Education
Opening Nights at FSU announces 2026-27 season featuring Common, Audra McDonald, Leslie Odom Jr., Wynton Marsalis
Academy Award, Emmy and Grammy Award winner Common, six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald, Tony and Grammy Award winner Leslie Odom Jr. and jazz legend Wynton Marsalis will headline Florida State University’s 2026-27 Opening Nights season.
The season, themed “Stories Worth Telling,” brings together artists from around the world whose work spans music, theater, dance, comedy and storytelling.
“Every great performance is really an act of storytelling,” said Kevin Maynard, executive director of Opening Nights. “This season, we’ve brought together storytellers at the height of their craft, voices that carry us into cultures we might never otherwise encounter, and brand-new work being told aloud for the very first time. These are stories worth telling.”
The season opens Sept. 4 with folk singer-songwriters Drew & Ellie Holcomb at Ruby Diamond Concert Hall.
Among the season’s highlights are McDonald, who has won six Tony Awards, more than any other performer in history, on Feb. 25; Odom Jr., the Tony and Grammy Award-winning original Aaron Burr in Hamilton, performing with the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra on March 6; and Marsalis and Jazz at Lincoln Center on Jan. 28. The performance is part of Marsalis’ final season leading the acclaimed ensemble and will bring one of his last appearances with the group to Ruby Diamond Concert Hall.
The season brings artists and cultural traditions from around the world to Tallahassee. Audiences will experience the Tuvan throat singing of the Alash Ensemble on Oct. 29, the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine on Feb. 11, the Vienna Girls Choir on April 6 and the immersive theatrical experience Mrs. Krishnan’s Party, running Feb. 17-20. The production invites audience members into the story as participants rather than spectators, creating a shared cultural experience centered on food, community and celebration.
Opening Nights continues its commitment to supporting new artistic work through two commissioned productions. Adele Myers and Dancers will present a world gone FABULOUS on Oct. 6, and JazzReach’s TRUTH will close the season April 16 with a multimedia performance honoring the life and legacy of jazz legend John Coltrane.
Other season highlights include a Nov. 14 performance by Common with the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra, presented in partnership with Visit Tallahassee and Scott Carswell; blues-rock guitarist Tinsley Ellis; acclaimed jazz vocalist Madeleine Peyroux; One Night in Memphis; “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band; Katie Skene and Friends; Whose Live Anyway?; pianist Barron Ryan; Duane Betts & Palmetto Motel; The New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players’ production of The Pirates of Penzance; Florida State University’s annual PRISM concert; Manual Cinema’s The 4th Witch; and Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and drummer Jamison Ross.
Opening Nights also will introduce audiences to emerging talent, including U.K.-based singer-songwriter Grace George, who will make her American debut Oct. 20 at Goodwood Museum & Gardens.
Two additional performances that are part of national tours will be announced in the coming weeks.
Performances will take place at venues across Tallahassee, including Ruby Diamond Concert Hall, Goodwood Museum & Gardens, Opperman Music Hall, Nancy Smith Fichter Theatre and Adderley Amphitheater.
Tickets for performances from September through January go on sale to the public at 11 a.m. Monday, Aug. 3. Opening Nights members will receive early access and additional benefits. Tickets for February through April performances will go on sale in November.
For more information and a complete season lineup, visit OpeningNights.fsu.edu.
2026-27 Opening Nights season at a glance
Drew & Ellie Holcomb — Sept. 4 | Ruby Diamond Concert Hall
Tinsley Ellis — Sept. 15 | Goodwood Museum & Gardens
Madeleine Peyroux — Sept. 24 | Opperman Music Hall
One Night in Memphis — Oct. 2 | Ruby Diamond Concert Hall
Adele Myers and Dancers: a world gone FABULOUS — Oct. 6 | Nancy Smith Fichter Theatre
“The President’s Own” United States Marine Band — Oct. 11 | Ruby Diamond Concert Hall
Grace George (American Debut) — Oct. 20 | Goodwood Museum & Gardens
Alash Ensemble — Oct. 29 | Goodwood Museum & Gardens
Katie Skene and Friends — Nov. 10 | Goodwood Museum & Gardens
Common with the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra — Nov. 14 | Adderley Amphitheater
Whose Live Anyway? — Nov. 15 | Ruby Diamond Concert Hall
Barron Ryan — Dec. 10 | Opperman Music Hall
Duane Betts & Palmetto Motel — Jan. 12 | Opperman Music Hall
Jazz at Lincoln Center — Jan. 28 | Ruby Diamond Concert Hall
The Pirates of Penzance — Feb. 4 | Ruby Diamond Concert Hall
National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine — Feb. 11 | Ruby Diamond Concert Hall
PRISM — Feb. 14 | Ruby Diamond Concert Hall
Mrs. Krishnan’s Party — Feb. 17-20 | Multiple Performances
Audra McDonald: Audra Goes Hollywood — Feb. 25 | Ruby Diamond Concert Hall
Leslie Odom Jr. with the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra — March 6 | Ruby Diamond Concert Hall
Manual Cinema’s The 4th Witch — March 22 | Ruby Diamond Concert Hall
Vienna Girls Choir — April 6 | Ruby Diamond Concert Hall
Jamison Ross — April 9 | Opperman Music Hall
JazzReach: TRUTH — April 16 | Ruby Diamond Concert Hall
Two additional performances, part of national tours, to be announced.
