Luke Frazier is Artistic & Music Director of Symphony of the Americas.
Courtesy Symphony of the Americas
There will be Dionne... there will be Elvis... and there will even be a conducting competition where the audience helps crown the winner.
Symphony of the Americas is heading into its 39th season with a 2026–2027 slate spanning patriotic classics, Motown holiday hits, opera, sacred music and two American icons who shook popular music to its very core.
Leading the Fort Lauderdale-based professional orchestra is Artistic and Music Director Luke Frazier, a conductor, pianist and seasoned television presence. He is only the third artistic and music director in the symphony’s history.
Founded in 1987, Symphony of the Americas has always called the Amaturo Theater at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts home. Frazier arrived after its former executive director spotted him conducting on television and invited him south for several pops concerts.
His résumé packs serious star power. Frazier founded the American Pops Orchestra in Washington, D.C., in 2015 and has since worked on over 30 PBS broadcasts with talents including Renée Fleming, Patti LaBelle, Ariana DeBose, Joshua Bell and Josh Groban. He has conducted at Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, the White House and the U.S. Supreme Court.
When programming for South Florida, however, Frazier has no interest in copying the orchestra down the road.
“One of my favorite phrases is, ‘Why be another shade of beige?’” Frazier told Browardist. “I wanted to make sure that we really stood out by what we’re doing and how we’re doing it. That has resulted in a 49% audience increase and an increase in our subscription ticket purchasers.”
The season opens Nov. 15 and 17 with “The Sound of Freedom,” an America 250-esque program at the Amaturo Theater spotlighting figures including Van Cliburn and Marian Anderson. On Dec. 5, the Au-Rene Theater hosts “A Merry Motown Christmas,” featuring Dionne Warwick, Chris Jackson and Tony winner Myles Frost.
“Dionne Warwick is the best to work with, and when you get to work with a legend like that, it’s always a treat,” said Frazier, who has previously filmed two television programs with Warwick and conducted her at The Kennedy Center.
“On the Water” follows Jan. 17 and 19 at the Amaturo Theater, pairing Handel’s “Water Music” and Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake Suite” with local high school dancers performing to a new treatment of “Shenandoah.”
“A Sacred Symphonic Celebration” lands Feb. 20 at United Church of Christ Fort Lauderdale with Sandi Patty and cellist John-Henry Crawford. Music inspired by Catholic, Protestant and Jewish traditions will share the bill, while a portion of ticket proceeds will benefit Broward organizations serving people experiencing homelessness.
The Amaturo Theater then welcomes Metropolitan Opera talents Ailyn Pérez and Paulo Szot for “A Night at the Opera” March 14 and 16. Four undergraduate conductors command the orchestra during the second annual “Pass the Baton” competition April 27, with audience members joining the judging panel.
The finale, “Elvis and Sam: The Kings of Rock & Soul,” hits May 9 and 11, exploring the mutual admiration between Elvis Presley and Sam Cooke through new orchestral arrangements.
“If you’re a true classical devotee, you’ve got something that’s going to appeal to you,” Frazier said. “And if you’re someone who has never set foot in a concert hall, I’m going to work my tail off to make sure you feel welcome too.”
