On this week’s episode of Out and About, Mae Gilliland of ArtsPartners of Central Illinois talks with David Commanday, artistic director and conductor of the Heartland Festival Orchestra, about the HFO’s upcoming season, opening Sept. 11 at Crossroads Global Methodist Church in Washington.

The opening concert returns to the foundations of classical music with Mozart alongside Bruch’s beloved Violin Concerto in G Minor, featuring HFO concertmaster Ji Myung Kim as soloist. Commanday says the program was designed to remind audiences of what draws them to a symphony orchestra in the first place. “You can’t do much better than Mozart,” he said. “The magical beauty of Mozart’s music, it attracts everyone.”

The season also marks a period of transition and exploration for the orchestra, including performances in new venues. Upcoming programs include a Baroque concert featuring Bach, Handel and Albinoni, an intimate chamber music program, and a season finale featuring Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings, a work performed on the HFO’s inaugural program in 2009.

At the center of the season is Frank and Frankie, a January concert at Five Points Washington celebrating the music of Frank Sinatra and Frankie Valli. Broadway performers Sal Viviano and Julie Benko will join the orchestra for an evening drawing from the Great American Songbook.

Subscriptions are currently available in various packages, with individual adult ticket prices reduced from last season. The Heartland Festival Orchestra opens its 2026-27 season Sept. 11 at Crossroads Global Methodist Church in Washington.