The Santa Maria Philharmonic’s 2026-27 season is a traveling showcase, taking patrons from Imperial Russia to the American prairie, from a royal barge on the Thames (“temz”) to a silent movie house, and back for a grand finale.

The season opens with a program of Stravinsky, Copland and Rachmaninoff, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 26 at Grace Baptist Church in Santa Maria.

The orchestra will be joined by pianist Chi-Long Hu.

“We like to start big, so we’re starting with fireworks,” organizers said. “Stravinsky’s ‘Scherzo à la Russe’ was actually written in 1944 for a radio broadcast led by big-band legend Paul Whiteman, so this is Stravinsky in a playful, populist mood, all sly rhythms and orchestral color. It’s classical music with a wink.

“From there we head to the American West with Copland’s ‘Red Pony Suite.’ Originally composed for a film about a boy, a horse, and growing up on a California ranch, this music practically smells like sagebrush.”

Finally, there is Rachmaninoff’s “Piano Concerto No. 2.”

“This is the concerto that saved Rachmaninoff’s career.” Philharmonic leaders said. “After the disastrous premiere of his ‘First Symphony’ sent him into a depression, he wrote this piece while under hypnotherapy, and it became one of the most beloved works in the entire piano repertoire.

“Bring tissues; you’ll need them by the second movement.”

Other programs in the season are:

Concert 2 — Holiday Baroque: Handel’s Water Music & Bach Violin Concerto, 7:30 p.m. Dec 4 at First Methodist Church, Santa Maria.

Concert 3 — Buster Keaton Silent Films with Orchestra, 3 p.m. Feb. 28 at Patty Boyd Hall, Allan Hancock College, Santa Maria.

Concert 4 — Season Finale: Beethoven & Stravinsky, 7:30 p.m. May 1, Grace Baptist Church.

For season tickets and more information, visit here.