Ithaca College will open its 2026-27 performance season Sunday, Sept. 13, with a free Founder's Day Concert at DeWitt Park. The 2 p.m. program will feature the college's Wind Ensemble and Concert Band and celebrate the school's longstanding relationship with the Ithaca community.
The 34th annual concert is supported by Friends of Ithaca College and begins a season of concerts, plays, musicals, dance productions and student-created work. Performances will take place on campus and at venues beyond Ithaca.
Music season includes Lincoln Center showcase
Regular music offerings will include concerts by the Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble, Choir and Concert Band, along with student recitals and appearances by other ensembles. Many performances are scheduled for Ford Hall.
Four ensembles will travel to Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City on Nov. 13 for a 7 p.m. concert titled “Legacy in Sound: Featuring the Next Generation of Music Educators and Performers.” The program is scheduled for the night before the Cortaca Jug football game at Yankee Stadium.
The Lincoln Center program will include Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Adolphus Hailstork's “Shout for Joy” and a newly commissioned work by professor emeritus Dana Wilson. Faculty conductors Daniel Cook, Mike Titlebaum, Ho-Yin Kwok and Khyle Wooten will lead the ensembles.
Dean Steve TenEyck said the season is designed to give students hands-on experience preparing and presenting work for live audiences. He said the New York City appearance will also challenge students to grow as artists, collaborators and future leaders.
Theatre and dance productions set for fall
The Center for Theatre and Dance Production will stage Anton Chekhov's “Three Sisters” from Oct. 9-13 in Clark Theatre. A production of Ike Holter's “Sender” will follow Oct. 16-18 in the Earl McCarroll Studio Theatre.
The fall lineup also includes “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” from Nov. 6-9 in Hoerner Theatre, a New Play Incubator on Nov. 14 in Hockett Family Recital Hall and the dance production “The Heart of It All” from Dec. 3-6 in Hoerner Theatre.
Music highlights before the Lincoln Center trip include a choir concert Sept. 24, a Symphony Orchestra concert Sept. 25 and a joint Jazz Ensemble and Wind Ensemble concert Oct. 8. Additional Wind Ensemble and Symphony Orchestra performances are scheduled Dec. 1 and 2.
The season will continue in the spring with more theatre and dance productions, ensemble performances, recitals and appearances by faculty and guest artists. Campus venues range from the 644-seat Ford Hall and 535-seat Hoerner Theatre to the 280-seat Clark Theatre and 50-seat Earl McCarroll Studio Theatre.
The college said the mix of large mainstage productions and smaller new-work programs is intended to show the breadth of student work. Faculty directors and student creators will share leadership across the performance calendar.
Tickets for the Lincoln Center concert are $36 through that venue's box office. Information about Ithaca College performances is available through the college's online ticketing page or by calling the box office at 607-274-3224.
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