Composer Michael Daugherty. Photo: Reilly Arts Center.
Ocala Symphony Opens Its Season Oct. 24-25 With a Daugherty World Premiere and Pictures at an Exhibition
This is a arts & culture news article published on 2026-10-21 covering local Marion County, Florida news. The Ocala Symphony Orchestra opens its season at the Reilly Arts Center on Saturday, Oct. 24 and Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026, with the world premiere of Michael Daugherty's The Hallucinogenic Toreador, Rachmaninoff's Isle of the Dead and Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition. Tickets are listed from $15 to $56.
Composer Michael Daugherty. Photo: Reilly Arts Center.
At a Glance
- What: Ocala Symphony Orchestra season opener, "Pictures at an Exhibition: From Dali to Mussorgsky"
- When: Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026, 3 p.m.
- Where: AdventHealth Mainstage, Reilly Arts Center, 500 NE 9th St., Ocala, FL 34470
- Program: Michael Daugherty, The Hallucinogenic Toreador (world premiere); Sergei Rachmaninoff, Isle of the Dead; Modest Mussorgsky, Pictures at an Exhibition
- Conductor: Matthew Wardell
- Tickets: $15 to $56 on the Reilly's ticketing site for either performance; box office (352) 351-1606
What Is Being Premiered?
The Hallucinogenic Toreador is a new orchestral work by Michael Daugherty, inspired by the art and life of the Spanish painter Salvador Dalí. Daugherty's page for the piece says it was commissioned by the Ocala Symphony Orchestra and lists the world premiere for Oct. 24, 2026, at the Reilly Arts Center. The title comes from Dalí's 1970 painting of the same name, which the composer's program note calls Dalí's last great Surrealist painting, and which depicts death and resurrection in the Spanish bullfighting ring. The note also points to The Dalí Museum in nearby St. Petersburg, which holds more than 2,400 of the artist's works.
Who Is Michael Daugherty?
Daugherty's official site says his music has received six GRAMMY Awards, including Best Contemporary Classical Composition for Deus ex Machina for piano and orchestra and for Tales of Hemingway for cello and orchestra. The site also cites the League of American Orchestras in naming him one of the ten most-performed American composers of concert music. The Reilly's composer biography notes that he was born in 1954 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and has been Professor of Composition at the University of Michigan since 1991.
What Else Is on the Program?
Rachmaninoff's Isle of the Dead is inspired by Arnold Böcklin's painting, and Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition is a musical gallery of paintings, heard here in Maurice Ravel's orchestration. The Reilly describes the full evening as a program that turns works of visual art into sound.
Who Is Conducting?
Matthew Wardell is in his 17th season as Music Director of the Ocala Symphony Orchestra, according to his biography on the event page. The Jacksonville native holds a doctorate and master's degree from the University of Florida, and the Reilly notes he has led world and U.S. premieres by living composers including Daugherty.
How Do You Get Tickets?
Tickets are sold through the Reilly Arts Center and its box office at (352) 351-1606. For both the Saturday and Sunday performances, the ticketing site lists Orchestra and Balcony sections at $15 to $56 and Mezzanine sections at $15 to $47. The Reilly warns that it cannot verify tickets bought from third-party sellers. Our event listing for the concert is at Pictures at an Exhibition: From Dalí to Mussorgsky, and the orchestra's open rehearsal for the program is on Friday, Oct. 23.
What Comes Next This Season?
The Ocala Symphony's concert calendar lists these programs after the opener:
- Disney's Aladdin in Concert, Nov. 7-8, 2026
- Music Box 3: Duo Sylvania, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2026, 3 p.m.
- Ocala Symphony Chorus: Handel's Messiah, Sunday, Nov. 22, 2026, 3 p.m.
- 23rd Annual Symphony Under the Lights, Friday, Dec. 4, 2026, 7 p.m.
- Pops! Goes the Holidays, Dec. 5-6, 2026
- Nutcracker with the OSO and Dance Alive National Ballet, Dec. 11-12, 2026
More Music in Ocala
The Reilly Arts Center guide covers the venue, live music in Ocala rounds up concerts across town, and things to do in Ocala has more weekend ideas. The full calendar is on our events page.
Sources: Reilly Arts Center event page, "Pictures at an Exhibition: From Dali to Mussorgsky" (reillyartscenter.com), including the dates, program, conductor and composer biographies, address and box office number; the Reilly Arts Center ticketing site, including showtimes, the AdventHealth Mainstage venue and ticket prices; the Ocala Symphony concerts page (reillyartscenter.com/oso-events), including the rest of the fall schedule; Michael Daugherty's official site (michaeldaugherty.net), including the commission, the program note and his GRAMMY Awards. Checked Oct. 21, 2026.
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