HHSO Presents ‘Music For Everyone!’

The Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra (HHSO) is thrilled to unveil its 44^th season, presenting “Music for Everyone!” throughout the year. The upcoming season promises a diverse array of concerts and events, showcasing the orchestra’s commitment to artistry, collaboration, community, diversity, education, and stewardship, with a special emphasis on celebrating America’s 250^th anniversary.

 

 

 

 

Jazz In The Park: The HHSO presents its fifth season of six FREE concerts every other Tuesday evening, beginning at 7:30 pm, at Lowcountry Celebration Park at Coligny, Hilton Head Island:

June 24            Tuffus Zimbabwe Quartet (keyboardist, Saturday Night Live Band)

July 8               Junior Jazz Foundation All Stars

July 22             Tower of Funk and the Choosy Mothers Horns

August 5          Martin Lesch Band

August 19        Charlton Singleton Quartet (trumpet, Ranky Tanky)

September 2   John Brackett Quintet

Orchestra Series: The nine concert Orchestra Series features two performances of each program on Sundays at 4:00 pm and Mondays at 7:30 pm at First Presbyterian Church, Hilton Head Island:

• October 19-20, 2025: The series opens with Sphinx Competition winner cellist Christine

Lamprea performing Antonín Dvořák’s Cello Concerto, composed during his residency in America. The concert, conducted by John Morris Russell, kicks off with Symphony No. 102 by Franz Joseph Haydn.

• November 9-10, 2025: Jazz legend Marcus Roberts brings his trio to perform his own version of George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and James P.
  

  John Morris Russell, by Kaiden J. Wu

  Johnson’s Yamekraw, featuring Roberts’ own improvised cadenzas. Two works by Carlos Simon, Four Black American Dances and Hellfighters’ Blues, round out the all-American program, performed during American Music Month and conducted by John Morris Russell.

• November 29, 2025: Special Holiday Pops concert at St. Gregory The Great Catholic Church Parish Life Center, Bluffton (see below).
• November 30-December 1, 2025: Holiday Pops, a cherished tradition in the Lowcountry, features Hilton Head Island favorite, baritone Michael Preacely, along with the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra Chorus, 2025 Youth Concerto Competition winner Brooklynn Thatcher, and John Morris Russell in a family-friendly eclectic mix of music and merriment.
• January 18-19, 2026: HHSO Principal Oboist Reid Messich will be the featured for Richard Strauss’ Oboe Concerto. The concert, led by John Morris Russell, will open with Eric Whitacre’s Prelude in C and close with Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2.
• February 8-9, 2026: Guest Conductor Samuel Lee makes his HHSO debut directing and as solo violist with HHSO Principal Second violinist Brian Allen in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Sinfonia concertante. The program opens with Louise Farrenc’s Overture No. 2 and closes with the Symphony No. 4 by Ludwig van Beethoven.
• February 22-23, 2026: John Morris Russell conducts a program celebrating generations of immigrants to America, including many important composers. The first half features works by Charles Ives, Igor Stravinsky, Miklós Rósza, Astor Piazzolla, and Erich Wolfgang Korngold. Members of Lean Ensemble Theater will join Russell and the HHSO in the regional premiere of Peter Boyer’s dramatic Ellis Island – The Dream of America in a finale perfectly suited to celebrate the 250^th Anniversary of America.
• March 8-9, 2026: Guest Conductor and host Daniel Wiley leads “An Evening at Hogwarts – The Music of Harry Potter,” featuring dazzling orchestra scores by John Williams, Patrick Doyle, and Alexandra Desplat. Audience members of all ages are encouraged to come in costume, prepared for spells, trivia, contests, and brilliant orchestral fireworks.
• April 12-13, 2026: John Morris Russell is joined by the combined voices of the HHSO Chorus, Claflin University Concert Choir, and soloists from Sherill Milnes’ Savannah VOICE Festival for Guiseppe Verdi’s powerful Requiem.
• April 26-27, 2026: Hilton Head International Piano Competition First Prize Winner Jonathan Mamora makes his triumphant return to perform Johannes Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2. John Morris Russell conducts the Orchestra Series finale that opens with the Symphony No. 4 by Robert Schumann.

Orchestra Series subscription tickets, in 9-, 6-, and 3-concert packages, are available for purchase now.  Call (843) 842-2055 to order season tickets. Single tickets will go on sale on September 2, 2025.

 

Symphony Under the Stars: Celebrate the fall season with two Symphony Under the Stars outdoor pops concerts on Thursday, October 16, 2025, at Martin Family Park, Bluffton (part of the Historic Bluffton Arts and Seafood Festival) and Friday, October 17, 2025, at Lowcountry Celebration Park at Coligny. Ticketed table seating is available beginning September 2, 2025, by calling (843) 842-2055. Lawn seating is FREE!

 

Hilton Head International Piano Competition: From March 16-21, 2026, witness twenty of the world’s finest young pianists, ages 13-17, compete in three thrilling rounds. The competition culminates with performances of five finalists each performing a concerto movement with the HHSO and John Morris Russell, with the first-place winner returning for a full concerto performance during the 2026-2027 season.

 

Additional Highlights:

• Hilton Head Chamber Music Institute: June 11-21, 2025, at various locations.
• HHSO Youth Concerto Competition: January 31, 2026, at St. Luke’s Anglican Church.
• April 7, 2026: John Morris Russell leads the HHSO in the traditional Spring Symphony Under the Stars concert at Lowcountry Celebration Park at Coligny. Ticketed table seating is available beginning in early 2026, by calling (843) 842-2055. Lawn seating is FREE!

SoundWaves: In addition to hosting a number of community performances and events, the HHSO’s intimate and versatile performance space at Coligny presents two series featuring music and dinners from area partner restaurants:

• Coastal Home Supper Club: Offered monthly from September through June, the vocal performances feature varied programs that range from the Great American Songbook to superstar tributes to Motown to country.
• Gullah Geechee Cultural Series: 2025-2026 represents the fourth season of this unique collaboration with The Gullah Museum of Hilton Head Island, Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park, and the Native Island Business and Community Affairs Association. Each program features SoundWaves’ “house band,” the Lavon Stevens Trio, an emcee, and musical guests, storytellers, visual and culinary artists, historians, and prominent representatives from the local Gullah Geechee communities. The perfect combination of entertainment and local history, four presentations will be offered, starting in October.

For more information and tickets, visit hhso.org.

 

The Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra and John Morris Russell recently agreed to a three-year extension to his contract, extending his tenure as Music Director through the 2027-2028 season, which will be Russell’s sixteenth season in that role.

HHSO President and CEO Alan Jordan states, “John Morris Russell’s time so far here has been transformational. The Orchestra continues to achieve new levels of artistry, and we attract many of today’s most sought-after soloists. We know that trend will continue for the coming three seasons.”