The Florida Orchestra is set to spotlight rising British pianist Jeneba Kanneh-Mason in an October concert at the Mahaffey Theater, where she will make her Florida Orchestra debut alongside Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade on Oct. 17, 2026. The performance is part of a packed fall season that also includes major masterworks, pops programs and community events across Tampa Bay.
Kanneh-Mason, a member of one of classical music’s most celebrated young families, will appear in Florence Price’s Piano Concerto in One Movement, a work that has been gaining wider recognition for its lyrical sweep and vivid orchestration. The concert pairs that showcase with Scheherazade, one of the orchestral repertoire’s most beloved tone poems, promising a program that blends elegance, storytelling and dazzling color.
The Mahaffey performance follows the orchestra’s Masterworks opener, which features Rossini’s William Tell Overture, Beethoven’s Wellington’s Victory and Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture. It also comes during a month of high-profile Florida Orchestra offerings, from a Beatles tribute to a John Williams celebration.
The orchestra says its 2026-27 season will feature concerts throughout Tampa Bay, while continuing to expand its reach through education and community programming. The Mahaffey Theater date gives local audiences a chance to hear one of the season’s most anticipated debuts in a program designed to highlight both a rising soloist and a timeless orchestral favorite.