Music Director Alyssa Wang opens a bold new concert season

WEST BARNSTABLE, MA—September 1, 2026

The Cape Symphony Orchestra will present “The Planets,” the inaugural concert of its 2026/27 season, on September 26 & 27 at the Barnstable Performing Arts Center. Kicking off her first full season with Cape Symphony, Music Director Alyssa Wang will lead a program of masterpieces by Kaija Saariaho, Sergei Prokofiev, and Gustav Holst. Nathan Olson will be the guest soloist for Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 1.

The concert will begin with Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho’s meditation on the motion of the cosmos, Asteroid 4179: Toutatis, written in 2005. Toutatis is the asteroid whose orbit passes closest to Earth; Saariaho was inspired by its unusual shape and complex, irregular rotation as it flies through space. Viewed from Toutatis, the stars never follow the same path twice.

Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 1 was completed in 1917, which also saw the February Revolution, the fall of the czars, and the emergence of Russia as the world’s first communist state. Political turmoil delayed its premiere until 1923 in Paris, where Prokofiev was then living. Bridging 19th century Romanticism and 20th century modernism, the concerto has become tremendously popular. Soloist Nathan Olson is Co-Concertmaster of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and has performed in recent seasons with the symphony orchestras of Cincinnati, Houston, Pittsburgh, and Toronto; the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra; and as Concertmaster of the Santa Fe Opera.

Holst’s most famous and beloved work anchors the concert program. Each of its seven movements portrays the mythological character of one of the planets. “I wanted to start the season with a bang!” said Alyssa Wang. “I was looking for something that felt futuristic, exciting, and larger than life… The Planets is enormous in every way, from its huge orchestration—including two tubas, a bass oboe, two timpani, and an expansive brass section—to the women’s chorus that emerges in the final movement. It’s thrilling, powerful, and unmistakably cinematic. John Williams certainly drew inspiration from Holst when creating the iconic sound of Star Wars.

“I love pairing Holst with Saariaho, who passed away in 2023,” Wang continued. “If Holst helped give us the musical language of Star Wars, Asteroid 4179: Toutatis feels to me like the other great cinematic vision of space: Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey—mysterious, atmospheric, and utterly otherworldly. And tying it all together is Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto, written in 1917, the same year Holst composed The Planets. Three very different visions of the unknown, brought together in one concert. I hope you’ll join us!”

Ticketholders are invited to an entertaining and informative talk about the concert program given by trombonist and scholar George Scharr beginning one hour before each performance. Local astronomers and students will also give presentations in the Barnstable Performing Arts Center lobby before the concert.

“The Planets” will be performed Saturday, September 26 at 4:00 PM and Sunday, September 27 at 3:00 PM at the Barnstable Performing Arts Center, 744 West Main Street, Hyannis. For tickets, visit www.capesymphony.org, call the Cape Symphony Box Office at 508.362.1111, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or visit the Box Office at 2235 Iyannough Road in West Barnstable, Monday – Friday from 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM. Tickets for students aged 6–22 are discounted 50%. Only tickets purchased on Cape Symphony’s secure website or through the Cape Symphony Box Office are legitimate and guaranteed.

The Cape Symphony Orchestra’s Classical series concerts are sponsored by Cape Cod 5.

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Cape Arts & Entertainment is one of the largest professional cultural organizations in Massachusetts. We inspire, educate, and connect our community through exceptional music and inclusive outreach programs. The Cape Symphony Orchestra presents a diverse classical and pops repertoire at the Barnstable Performing Arts Center, while Cape Symphony Presents brings world-class artists of many genres to venues across the Cape & Islands. Cape Symphony Conservatory & Preschool offers private and group instruction for all ages in West Barnstable, Falmouth, and Brewster; Youth Orchestra and Youth Chorus programs; and an acclaimed arts-infused curriculum for preschoolers in West Barnstable. Rooted in creativity, excellence, community, and lifelong learning, all three branches of CAE enrich lives through the power of music. Visit www.capesymphony.org for more information.