Utica, N.Y. — Munson has planned a robust lineup of performances and events for the 2025-26 season, and tickets are now available.
The season kicks off with the first of three Keyboard Conversations with acclaimed pianist Jeffrey Siegel. In his signature concert-with-commentary style, he will present “The Romantic Music of Chopin” at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 6, in the Museum of Art’s Sinnott Family–Bank of Utica Auditorium, featuring graceful nocturnes, effervescent waltzes, spirited mazurkas, and a dazzling scherzo. At 2 p.m. Nov. 15, Siegel will perform “Poetic Tone Pictures,” a selection of evocative works by Rachmaninoff, Grieg, Debussy, and Liszt. The third performance, “More Music of Joy and Peace,” will celebrate the life-affirming spirit of music with radiant selections by Bach, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Rossini, and Gershwin at 7:30 p.m. May 14. Tickets are $30 for Munson Members, $38 for the general public, and $16 for students. Funding for Keyboard Conversations is provided by Dr. Lorna Grant, Nancy Horvath, Drs. Douglas Hurd and Cynthia Parlato-Hurd, and Dr. and Mrs. Robert Menotti.
Concerts in the Court this season will showcase brass quartet The Westerlies performing “Paradise” at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 20, which explores the rich tradition of American shape-note music, presenting inventive arrangements of 19th-century hymns alongside works by modern composers like Caroline Shaw and John Prine. Other concerts include Tuba Skinny, channeling the spirit of early New Orleans jazz with an irresistible blend of ragtime, blues, and swing, performing at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 11; and the return of Live from Laurel Canyon with a new set, “James & Joni: Their Stories, Their Songs,” at 7:30 p.m. March 14. All concerts take place in the Museum of Art’s Root Court, and tickets are $30 for Munson Members, $38 for the general public, and $16 for students. Gold Sponsor: Preferred Mutual; Silver Sponsor: PJ Green, Inc.
Free Art Alive! Family Days, which include art-making activities, performances, and workshops, will continue to take place during school breaks. For Veterans Day, Pushcart Players will present Stone Soup and Other Stories. The Super Scientific Circus will blend the excitement of a circus with the wonders of science on Dec. 30 during Winter Break. Milkshake, a Grammy-nominated children’s music band will perform during Mid-Winter break on Feb. 17, and BAM Percussion will present The Blue Barrel Show on April 7 as part of Spring Break. All Art Alive! Family Days take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and are free and open to the public. Funding for Art Alive! is provided by the MetLife Foundation, Preferred Mutual Insurance Company, Sheila and Ron Cuccaro, and Rona Lucas, in memory of Roslyn and Irving Levine.
The local Half Moon Orchestra will return for its third annual holiday classical concert, following two consecutive sold-out performances. This year, the ensemble expands its offering with an added matinee performance, providing more opportunities for audiences to experience the full orchestra’s enchanting seasonal repertoire. The enchanting holiday concert will take place at 7 p.m. Dec 20, and 2 p.m. Dec. 21, in the Museum of Art’s Root Court. Tickets are $10 for Munson Members, $15 for the general public, $5 for children ages 6 to 12, and free for children 5 and under.
The Met: Live in HD begins on Saturday, Oct. 18 with “La Sonnambula” by Bellini. The Metropolitan Opera’s award-winning series of opera performances transmitted live from the stage of the Met into movie theaters worldwide will continue with more thrilling titles including “La Bohème,” “Tristan und Isolde,” and “Eugene Onegin.” Individual opera tickets are $26 for Munson Members, $32 for the general public, and $16 for students. Munson will also continue its celebrated weekly Film Series on Wednesdays and Fridays. The Met: Live in HD is sponsored at Munson by Elizabeth R. Lemieux, Ph.D.
This season will also feature a Day of the Dead-themed Munson After Dark from 9 p.m. to midnight Nov. 1, with DJ Roscoe Red, a costume contest, dancing, and drinks. The popular Oscar-Nominated Short Film Festival will also return March 7 and 8.
For more information, the full schedule of events, and to purchase tickets, visit munson.art or call 315-797-0055.
For media inquiries or more information, please contact Katie Voce, communications manager, at 315-797-0000 ext. 2147 or via email at kvoce@munson.art.
Munson is at 310 Genesee St. in Utica. For more information, visit munson.art.
About Munson
Munson is an internationally recognized fine arts organization in Utica, serving diverse audiences through a renowned Museum of Art, live performances and events, community arts classes, and Pratt Munson College of Art and Design, the upstate extension campus of the prestigious Pratt Institute.
