Symphony Space has announced a star-studded 2025-26 season, in which some of today’s most acclaimed and influential writers and artists come together to converse, perform, inspire, and connect.
The events, many taking place for one night only exemplify the sense of vast artistic possibility and anything-could-happen spirit that distinguish the institution’s programming.
Symphony Space’s signature series Selected Shorts engageseminent stage and screen actors to bring to life great stories by well-known and emerging writers. This season, the series kicks off with Gary Gulman, On the Couch, featuring Gulman (The Great Depresh, Misfit) as host. Claire Danes (Homeland), Troy Iwata (The Daily Show), Kenice Mobley (The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon), and BD Wong (Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens) perform funny and insightful stories about therapy, therapists, and that eternal search for inner peace (September 17). In another Selected Shorts highlight, 250 Years of Jane Austen with Hugh Dancy,a cast of esteemed actors turn fiction and letters—both by Austen and inspired by her work—into captivating literature-in-performance (November 12).
Throughout the season, candid talks illuminate new books from renowned artists working in music, film, TV, comedy, and podcasts. Seven-time GRAMMY winner Mark Ronson, in dialogue with Questlove, provides a nostalgic dive into New York nightlife in the ’90s with his memoir Night People (September 15). In a conversation moderated by fellow beloved podcast host Phoebe Robinson (2 Dope Queens), Penn Badgley (You), writer and producer Nava Kavelin, and illustrator and video creator Sophie Ansari of the podcast Podcrushed discuss their new collaborative essay collection Crushmore (October 14). The book is a hilarious, compassionate exploration of the often cringey, sometimes luminous path from adolescence to adulthood.
Journalist and filmmaker Cameron Crowe (Almost Famous, Say Anything, Jerry Maguire) reads from and reflects on his long-awaited memoir, The Uncool. He reveals his formative years in rock and roll and offers a front-row ticket to the 1970s, a golden era for music and art, when rock was young (October 28). Comedy, TV, and film titan Judd Apatow (Freaks & Geeks, Bridesmaids, Knocked Up) takes audiences behind the scenes of his path-breaking career in his forthcoming memoir Comedy Nerd.
On the occasion of the book’s publication, he takes the stage at Symphony Space to share some of its most riotous stories (October 29). Padma Lakshmi (Taste the Nation, Top Chef) brings her signature insight and wit to her new cookbook Padma’s All American, a love letter to the immigrant and Indigenous communities who shape the flavors of America. She is joined by comedian Michelle Buteau (Survival of the Thickest) and others for an evening of stories, laughter, and conversation (November 3). A duo of powerhouse political commentators, CNN host Fareed Zakaria and New York Times columnist Ezra Klein, sit down for a probing discussion of Zakaria’s bestselling book Age of Revolutions, and oftopics ranging from AI to American foreign policy, the global economy, and election results around the world (November 17).
The writer The Washington Post called a “national treasure,” Susan Orlean (The Orchid Thief), celebrates the release of her newest book Joyride on October 15. She speaks with Sloane Crosley (I Was Told There’d Be Cake) in an evening of readings, conversations, and performances featuring groundbreaking artist and filmmaker Fab 5 Freddy; actor Sophie von Haselberg (The Assassination of Gianni Versace, American Princess); Academy Award-winning actor Julianne Moore; actor and filmmaker Josh Radnor (The Ally, Liberal Arts); actor, comedian, and writer Jenny Slate (Obvious Child, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On); and iconic band They Might Be Giants.
Symphony Space audiences are treated to a panoply of musical performers and genres this season. The Del McCoury Band, proclaimed “the best bluegrass band in the world” by Oxford American Magazine, makes a rare NYC appearance, delivering an unforgettable night of high-energy picking and rich harmonies (October 26). Ghanaian-American singer and producer YahZarah performs The First Time – A Love Letter to Roberta Flack, a stirring voice-and-piano tribute to the legacy of the legendary artist, with reflections on love, Black womanhood, and the enduring power of music (November 20). Jerron Paxton and Dennis Lichtman, two dazzlingly versatile, virtuosic interpreters of early American music, return by popular demand, having been artists-in-residence last season, for a foot-stomping, feel-good concert (December 4).
In a world premiere event, composer, drummer, dhol player, and former Symphony Space artist-in-residence Sunny Jain presents his new multimedia performance, Love Force, a collision of music and storytelling evoking his family history and artistic musical journey (January 9, 2026). Tony, Emmy, and Golden Globe-winning actor and singer Mandy Patinkin comes to Symphony Space with Mandy Patinkin in Concert: Being Alive, returning to his roots for a night of music from the American Songbook (February 18 & 21, 2026).
Artist-in-residence Tony Trischka, widely considered one of the most innovative banjo players of our time, brings audiences into the many facets of his musical world in three distinct concerts: NY Banjo Night, a high-energy celebration and showcase of New York’s vibrant banjo scene (March 12, 2026); Earl Jam Featuring Michael Daves, wherein Trischka and Grammy-nominated guitarist Michael Daves pay homage to the legendary Earl Scruggs (March 19, 2026); and Great Big World, in which Trischka steps beyond the bounds of bluegrass to explore the full breadth of his musical imagination (March 26, 2026).
The New York Times has called Symphony Space’s annual free Wall to Wall marathon “a gift to the city of New York.” This season’s iteration is Wall to Wall Stevie Wonder, a joyful, all-day tribute in which a wide range of singers, musicians, choreographers, and dancers interpret selections from Wonder’s monumental body of work. From chart-topping hits to hidden gems, they reimagine Stevie Wonder’s songbook through soul, R&B, hip-hop, world music, and movement. This day of nonstop Wonder culminates in a grand finale with a powerhouse line-up performing some of Wonder’s most memorable songs (November 8).
See Symphony Space’s website for the full 2025-26 season schedule.
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