelessly from NPR’s 'Composer’s Datebook' segment, “Reminding you that all music was once new”...usually when we hear this, we are inclined to consider how revolutionary a work now firmly in the repertoire was at its premiere (like Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite, later this month with the LPO): pieces of music that didn’t just sound different, but were catalysts for entire artistic movements. The symphonic arts are still alive and well, and you can hear careers in their infancy at student composer events like this one, featuring the students of composition professor Dr. Maxwell Dulaney. This concert is free; come support new artists!
Monday May 4th
Helen Gillet with Phoebe Vlassis: Loom Music
Cafe Istanbul
Music 8pm
Helen Gillet is a master of improvisation, using an acoustic cello, voice, and looping techniques to explore the boundaries of synthesized sounds and textures. Her music, rich in depth and color, expresses her experiences as a world citizen, yet is steeped in the humid rhythms of New Orleans.
Tuesday, May 5th
Voice to Water: Works by Zervignon, Trapani, Dickerson
St. Charles Ave. Presbyterian (1545 State St.)
Doors 6:30pm; music 7pm
Free, but donations gratefully accepted
This May sees the conclusion of many seasons and the beginnings of some new ones for our beloved local composers. Say congratulations and adieu to composer Ben Zervigon with a celebration of his music as he leaves his hometown to study composition at the prestigious Conservatoire royal de Bruxelles in Belgium! Also featuring music by composers Chris Trapani and Roger Dickerson, this program is a carefully crafted journey of extreme emotional depth through the various sounds of New Orleans, traversing three generations of local composers dealing with distance, place, and catharsis as members of this community. Performers will include J.T. Hassell (piano), Marie Herrington (voice), Tim Krippner (piano), Sixto Franco (viola) and William Lang (trombone).
Thursday, May 7
Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra’s Season Finale: Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite
Orpheum Theater (129 Roosevelt Way)
7:30 PM–9:30 PM / Get tickets here
This has been an absolutely incredible season for the LPO, and they are closing it out in big style. The first half of the program features Argentinean modernist composer Alberto Ginastura’s lush dance suite Estancia, (1941 from his “Objective Nationalism” period), paying homage to his country’s folk dances in a one-act gaucho ballet, followed by Bela Bartók’s own 1923 Dance Suite, with its six dances elaborating on Hungarian, Romanian, Arabic, Transylvanian dances, with a finale celebrating all these traditions and the reunion of Budapest. After the intermission, the evening will conclude with Igor Stravinsky’s remarkable Firebird Suite but in the far-less-common 1945 arrangement of this powerful ballet. Stravinsky changed “classical” music forever, opening the door to post-modernism; although he himself derided this “descriptive” style of narrative music, it unsettled contemporary listeners and unshackled many composers, giving them permission to think far beyond the boundaries of romantic music.
Saturday, May 9
Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra presents: Market Nights: Pell
New Orleans Jazz & Blues Market (1436 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd)
Cocktails and vibes 5:30pm; music from 7 –8:30 pm / Tickets available here
The final Market Night collaboration sees the LPO teamed up with New Orleans’ producer and hip-hop artist Pell, directed by LSU School of Music’s Scott Terrell in yet another of this Grammy-winning orchestra’s pop/orchestral crossovers. Seeing a show at the Jazz Market is laid-back, stylish, and vibe-heavy affair --and this is your last chance to see one this year, so get your tickets before they sell out..
Tuesday, May 12
Elysian Sounds Presents: Chris Beroes-Haigis & Jennie Brent
Hotel Peter and Paul (2317 Burgundy St.)
Doors 7pm; music 7:30pm
This month’s Elysian Sounds monthly show features cellists Jennie Brent and Chris Beroes-Haigis. Chris may be playing guitar for this concert, but I still remember some of his incredible cello playing at the last Birdfoot festival, where I first encountered this local talent. Jennie Brent can be heard all over town, from her work at the St. Roch Market with Semaja and the Blues Experiment to her recently formed Jewish all-girl group The Klezmerinas. If you haven’t experienced either of these fantastic musicians, the intimate setting of the Elysian Bar at this boutique hotel would be a fantastic first time.
