Stéphane Denève: Artistic director outlines plans for New World Symphony

Just kicking off its 2025-26 season, the New World Symphony’s (NWS) Artistic Director Stéphane Denève is completing his third full year, showcasing the next generation of exceptional musicians and leaders in a series of wide-ranging concerts.

Mr. Denève says audiences should prepare in the coming season to explore the full breadth of the classical canon, from timeless masterpieces to contemporary masterworks by today’s most visionary composers and artists.

The newest season reflects its pioneering spirit, reimagining the orchestral experience through immersive performances and empowering the creative voices of today, he said.

“Through music, the season fosters a deeper understanding of the world while enriching the educational journey and advancing the careers of our Fellows,” Mr. Denève added. “New World Symphony is a laboratory for reimagining the way music is taught, presented and experienced, especially in a digital world. Within its Knight New Media Center at New World Center, the New World Symphony will continue to push the boundaries of artistic expression.”

Mr. Denève continues the beginning of the season with an evening dedicated to his musical mentor and friend John Williams, at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts on Oct. 18. This one-night-only performance celebrates the genius of an American icon who, as Mr. Denève says, “wrote the soundtrack of our lives.”

On March 7, Mr. Denève and the NWS Fellows once again perform at the Adrienne Arsht Center with mezzo-soprano Kelley O’Connor and the Master Chorale of South Florida in Ravel’s Daphnis and Chloé, a lush, impressionistic ballet score that stands as one of the composer’s most radiant orchestral works. 

Another major happening, he said, is when two of Miami’s cornerstone cultural institutions come together when the New World Symphony and the Miami City Ballet collaborate for American Dance Odyssey. 

This celebration of American music and dance includes a tribute to Jerome Robbins featuring highlights from West Side Story, Fancy Free, and more. Its grand finale features the world premiere of a choreographic concerto, the brainchild of ten visionary 21st-century choreographers and composers, including five of America’s leading musical voices: Kevin Puts, Jennifer Higdon, Michael Abels, Carlos Simon, and Sarah Kirkland Snider.

Mr. Denève said he will also return to lead NWS’s Side-by-Side program, an annual hallmark of the season that pairs NWS Fellows with South Florida’s talented youth in performance at the New World Center and will conclude New World Symphony’s 2025-26 season with his longtime friend and collaborator Jean-Yves Thibaudet in a piano-driven program of two of America’s greatest composers, Leonard Bernstein and George Gershwin, featuring Bernstein’s Overture to Candide and The Age of Anxiety, and Gershwin’s I Got Rhythm and An American in Paris.

In addition to its home at the Frank Gehry-designed New World Center, NWS will perform throughout the 2025-26 season at the Adrienne Arsht Center, and in communities across South Florida and online through its live streaming and YouTube channel.

“Music, now more than ever, remains a powerful unifying force – enriching the lives of both our audiences and our Fellows, who are dedicated to developing their craft as a means to understand and connect with the world,” he said. “At NWS, this is at the core of everything we do – cultivating the voices that will shape the future of music. From showcasing the extraordinary talent of our Fellows to presenting works by today’s most inspiring composers alongside timeless masterworks, we aim to uplift lives both on and off the stage. We are excited to share the gift of music with our community throughout this remarkable season.”

Mr. Denève spoke with Miami Today reporter Abraham Galvan.

Read the full interview in this week’s print or digital edition of Miami Today. Full access is available exclusively to our subscribers. Click here to access your subscription or to subscribe!

This week’s profile will appear in next year’s Book of Leaders.

Miami Today publishes a Book of Leaders every year. This book is a compilation of all The Achievers profiled in every edition.

The information in this book is available nowhere else – the stories of the women and men who are shaping the development of Greater Miami.

If you would like to order a copy of the Book of Leaders from 1997 to 2024 or a complete set, click here to place your order.