Hamilton’s Brott Music Festival is Canada’s largest orchestral music festival, and Ontario’s only orchestral summer festival. It brings a mix of symphonic masterpieces, opera, immersive, candlelight and waterfront concerts, and pops concerts to venues across Hamilton and Burlington from June 25 to August 13, 2026.
The music is performed by the National Academy Orchestra of Canada (NAO) and BrottOpera under the artistic leadership of Music Director Tania Miller.
“This summer is about connection — between artists and audiences, tradition and innovation, and the
incredible young musicians who bring this music to life,” said Tania Miller in a statement. “Wherever I conduct across North America, I meet artists who began their journey here — and it reminds me how special this orchestra and this community truly are.”
The National Academy Orchestra
The National Academy Orchestra of Canada is a National Arts Training Program, and a professional training orchestra. Its members are selected by audition, and participate in an intensive training program that prepares them for professional careers. They enter into a rehearsal and performance schedule that mirrors that of top level professional orchestras as they prepare for a busy season of classical and pops concerts, opera, and more.
Their time at NAO includes masterclasses, seminars, mock auditions, and more, and they receive mentorship from some of Canada’s leading musicians. The program is designed to give them a leg up on achieving a long and sustainable career as an orchestral musician.
They are the orchestra-in-residence for the Brott Music Festival.
Brott Music Festival 2026 At A Glance
“Nearly 40 years ago, we set out to bring great music to every corner of our community,” said
Executive Director & Co-Founder Ardyth Brott. “We invite audiences to experience music as a vibrant, shared part of life in Hamilton and Burlington.”
Here’s a quick look at what’s on offer.
Beethoven & Sibelius | June 25, 2026 at L.R. Wilson Concert Hall, Hamilton
This program includes Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3, with soloist Lorraine Min. Min has performed in solo recitals and with orchestras and other ensembles across the globe, and she has played on some of the world’s most prominent stages, including New York’s Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Town Hall, Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall, the Kennedy Center’s Concert Hall, Vancouver’s Orpheum Theatre, and the Chan Centre, among others. She is also a recording artist whose catalogue includes releases of solo and chamber music. Also on the program is Sibelius’ magnificent Symphony No. 2.
The Piano Men | July 2, 2026 at Theatre Aquarius, Hamilton
The Piano Man meets the Rocket Man, backed up by a full orchestra. Award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter Jim Witter takes the audience on a journey on a symphonic scale through the keyboard hits by Billy Joel and Elton John that you know by heart. You can sing along to the music as you relive and re-experience the impact of this music.
Górecki Immersive | July 4, 2026 at Church of Ascension, Hamilton
In Hamilton’s atmopheric 75-year-old Church of the Ascension, you’ll be able to step inside the music. The intimate performance includes Górecki’s Symphony of Sorrowful Songs, a haunting and intense work that will linger in your imagination, and Jocelyn Morlock’s Disquiet. Soprano McKenzie Warriner performs with the National Academy Orchestra and Tania Miller, conductor.
Quanto Amore | July 9, 2026 at LR Wilson Concert Hall, Hamilton
This concert offers an evening of opera’s greatest love stories. You’ll experience arias and duets that capture the highs and lows of love in the exquisite beauty of their music. The cast includes Emily Rocha, soprano, Jeremy Scinocca, tenor, George Theodorakopoulos, baritone, Karoline Podolak, soprano, Joshua Gibson, baritone, Nicholas Murphy, bass baritone, Emma Pennell, soprano, Mackenzie Warriner, soprano, and Jason Sommerville-Kinish, bass, directed by Mario Pacheco. Tania Miller conducts the National Academy Orchestra.
As a bonus, you can join the cast at the exclusive Black Box After Party.