Friday, May 15th
Marais Baroque Ensemble: Don Quixote
Trinity Episcopal Church (1329 Jackson Ave)
Doors at 6:30pm; music from 7-9pm
New Orleans’ OTHER baroque orchestra (at any given moment there are at least two) plays 300-year-old Spanish flavor music by Italian and German composers and no, I’m not having a stroke, those are the words I meant to write. Hear our lovely swamp orchestra play works by Telemann, Abinoni, and Vitali in gorgeous Trinity Episcopal, with some of the best acoustics in the city. This orchestra, helmed by concertmaster and artistic director Kate Walter, features some truly incredible musicians who on any given night can be found playing pop, rock, new music, French folks songs, or with the LPO. Their baroque concerts are an incredible treat; be on the lookout for a column on the crescent city’s oddly burgeoning baroque scene later this month.
Sunday, May 17
Louisiana Baroque Chamber Orchestra Season Finale: The Four Seasons
Doors 4:30pm; music 5pm / New Maringy Theatre (2301 Marais St.)
Join LABCO for the grand finale of their 2026 concert season with one of the most beloved masterpieces of all time: Antonio Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons. Yes, you’ve heard it, but perhaps not like this: LABCO’s historically informed performance style, using gut strings and period-accurate bows and instruments, means you’ll hear this famous suite as near to how audiences would have heard it when it first debuted in 1723 – three hundred and three years ago. In it you’ll hear vivid references to birds, dogs, drunken hunters, howling wind: a revolutionary piece of music when it first came out, yet still on your instagram feed literally every day. Featuring guest baroque violin soloist Victor Correa Cruz.
Neal Todten: Electric Blue Tears
Marigny Opera House
Music 8pm / Suggested Donation: $25 – General Admission // $15 – Student, senior, etc.
Local minimalist composer Neal Todten presents Six Sketches for Two Dancers and Ensemble. The evening will feature a series of multidisciplinary pieces combining sound, movement, and spoken word. Closing the program will be Electric Blue Tears, an original concert-length musical composition that weaves together the resonant textures of electric organ, saxophone, and mallet percussion (via the Marigny Opera House website).
Benefit Concert for IPAI Bavaria
St Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church
Music 3pm
At least seven different performers, sharing musical theater standards and a classical repertoire.
Sunday, May 17
(4:30pm doors/music @ 5pm at UNO Performing Arts Center, 6648 Milneburg Rd.)
AND
Monday, May 18
(doors at 7pm; music @ 7:30pm at New Marigny Theatre, 2301 Marais St.)
New Orleans Civic Symphony: Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition
The NOCS, the city’s oldest orchestra, takes on an ambitious program. Leading off with Beethoven's most famous piano concerto (Op. 73, Piano concerto No. 5 “Emperor”), the program follows with Mendelssohn’s gorgeous, intricately orchestrated “Hebrides Overture” (with guest conductor Pierre Vigue) before the intermission, and closes the night with Mussorgsky’s celebrated “Pictures at an Exhibition,” which follows the composer as he recalls his recently deceased friend’s paintings hung in a gallery: a gnome, folk witch Baba Yaga’s house on chicken feet, the Great Gate of Kiev. Originally written for piano, NOCS will perform the acclaimed (and sometimes controversial) arrangement by French composer Maurice Ravel. Both concerts are free, with donations very gratefully accepted.
Monday, May 18th
AGONOLA Student / Member Recital
St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church,
Music from 7pm
Hear the vanue's new Létourneau Opus 138 pipe organ via a range of pieces for organ.
Tuesday, May 19th
American Art Songs featuring Lucas & Irina Meachem
Dixon Concert Hall, music at 7.30pm
Grammy Award–winning baritone Lucas Meachem and distinguished pianist Irina Meachem bring their powerhouse artistry to the stage. One of the most sought-after American baritones today, Lucas Meachem is celebrated for his commanding presence and richly expressive voice. Irina Meachem has established a distinguished reputation as a collaborative pianist, praised for her sensitivity, nuance, and interpretive depth.
Wednesday May 20th
Delachaise Ensemble Presents: 'Apparitions Between Worlds'
Marigny Opera House, music at 7pm
A classical string quartet program featuring works from Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Montgomery & Bolcolm.
Thursday, May 21
Versipel New Music & the Collective Season Finale: Chaos Cultures IV “Stay on it”
New Marigny Theatre (2301 Marais St.)
