Carnegie Hall said on Tuesday, Oct. 21, that it will present “United in Sound: America at 250” from January through July 2026, a fascinating citywide festival highlighting the extraordinary musical riches that have evolved and flourished in the US throughout its history.
“With a wide variety of performances exploring diverse voices and influences that have shaped — and continue to shape — American identity, the festival offers a multifaceted musical reflection of the United States, 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence,” Carnegie Hall said.
Over the last 135 years, Carnegie Hall has been the site of historic music events in American history.
As a major centerpiece of the Hall’s 2025–2026 season, the United in Sound festival features more than 35 concerts.
Carnegie Hall said performances include Broadway, film music, jazz, R&B, rock ‘n’ roll, hip-hop, country, bluegrass, classical music, and programs that blend various musical genres, showcasing the very best of the American spirit through music.
“This season, we celebrate the extraordinary contribution that American music has made to world culture,“ said Clive Gillinson, Carnegie Hall’s executive and artistic director. “Its impact is felt across a wide range of genres—from jazz, pop, and gospel to film, Broadway, and the world of classical music.
“Through the United in Sound festival, we will explore music that reflects the American experience and the stories it tells about our nation,“ he added.
Carnegie Hall said the United in Sound performance highlights include: An Evening with the Grand Ole Opry; The Secret Life of the American Musical; celebrated artist and entertainer Harry Connick, Jr.; “The Ambassador of The Great American Songbook“ Michael Feinstein; concerts by trailblazing artists Marin Alsop, Timo Andres and Aaron Diehl, Artemis, Brooklyn Rider, Ruckus with Davóne Tines; programs featuring celebrated orchestras and ensembles including The New York Pops, American Composers Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, The Met Orchestra, The Philadelphia Orchestra and Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis and Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! in concert with Orchestra of St. Luke’s; plus, the musically innovative Kronos Quartet, Rhiannon Giddens, aja monet, and many others.
Carnegie Hall said programming featured in the festival includes iconic works by eminent American composers such as Leonard Bernstein, Duke Ellington and George Gershwin, as well as those previously underrepresented on concert programs until recent years such as Amy Beach, William Dawson and Florence Price; explorations of the evolution of American popular music, plus programs featuring newly discovered music that highlights American stories by artists such as Rhiannon Giddens and Ruckus with Davóne Tines.
As a central part of the United in Sound festival, Carnegie Hall said it has also partnered with a range of American composers, ensembles, and artists to commission more than 20 new works—including premieres by John Adams, George Lewis, Angélica Negrón, Caroline Shaw, Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate, and more.
From March through July 2026, Carnegie Hall said the United in Sound: America at 250 festival extends citywide to include events hosted by top cultural institutions across New York and beyond—including concerts, dance and musical performances, film screenings, and more—celebrating different facets of American music and offering new avenues for discovery that explore the nation’s vibrant and complex past, present, and future.
