The Israel Sinfonietta Beer-Sheva has launched a bold 2025/26 music season under the leadership of its new music director, four-time GRAMMY-nominated conductor Constantine Orbelian, marking a vibrant new chapter for the orchestra, located in the heart of the Negev.
The season reflects Orbelian’s hallmark blend of world-class guest artists, beloved masterpieces and fresh repertoire, designed to connect Israeli audiences with outstanding international performers and to spotlight Israeli talent in new productions.
In August 2025, the Israel Sinfonietta Beer-Sheva announced that current music director Maestro Rani Calderon will conclude his tenure, after three years of artistic growth and expanded outreach. Calderon’s leadership brought new Israeli works, broader educational initiatives and a more diverse repertoire, positioning the orchestra strongly for its next phase.
Upon his departure, the orchestra’s board selected Maestro Orbelian as the new music director, citing confidence in his ability to maintain the Sinfonietta’s unique spirit while elevating its international profile. The 2025-26 season will be Orbelian’s first full season at the helm, created in partnership with resident conductor David Solomon and conceived as a gateway between Israeli musical life and the global stage.
Orbelian has long expressed a desire to work within a musical institution in Israel, emphasizing close relationships with local audiences and colleagues. In his new role, he envisions the southern city of Beersheva as a hub where international artists and Israeli performers can meet, collaborate and tour, creating an artistic dialogue that flows both into and out of the country.
“From the moment this appointment became a reality, I knew that my mission in Beersheva had to be about exchange as much as excellence. My goal is to expose Israeli audiences to the extraordinary artists and sounds I have encountered around the world, and at the same time to introduce my international colleagues to the imagination, energy and depth of musicians here in Israel,” says Orbelian.
By building these bridges, the Israel Sinfonietta Beersheva is poised to become a true crossroads where local voices and global talent unite and inspire one another, catapulting our music far beyond any one single concert hall,” he adds.
In his introductory remarks for the 53rd season, Orbelian paid tribute to the distinguished musicians and guest artists who have shaped the Sinfonietta’s reputation over more than five decades. He notes that legendary figures such as Leonard Bernstein and other world-renowned soloists have helped solidify the orchestra’s status in Israel and abroad, setting a high bar for artistic excellence.
Looking ahead, he underscores that the coming season will feature both familiar masterpieces and works new to Israeli audiences, with world-class instrumentalists and singers appearing in Beer-Sheva and across the country. Orbelian says many of these soloists will make their Israeli debuts with the Sinfonietta, promising listeners “unique sounds” and first encounters designed to captivate from their opening notes.
The 2025-26 program under the tracks: World Classical; The Voice on Stage; A Journey through Sounds; The Jerusalem Symphony visits; Hebrew Melodies; and Musical Magic for Children is structured as a multifaceted journey through classic, operatic, jazz, film and cross-cultural repertoire, anchored by orchestral series and vocal showcases. The season weaves together American, Russian, French, Italian, Ukrainian, Israeli and Spanish-influenced programs.
A number of concerts highlight specific national or thematic threads—such as American classics, Russian romance, Viennese nostalgia, Ukrainian song and Hebrew songwriting—while others explore opera, cinema, jazz and iconic festivals like San Remo. Throughout, international guest artists appear alongside leading Israeli musicians, underscoring the Sinfonietta’s dual identity as both a national institution and a global partner.
The American Classics program, conducted by Orbelian, brings together Italian saxophonist Federico Mondelci and Israeli pianist Dorel Golan in a Trans-Atlantic portrait that includes Roberto Molinelli’s works and Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, alongside music by Piazzolla, Nino Rota and Ennio Morricone. The concert celebrates the dialogue between American jazz-inflected concert music, Italian color and Latin American rhythm.
Russian Romance, also led by Orbelian and featuring pianist Evgeny Brakhman, offers Rimsky-Korsakov’s overture to The Tsar’s Bride, Rachmaninoff’s First Piano Concerto, Shostakovich’s The Gadfly romance and waltzes from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty. Later in the season, The French Piano showcases pianist Andre Gugnin in Saint-Saëns’ Africa for piano and orchestra, framed by Offenbach’s sparkling overture to La Belle Hélène and Bizet’s youthful Symphony in C.
The Voice On Stage strand foregrounds singers and dramatic repertoire, beginning with Romantic Vienna, where Orbelian partners with American soprano Kristin Sampson in arias and songs infused with Viennese operetta charm. The program features favorites by composers such as Kálmán, Lehár and others, echoing the city’s Golden Age stage tradition.
Later, Maria’s Voice pays homage to Maria Callas through signature arias performed by soprano Diana Skavronskaya, while Voices of Angels reunites Orbelian with Kristin Sampson and Romanian baritone Florin Estefan in operatic love music by Puccini, Verdi and Strauss, including pieces known from classic Hollywood films. Ukrainian Love introduces Ukrainian soprano Kseniya Bakhritdinova and Israeli baritone Konstantin Rittel-Kobylianski in an evening of folk-inspired lyricism, humor and longing from Ukraine’s multicultural traditions.