Doors 7pm; music 7:30pm
Your monthly reminder that the “new music” style of contemporary classical is alive and thriving in the Crescent City. This concert will feature the world premiere of Sacrifice Zones by Versipel co-found Philip Schuessler, a chamber work for nine instruments that confronts the devastating humans and environmental toll of Louisiana’s “Cancer Alley” industrial polluters. Also on the program are Julius Eastman’s Stay On It, Annie Gosfield’s gritty, industrial Cranks and Cactus Needles, and other works. These shows are for adventurous listeners who want to get in on a kind of secret scene: this is chamber music for those looking for something exciting and edgy, thought provoking and artistic and off the beaten path. This is your last chance to check them out this season, so put it in your calendar now.
Sunday May 24th
Luninous Stillness
St. Dominic Catholic Church
Season finale: Symphony Chorus of New Orleans performs music of Gabriel Fauré including Pavane, Madrigal, Cantique de Jean Racine, and Requiem. Featuring soprano Sarah Mahoney, bass-baritone Richard Hobson, violinist Kate Walters, cellist Jonathan Gerhardt, harpist Marisa Spengeman, organist Jesse Reeks, and conductor Steven Edwards. Tickets: www.symphonychorus.org and at the door.
Saturday, May 30th (9am-6pm) & Sunday, May 31st (9am-4pm)
Symphony Book Fair
UNO Lakefront Arena (6801 Franklin Avenue)
Not music, but a fantastic way to support your city’s professional orchestra, the only one between Houston and Florida. Sales from this go to funding the orchestra, in a moment where many traditional funding streams are drying up, so whether you’re looking for (old, rare, or regular) books, music, art, or vinyl records, this sale (continuous since 1957!) is a can’t-miss event. I go every year, and every year am forced to build a new bookcase to house all the fresh acquisitions. Do you have children but aren’t sure whether they can read? The $5 Children’s Bag Sale will be Monday, June 1, from 11:30 AM to 2:30 PM. Children, accompanied by an adult, can decorate a bag and fill it with children’s books for only $5 per bag.
Art music listings for New Orleans. Your ONLY guide to symphonic / classical / opera music in the city! This is the only calendar of its kind in the region! (Read more about this calendar and features)
Sunday, May 3rd
Tulane Student Composer Concert
Tulane University, Dixon Concert Hall (104 Dixon Hall, in the annex)
Doors 1:30pm; music 2pm
To steal shamelessly from NPR’s 'Composer’s Datebook' segment, “Reminding you that all music was once new”...usually when we hear this, we are inclined to consider how revolutionary a work now firmly in the repertoire was at its premiere (like Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite, later this month with the LPO): pieces of music that didn’t just sound different, but were catalysts for entire artistic movements. The symphonic arts are still alive and well, and you can hear careers in their infancy at student composer events like this one, featuring the students of composition professor Dr. Maxwell Dulaney. This concert is free; come support new artists!
Monday May 4th
Helen Gillet with Phoebe Vlassis: Loom Music
Cafe Istanbul
Music 8pm
Helen Gillet is a master of improvisation, using an acoustic cello, voice, and looping techniques to explore the boundaries of synthesized sounds and textures. Her music, rich in depth and color, expresses her experiences as a world citizen, yet is steeped in the humid rhythms of New Orleans.
Tuesday, May 5th
Voice to Water: Works by Zervignon, Trapani, Dickerson
St. Charles Ave. Presbyterian (1545 State St.)
Doors 6:30pm; music 7pm
Free, but donations gratefully accepted
This May sees the conclusion of many seasons and the beginnings of some new ones for our beloved local composers. Say congratulations and adieu to composer Ben Zervigon with a celebration of his music as he leaves his hometown to study composition at the prestigious Conservatoire royal de Bruxelles in Belgium! Also featuring music by composers Chris Trapani and Roger Dickerson, this program is a carefully crafted journey of extreme emotional depth through the various sounds of New Orleans, traversing three generations of local composers dealing with distance, place, and catharsis as members of this community. Performers will include J.T. Hassell (piano), Marie Herrington (voice), Tim Krippner (piano), Sixto Franco (viola) and William Lang (trombone).
