Ordering up one extra-large birthday cake and candles.

The Colorado Springs Philharmonic will celebrate its 100th anniversary this fall when the 2026-27 season kicks off Sept. 26-27.

Highlights of the centennial season include renowned violinist Joshua Bell; several live cinema events, including “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”; and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9.

The season also features two new offerings: the Counterpoint Series, a collaboration with Theatreworks; and composer Eunike Tanzil as the symphony’s first composer-in-residence.

“The whole theme of the season is the storytelling of our community,” said music director Chloé Dufresne, who joined the philharmonic for its 99th season. “I thought what are the pieces I want to conduct and deeply love and want to try my hands on. And what pieces will make the orchestra enjoy playing them, and then the audience. I knew we could have deep projects and be able to finish and do big things.”

The Counterpoint series will feature music and text themed around three concerts: Appalachian Spring, Tuesdays in Paris, and The Invention of Love.

“We want the audience to not know what to expect, but to have a feeling of emotion,” Dufresne said. “Like they will be in a bubble of time with a certain kind of music and will travel and be in a certain atmosphere.”

Tanzil, a popular Indonesian composer living in Los Angeles, caught Dufresne’s eye due to her cinematic music. She’s composed for many films and her music fits in well with the philharmonic’s Pops and Masterworks concerts, Dufresne says. The symphony will play a few pieces by her throughout the season, and she’ll also write a piece for the philharmonic.

“I felt for 100 years that we needed something special, and I wanted a premiere,” Dufresne said. “Contemporary music is the present, and it also shows the orchestra is living in the present. It’s not an old thing playing for old musicians. We are contributing to making art flourish, and having a young composer is a symbol of that. We live in the present, and classical music isn’t dying; it’s flourishing. We need to give it some space to flourish.”

Season tickets are on sale now. Those who subscribe by March 23 receive two free tickets. New subscribers get half price off. Subscriber benefits include prime seating, the ability to exchange tickets, and special concerts and events. Call 719-575-9632 or go online to csphilharmonic.org.

Masterworks
– Sept. 26-27: Beethoven 4th Piano Concerto, Scheherazade
– Nov. 14-15: Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto, Petroushka
– Jan. 23-24: Saarikoski Songs, Mahler 4
– Feb. 5: “A Centennial Celebration,” with violinist Joshua Bell
– Feb. 20-21: Lohengrin Prelude, Tchaikovsky 6 “Pathétique”
– March 13-14, 2027: Sibelius Violin Concerto, Nelson 4 “The Inextinguishable”
– April 17-18, 2027: Beethoven’s Ninth
– May 22-23, 2027: Rachmaninoff 2nd Piano Concerto, Copland 3

Philharmonic Pops
– Oct. 2-3: “Music of the Knights” – Works by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Paul McCartney, Elton John and Rod Stewart
– Oct. 30-31: “Edward Scissorhands” – live cinema
– Dec. 30-31: “New Year’s Eve: Rhapsody in Blue” – Works by Gershwin and others
– Feb. 12-13: “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi” – live cinema
– March 5-6: Pink Martini – collaboration with the Portland, Ore., band
– April 9-10, 2027: Mariachi Los Comparos – mariachi music
– May 14-15, 2027: “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” – live cinema

Counterpoint
– Oct. 17-18: Appalachian Spring
– Jan. 16-17: Tuesdays in Paris
– April 3-4, 2027: The Invention of Love