YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Youngstown Symphony Orchestra’s 2025-26 season will start with a holiday show and will also feature two classical performances and a salute to Frank Sinatra.
The season will be the first for Erik Ochsner, conductor and music director, who was hired in September. Ochsner led the YSO nine times as guest conductor in concerts since the 2020 death of Randall Craig Fleischer, who was the former leader of the orchestra.
The New York resident is the founder and music director of Sonos Chamber Orchestra and is active with symphonic productions worldwide.
The four-concert 2025-26 season was crafted to engage new listeners while continuing to delight long-time patrons, the YSO said in a press release. It will include a base of beloved classics with some new and dynamic programming.
This year’s season is getting a late start because of delays caused by negotiations with the Youngstown Symphony Society and with the musicians union for a contract. Stambaugh Auditorium was granted ownership of the YSO in September under the new arrangement.
All performances this season will be at Stambaugh Auditorium. There will be no Saturday performances, with all shows on a Monday, Sunday or Friday.
The season opens at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 22, with “Home for the Holidays” at Stambaugh Auditorium. The festive program will feature guest singer Amanda Beagle, soprano, performing holiday classics.
A native of Howland and former Miss Ohio, Beagle has performed on stages around the world. An educator and certified Estill voice trainer, she also maintains a private studio where she trains nearly 50 aspiring singers.
The second concert, “Fantastique!,” will take place at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 25, and will be the official welcoming of Ochsner. The program will culminate in a performance of Hector Berlioz’s groundbreaking “Symphonie Fantastique,” a work that forever changed the landscape of orchestral music.
Pianist and vocalist Tony Desare will join the YSO at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 13, for “Sinatra & Beyond,” a salute to Ol’ Blue Eyes. The concert will include timeless favorites like “Come Fly with Me,” “I’ve Got the World on a String” and “My Way.”
The season will conclude at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 15, with “Inextinguishable,” featuring Carl Nielsen’s Symphony No. 4, “The Inextinguishable.” Written in the shadow of the First World War, Nielsen’s masterpiece celebrates the human spirit and the life-affirming power of music.
Past season subscribers will have the first opportunity to renew their seats and purchase memberships beginning Wednesday, Oct. 29, through the box office. Membership packages and individual concert tickets will then be available to the general public starting Friday, Oct. 31. Memberships start at $120 per year, and individual tickets range from $20 to $65, plus fees.
The box office can be reached at 330 259 9651 or at YoungstownSymphony.com.
Season underwriting opportunities are available and include program advertising, premium tickets for performances and invitations to exclusive events. For information, contact the YSO development staff at fundraising@youngstownsymphony.com or by calling 330 747 5175.
Pictured at top: The Youngstown Symphony Orchestra performs at Stambaugh Auditorium.