KANSAS CITY, Mo. (July 20, 2026) — The Kansas City Symphony today announced that internationally celebrated cellist Yo-Yo Ma will headline the Symphony’s 2026/27 season with a special appearance in Helzberg Hall on Wednesday, September 30, at 8 p.m. Ma’s performance with the Kansas City Symphony will feature works by Czech composers Bedřich Smetana and Antonín Dvořák. 

Subscribers have priority access to the waitlist to purchase tickets for Ma’s performance. Non-subscribers can purchase a subscription to receive priority access, or can join the waitlist HERE.  

The concert kicks off the Symphony’s 2026/27 classical performances, beginning with The Rite of Spring featuring violinist Augustin Hadelich and The Planets featuring guest conductor Vimbayi Kaziboni.  

Prior to Ma’s appearance, the Symphony will also perform a send-off concert for its second European tour on Friday, Aug. 21, and Music Director Matthias Pintscher will present his innovative immersive experience Prometheus on Wednesday, Sept. 9. The orchestra will also perform a symphonic arrangement Tom Petty’s catalog with a guest vocalist and rock band on Saturday, Sept. 26. 

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About The Kansas City Symphony
In only its 44th season, the Kansas City Symphony has become one of America’s most vibrant major orchestras and has gained international recognition. At its orchestral home of Helzberg Hall at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, the Symphony serves the Kansas City metropolitan region of more than 2.2 million people.   

The Symphony’s 80 full-time musicians present a diverse and dynamic range of orchestral and chamber music performances each season under the artistic leadership of music director Matthias Pintscher, an internationally acclaimed conductor and composer who regularly conducts the world’s leading orchestras and opera companies. 

In addition to concerts in Helzberg Hall, Symphony musicians perform throughout the region on an innovative portable stage, the Mobile Music Box. The Symphony also serves as the orchestra for the Kansas City Ballet and the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, adding to the rich cultural experiences that these organizations offer to the community. 

For more information, visit www.kcsymphony.org.