Thursday, May 7
Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra’s Season Finale: Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite
Orpheum Theater (129 Roosevelt Way)
7:30 PM–9:30 PM / Get tickets here
This has been an absolutely incredible season for the LPO, and they are closing it out in big style. The first half of the program features Argentinean modernist composer Alberto Ginastura’s lush dance suite Estancia, (1941 from his “Objective Nationalism” period), paying homage to his country’s folk dances in a one-act gaucho ballet, followed by Bela Bartók’s own 1923 Dance Suite, with its six dances elaborating on Hungarian, Romanian, Arabic, Transylvanian dances, with a finale celebrating all these traditions and the reunion of Budapest. After the intermission, the evening will conclude with Igor Stravinsky’s remarkable Firebird Suite but in the far-less-common 1945 arrangement of this powerful ballet. Stravinsky changed “classical” music forever, opening the door to post-modernism; although he himself derided this “descriptive” style of narrative music, it unsettled contemporary listeners and unshackled many composers, giving them permission to think far beyond the boundaries of romantic music.
Saturday, May 9
Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra presents: Market Nights: Pell
New Orleans Jazz & Blues Market (1436 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd)
Cocktails and vibes 5:30pm; music from 7 –8:30 pm / Tickets available here
The final Market Night collaboration sees the LPO teamed up with New Orleans’ producer and hip-hop artist Pell, directed by LSU School of Music’s Scott Terrell in yet another of this Grammy-winning orchestra’s pop/orchestral crossovers. Seeing a show at the Jazz Market is laid-back, stylish, and vibe-heavy affair --and this is your last chance to see one this year, so get your tickets before they sell out..
Tuesday, May 12
Elysian Sounds Presents: Chris Beroes-Haigis & Jennie Brent
Hotel Peter and Paul (2317 Burgundy St.)
Doors 7pm; music 7:30pm
This month’s Elysian Sounds monthly show features cellists Jennie Brent and Chris Beroes-Haigis. Chris may be playing guitar for this concert, but I still remember some of his incredible cello playing at the last Birdfoot festival, where I first encountered this local talent. Jennie Brent can be heard all over town, from her work at the St. Roch Market with Semaja and the Blues Experiment to her recently formed Jewish all-girl group The Klezmerinas. If you haven’t experienced either of these fantastic musicians, the intimate setting of the Elysian Bar at this boutique hotel would be a fantastic first time.
Friday, May 15th
Marais Baroque Ensemble: Don Quixote
Trinity Episcopal Church (1329 Jackson Ave)
Doors at 6:30pm; music from 7-9pm
New Orleans’ OTHER baroque orchestra (at any given moment there are at least two) plays 300-year-old Spanish flavor music by Italian and German composers and no, I’m not having a stroke, those are the words I meant to write. Hear our lovely swamp orchestra play works by Telemann, Abinoni, and Vitali in gorgeous Trinity Episcopal, with some of the best acoustics in the city. This orchestra, helmed by concertmaster and artistic director Kate Walter, features some truly incredible musicians who on any given night can be found playing pop, rock, new music, French folks songs, or with the LPO. Their baroque concerts are an incredible treat; be on the lookout for a column on the crescent city’s oddly burgeoning baroque scene later this month.
Sunday, May 17
Louisiana Baroque Chamber Orchestra Season Finale: The Four Seasons
Doors 4:30pm; music 5pm / New Maringy Theatre (2301 Marais St.)
Join LABCO for the grand finale of their 2026 concert season with one of the most beloved masterpieces of all time: Antonio Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons. Yes, you’ve heard it, but perhaps not like this: LABCO’s historically informed performance style, using gut strings and period-accurate bows and instruments, means you’ll hear this famous suite as near to how audiences would have heard it when it first debuted in 1723 – three hundred and three years ago. In it you’ll hear vivid references to birds, dogs, drunken hunters, howling wind: a revolutionary piece of music when it first came out, yet still on your instagram feed literally every day. Featuring guest baroque violin soloist Victor Correa Cruz.
Neal Todten: Electric Blue Tears
Marigny Opera House
Music 8pm / Suggested Donation: $25 – General Admission // $15 – Student, senior, etc.
Local minimalist composer Neal Todten presents Six Sketches for Two Dancers and Ensemble. The evening will feature a series of multidisciplinary pieces combining sound, movement, and spoken word. Closing the program will be Electric Blue Tears, an original concert-length musical composition that weaves together the resonant textures of electric organ, saxophone, and mallet percussion (via the Marigny Opera House website).