The Journey Through Sounds series offers concerts that traverse popular song and festival culture, starting with Come Prima, dedicated to the hits of Italy’s San Remo Festival with conductor Amit Rosenblum and vocalists Doron Mazar and Reut Ventorero. The program revisits beloved Italian standards in new orchestral arrangements, bringing festival glamour into the concert hall.
Midsummer Night’s Dream, under Orbelian with Austrian pianist Kiron Atom Tallian, juxtaposes Mendelssohn’s overture, Saint-Saëns’ Second Piano Concerto and Mozart’s Symphony No. 40, combining drama, virtuosity and classical clarity. In The Gallop of the French Cello, cellist Kristina Reiko Cooper joins Orbelian for Korngold’s Cello Concerto and a program of lively overtures culminating in the galloping finale of Rossini’s William Tell, and the exuberant Can-Can from Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld.”
Tribute to the Goddess of Jazz celebrates the legacy of Ella Fitzgerald, marking the 30th anniversary of her passing with American soprano Latonia Moore and Orbelian in a program of jazz standards and virtuosic improvisation. The concert showcases the orchestral possibilities of classic jazz vocal repertoire while honoring Fitzgerald’s unmistakable warmth and range.
Soundtrack from the Movies, conducted by David Solomon with singer Adi Cohen, presents iconic themes from films and television series such as The Godfather, E.T. and Superman, alongside numbers from musicals like The Wizard of Oz, Mary Poppins and Les Misérables. The evening invites audiences to relive cinematic memories through lush orchestral arrangements, reinforcing the Sinfonietta’s appeal to listeners of all ages.
The Hebrew Melodies series opens with A Time to Love, devoted to the greatest hits of Ehud Manor, the Israel Prize-winning songwriter widely regarded as one of the country’s most played and culturally significant lyricists. Conducted by David Solomon and featuring singers Adi Cohen and Michael Ben David, the concert celebrates songs that have become cornerstones of Hebrew popular music.
Raichel and the Sinfonietta brings together conductor-arranger Yaron Gottfried with Idan Raichel, the acclaimed composer, singer and producer whose music has become synonymous with contemporary Israeli life and has found audiences worldwide. Later, Our Most Beautiful (Songs) offers orchestral arrangements of classics associated with figures such as Sasha Argov, Haim Hefer, Alexander Penn and Rachel Bluwstein, performed by Eli Gorenstein, Alona Alexander and Ziv Shalit.
NANCY provides an autobiographical soundtrack to the life of arranger, conductor and comedian Nancy Brandes, who immigrated to Israel some fifty years ago. The concert blends humor, behind-the-scenes stories and songs from different eras, revisiting favorites including HaPerach Begani and Elef Neshikot. and other classics associated with Brandes’ storied career.
The Opera Aleko by Sergei Rachmaninoff, led by Orbelian, features a cast including Anatoly Sivko, Berge Karazian, Tatev Baroyan, Tayr Tatsigolov, Sorona Shrira and the Ihud Choir in a compact, emotionally charged tale of passion and jealousy. The work follows the young Aleko, who abandons a conventional life for a gypsy camp, only to be consumed by destructive jealousy when the free-spirited Zemfira turns to another love.
The Jerusalem Symphony makes a guest appearance with a Flamenco concert under conductor Roit Feldenkreis, featuring dancer Yarden Amir in a program that fuses orchestral color with the fire and physicality of flamenco. Separately, a performance of Mozart’s Requiem, led by Julian Rachlin, includes Bach’s Concerto for Two Violins and a distinguished vocal and instrumental ensemble with soloists Nofar Yacobi, Monika-Evelin Liiv, Jurij Kruglov and violinists Yenny Honigan and Janna Gandelman, joined by the Collegium Choir.
¡Viva España! conducted by Shmuel Elbaz, unites mandolin, classical and flamenco guitar, cajón and voice in an evening of Spanish passion and rhythm. The concert highlights the intersection of classical technique and flamenco tradition, bringing Mediterranean warmth to Beer-Sheva.
Families will be enchanted by Musical Magic for Children, a special concert series designed for young audiences.
The season’s social and artistic highlight is the Viennese Ball (Dec. 23–25, 2025), conducted by Orbelian and featuring soprano Tatev Baroyan, baritone Anatoli Sivko, harpist Alisa Sadikova and accordionist Radu Ratoi. This gala will present an evening of beloved waltzes and dances, with the Sinfonietta joined by opera soloists and a troupe of dancers in specially designed costumes by choreographer and creative director Haim Pershtein.
A full schedule is available here: Concerts & Tickets, The Sinfonietta.
About Maestro Constantine: Born in San Francisco to Russian and Armenian emigré parents, Maestro Constantine Orbelian first gained attention as an 11-year-old piano prodigy with the San Francisco Symphony before graduating from The Juilliard School and embarking on an international solo career. He currently serves as General and Artistic Director of New York City Opera and Principal Conductor of the Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra in Lithuania. Previously, he led the Moscow Chamber Orchestra and the Yerevan State Opera and Ballet Theater.
Orbelian has appeared on major stages across the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and Russia, collaborating with leading singers such as Renée Fleming, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Elīna Garanča, Anna Netrebko, Jonas Kaufmann and many others, building a discography of more than 80 recordings on the Delos label.
