The Joliet Symphony Orchestra’s 2026-2027 Season, our 22ndt, promises to be an exciting and musically fulfilling one for musicians and audiences alike! Performing in Sexton Auditorium on the University of St. Francis campus (500 Wilcox St; Joliet), the Joliet Symphony Orchestra offers family-friendly, quality performances of orchestral music from all eras. Comprised of USF faculty, staff & students as well as community members, the JSO is Joliet’s symphony orchestra.

 

We encourage everyone to “come as you are” to our performances as attending a concert should be a comfortable and enjoyable experience. We invite you to arrive 45-minutes prior to our performances to hear our "Noteworthy" pre-concert chats with Artistic Director & Conductor, Sean Paul Mills, and guest artists as they discuss the music on each program as well as share their insights into the composers, the compositions, the rehearsal process, and all things musical!

​

The Joliet Symphony Orchestra’s 2026-2027 Season begins on Saturday, September 26 & Sunday, September 27 with “Winter Reveries” featuring cellist Bob Hauser performing Eduardo Lalo's dramatic & sensual Cello Concerto in d minor.  Also on the program are Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's ominous Don Giovanni Overture and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's stirring Symphony No. 1 in g minor "Winter Reveries."

​

​Next, we have a "not to be missed" concert featuring music from the British Isles. On Saturday November 21 & Sunday, November 22, we have an all-orchestra concert featuring Sir Arthur Sullivan's Gondoliers Overture, Ralph Vaughan Williams' English Folk Song Suite, and Gustav Holst's The Planets. This performance of The Planets will feature a special guest artist as well as imagery to accompany the JSO's performance of this monumental and ever-popular work.

​

​Saturday, January 16 marks the return of our ever-popular Family Concert. Admission is FREE for this event and features not only a family-friend approach to the music but also an opportunity for audience members to interact with the musicians and even try out some instruments! This year's theme is The Final Frontier, and some of the featured music will be from the Star Trek & Star Wars franchises.

​

“Going Home” is the theme for our Saturday, February 20 & Sunday, February 21 performances with our very own Principal Bass, Hunter Thoms, as our featured artist. Hunter will be performing Serge Koussevitzky's Concerto for Bass & Orchestra in e minor. The JSO will also be performing Aaron Copland's bucolic Our Town and Antonin Dvorak's nostalgic Symphony No. 9 in e minor "from the New World."

 

​​Our season concludes with "Youthful Vigor" on Saturday, April 24 & Sunday, April 25 when we feature pianist Hyejin Cho performing Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's resplendent Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major. Raymond Lefevre's flamboyant La Soupe Aux Choux and Felix Mendelssohn's epic journey Fingal's Cave Overture prepare us for Franz Schubert's rarely performed Grand Duo Symphony in C Major. What an incredible conclusion to a spectacular season of soloists and music!​