La Bohème | July 16 & July 18, 2026 at Theatre Aquarius, Hamilton
Enjoy Puccini’s La Bohème in a fully staged production. It’s a story full of passion and joy, along with heartbreak, and includes some of the most beautiful music ever written for opera. The cast includes Ariane Cosette as Mimi, Jeremy Scinocca, as Rodolfo, George Theodorakopoulos as Marcello, Karoline Podolak as Musetta, Joshua Gibson as Schaunard, Nicholas Murphy as Colline, and Jason Sommerville-Kinish as Benoit/Alcindoro, with Tania Miller at the podium, Dana Fradkin as stage director, and Mario Pacheco as associate director.
The Lark Ascending by candelight | July 23, 2026 at the Church of Ascension, Hamilton
Bathed in candlelight inside the historic Church of the Ascension, this intimate concert offers Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending, a work inspired by the 1881 poem of the same name by the English writer George Meredith. It’s an evening designed to calm, restore, and transport, featuring violin soloist Satchi Kanashiro. Also on the program: Arvo Pärt: Fratres; Sibelius: Valse triste, Op. 44, No. 1; Cris Derksen: Round Dance (2015); Wagner: Siegfried Idyll, WWV 103.
Hollywood Blockbusters | July 25, 2026 at the Burlington Performance Arts Centre, Burlington
This concert brings to life the music behind beloved films, from heart stopping action flicks to romantic scores. You’ll hear music from Hollywood hits like Jaws, Jurassic Park, The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Forest Gump, and more, performed by a full sized orchestra under the baton of conductor Martin MacDonald.
Beethoven & Stravinsky | July 30, 2026 at the Boris Brott Great Hall, FirstOntario Concert Hall, Hamilton
Beethoven’s Symphony No. 8 is full of surprises, and it’s contrasted by the colour and fire of Stravinsky’s Petrushka. The program also includes Mendelssohn’s virtuosic Violin Concerto with violinist Yi-Jia Susanne Hou. Canadian violinist Yi-Jia Susanne Hou was born in Shanghai and raised in Mississauga. She’s a graduate of The Juilliard School, where she earned a BM and MM degrees, and received an Artist Diploma. She has performed as a soloist internationally, and is also a passionate educator.
Shane Cook & The Woodchippers| August 1, 2026 at Theatre Aquarius, Hamilton
Shane Cook and The Woodchippers bring high energy fiddle tunes and rhythms to the stage, accompanied by a full orchestra. The band is known for their acoustic roots music, based on the traditional music, song and dance of Ontario, adding influences that range from Celtic, bluegrass and swing. The band has toured across North America, and their 2022 album Be Here For A While was nominated for a Canadian Folk Music Award.
Appalachian Spring Immersive | August 6, 2026 at the Church of the Ascension, Hamilton
You’ll be surrounded by the sound in this immersive experience, set in the evocative and historic Church of the Ascension, and grounded by a theme of reflection and renewal. The program includes Copland’s Appalachian Spring, Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony, and Glenn Buhr’s in gloriam, performed by the National Academy Orchestra under the baton of Tania Miller, with cello soloist Déverson Correia.
Orchestral Fireworks | Augist 13, 2026 at Boris Brott Great Hall, First Ontario Concert Hall, Hamilton
The Brott Music Festival finale offers a wide ranging program of Orchestral Fireworks — Mahler’s Symphony No. 9 in D major ( Mvt I & II ), Ravel’s La valse, Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez (with guitarist Daniel Bolshoy), and Strauss’s Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks, Op. 28. There will be passion, drama, and wit on the menu. Israeli-Canadian guitarist Daniel Bolshoy is a Senior Lecturer in the Hugh Hodgson School of Music at the University of Georgia. He has performed across the globe with more than 60 orchestras, including the Mexico City Philharmonic, the Volgograd Symphony (Russia), and the symphony orchestras of New Mexico, Modesto, Fresno, Vancouver, Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary, Kingston, Victoria, Okanagan, Saskatoon, Nova Scotia, among others.
- Find details and tickets for the 2026 Brott Music Festival [HERE].
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