The Dominican Republic National Symphony Orchestra has launched its 2026 symphonic season at Santo Domingo's Eduardo Brito National Theatre to celebrate its 85th anniversary.
Organised jointly by the Ministry of Culture, the General Directorate of Fine Arts, the Sinfonía Foundation and the orchestra itself, the commemorative season runs from August 12 to November 4. It features five major concerts in the Carlos Piantini Hall of the national theatre complex.
Organisers announced that the program spans centuries of classical music traditions, bringing together guest conductors, international soloists and resident orchestra members. Featured composers include Antonín Dvořák, Dmitri Shostakovich, Paul Dukas, Camille Saint-Saëns, Gabriel Fauré, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Manuel de Falla, Felix Mendelssohn, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Richard Wagner and Gustav Mahler.
Founded in 1941, the National Symphony Orchestra, known locally as the OSN, has served as the flagship institution of Dominican classical music for eight and a half decades. Generations of instrumentalists, conductors and guest artists have contributed to building the nation's symphonic heritage and expanding public engagement with universal orchestral works.
The 2026 season builds on the momentum of a major performance of Carl Orff's scenic cantata Carmina Burana on June 17. Conducted by music director José Antonio Molina, the concert drew enthusiastic acclaim from audience members and music critics alike, serving as the official opening event for the 85th anniversary year. Organisers noted that the Orff performance offered a preview of the ambitious scope planned for the rest of the commemorative programming.
Inaugural gala and classical masterpieces
The season opens on Wednesday, August 12, with a concert conducted by maestro José Antonio Molina. The inaugural program pairs two landmark 19th and 20th century compositions: Antonín Dvořák's Symphony No. 7 in D minor, Op. 70, and Dmitri Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 47.
Dvořák completed his Seventh Symphony in 1885 for the Royal Philharmonic Society of London, creating a dramatic work in D minor influenced by Johannes Brahms. Shostakovich premiered his Fifth Symphony in 1937 during a period of intense political scrutiny in the Soviet Union, winning immediate public acclaim for its powerful heroic narrative and solemn slow movement.
Prior to the opening concert, a traditional musical appreciation talk will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the Juan Lockward Bar at the Eduardo Brito National Theatre. Sponsored by Popular Bank's Club Premium, the pre-concert lecture will be delivered by musicologists Margarita Miranda de Mitrov and Nadia Nicola.
The second performance of the season, scheduled for August 26, will be led by guest conductor maestro Jaime Morales. Cellist Adriana Garcell, a principal member of the National Symphony Orchestra, will perform as the featured soloist.
The August 26 program highlights diverse European orchestral styles. It opens with Paul Dukas's 1897 symphonic poem The Sorcerer's Apprentice, followed by Camille Saint-Saëns's Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 33, composed in 1872. The selection also includes Gabriel Fauré's mournful 1880 work Élégie, Op. 24, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's vibrant 1887 piece Capriccio Espagnol, Op. 34, and Suites No. 1 and No. 2 from Manuel de Falla's 1919 ballet The Three-Cornered Hat.
Dominican artistry and Wagnerian milestone
Assistant conductor maestro Santy Rodríguez takes the podium for the third concert on September 2, collaborating with violinist Scarlett Martínez as soloist. The concert opens with Vuela, Sarambo, vuela..., the second movement from maestro José Antonio Molina's Caribbean String Quartet.
Molina, an acclaimed Dominican conductor, composer and pianist who trained at the Juilliard School and the Manhattan School of Music, composed the quartet incorporating traditional Caribbean rhythms into a classical chamber structure.
The September 2 program continues with Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64, premiered in 1845 and regarded as one of the most influential violin concertos of the Romantic era. The performance concludes with Sergei Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27, a sprawling work composed in 1907 known for its rich melodies and expressive orchestration.
On October 7, maestro José Antonio Molina returns to lead the fourth concert, which will be dedicated entirely to the orchestral and operatic works of German composer Richard Wagner. Organisers highlighted that dedicating a full evening to Wagner marks an unprecedented milestone in the 85-year history of the National Symphony Orchestra. The specific selection of Wagnerian overtures and preludes will be announced in due course.
Mahler gala to close double anniversary
The 2026 symphonic season closes on November 4 with a commemorative gala celebrating a double milestone: 85 years of the National Symphony Orchestra and four decades of the Sinfonía Foundation. Established in 1986 by cultural patrons Pedro Rodríguez Villacañas and Margarita Copello de Rodríguez, the non-profit foundation has supported the national orchestra and promoted classical music performance across the country for 40 years.
For the closing performance, the orchestra will present Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 2, known as the Resurrection Symphony. Composed between 1888 and 1894, Mahler's monumental five-movement work requires an expanded orchestra, offstage brass, vocal soloists and a full chorus to explore themes of mortality and spiritual renewal.
Organisers indicated that the guest vocal soloists and choral ensembles participating in the Resurrection Symphony will be announced in separate releases prior to the November performance.
The concert venue, the Eduardo Brito National Theatre, stands as the principal performing arts institution in the Dominican Republic. Located on the Plaza de la Cultura in Santo Domingo, its main hall bears the name of Carlos Piantini, the late Dominican violinist and conductor who directed the national orchestra for many years.
Tickets for all five concerts in the 2026 Symphonic Season are available for purchase through the offices of the Sinfonía Foundation, Uepa Tickets sales points and the box office of the Eduardo Brito National Theatre.