Benefit Concert for IPAI Bavaria
St Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church
Music 3pm
At least seven different performers, sharing musical theater standards and a classical repertoire.
Sunday, May 17
(4:30pm doors/music @ 5pm at UNO Performing Arts Center, 6648 Milneburg Rd.)
AND
Monday, May 18
(doors at 7pm; music @ 7:30pm at New Marigny Theatre, 2301 Marais St.)
New Orleans Civic Symphony: Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition
The NOCS, the city’s oldest orchestra, takes on an ambitious program. Leading off with Beethoven's most famous piano concerto (Op. 73, Piano concerto No. 5 “Emperor”), the program follows with Mendelssohn’s gorgeous, intricately orchestrated “Hebrides Overture” (with guest conductor Pierre Vigue) before the intermission, and closes the night with Mussorgsky’s celebrated “Pictures at an Exhibition,” which follows the composer as he recalls his recently deceased friend’s paintings hung in a gallery: a gnome, folk witch Baba Yaga’s house on chicken feet, the Great Gate of Kiev. Originally written for piano, NOCS will perform the acclaimed (and sometimes controversial) arrangement by French composer Maurice Ravel. Both concerts are free, with donations very gratefully accepted.
Monday, May 18th
AGONOLA Student / Member Recital
St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church,
Music from 7pm
Hear the vanue's new Létourneau Opus 138 pipe organ via a range of pieces for organ.
Tuesday, May 19th
American Art Songs featuring Lucas & Irina Meachem
Dixon Concert Hall, music at 7.30pm
Grammy Award–winning baritone Lucas Meachem and distinguished pianist Irina Meachem bring their powerhouse artistry to the stage. One of the most sought-after American baritones today, Lucas Meachem is celebrated for his commanding presence and richly expressive voice. Irina Meachem has established a distinguished reputation as a collaborative pianist, praised for her sensitivity, nuance, and interpretive depth.
Wednesday May 20th
Delachaise Ensemble Presents: 'Apparitions Between Worlds'
Marigny Opera House, music at 7pm
A classical string quartet program featuring works from Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Montgomery & Bolcolm.
Thursday, May 21
Versipel New Music & the Collective Season Finale: Chaos Cultures IV “Stay on it”
New Marigny Theatre (2301 Marais St.)
Doors 7pm; music 7:30pm
Your monthly reminder that the “new music” style of contemporary classical is alive and thriving in the Crescent City. This concert will feature the world premiere of Sacrifice Zones by Versipel co-found Philip Schuessler, a chamber work for nine instruments that confronts the devastating humans and environmental toll of Louisiana’s “Cancer Alley” industrial polluters. Also on the program are Julius Eastman’s Stay On It, Annie Gosfield’s gritty, industrial Cranks and Cactus Needles, and other works. These shows are for adventurous listeners who want to get in on a kind of secret scene: this is chamber music for those looking for something exciting and edgy, thought provoking and artistic and off the beaten path. This is your last chance to check them out this season, so put it in your calendar now.
Sunday May 24th
Luninous Stillness
St. Dominic Catholic Church
Season finale: Symphony Chorus of New Orleans performs music of Gabriel Fauré including Pavane, Madrigal, Cantique de Jean Racine, and Requiem. Featuring soprano Sarah Mahoney, bass-baritone Richard Hobson, violinist Kate Walters, cellist Jonathan Gerhardt, harpist Marisa Spengeman, organist Jesse Reeks, and conductor Steven Edwards. Tickets: www.symphonychorus.org and at the door.
Saturday, May 30th (9am-6pm) & Sunday, May 31st (9am-4pm)
Symphony Book Fair
UNO Lakefront Arena (6801 Franklin Avenue)
Not music, but a fantastic way to support your city’s professional orchestra, the only one between Houston and Florida. Sales from this go to funding the orchestra, in a moment where many traditional funding streams are drying up, so whether you’re looking for (old, rare, or regular) books, music, art, or vinyl records, this sale (continuous since 1957!) is a can’t-miss event. I go every year, and every year am forced to build a new bookcase to house all the fresh acquisitions. Do you have children but aren’t sure whether they can read? The $5 Children’s Bag Sale will be Monday, June 1, from 11:30 AM to 2:30 PM. Children, accompanied by an adult, can decorate a bag and fill it with children’s books for only $5 per bag.