The Florida Orchestra is opening its 59th season with a pop-culture crossover event that puts Taylor Swift’s music in a symphonic spotlight. Steve Hackman’s Taylor Swift: The Symphony Era will be performed on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. at the Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg. Tickets start at $38, and are on sale now through FloridaOrchestra.org and the Ticket Center.
Created and conducted by Steve Hackman, the concert is described as a completely original experience rather than a tribute show. It reimagines songs from across Swift’s career, including Love Story, You Belong with Me and The Fate of Ophelia, with four vocalists, a band and the orchestra. The production is designed to reveal unexpected connections between songs and uncover new musical surprises for fans.
Hackman has built a national reputation for blending popular music with orchestral performance, with previous projects including Brahms X Radiohead, Beethoven X Beyonce and Tchaikovsky X Drake. The Florida Orchestra says the concert is part of a broader season of classical, popular and family-friendly programming across Tampa Bay. A note from the orchestra also clarifies that Taylor Swift will not appear at the performance, and that the event is fan-sponsored and not affiliated with her team.