Classical Composers Calendar 2025-2026

One composer per week, featuring significant dates (birth, death, or premiere)

Week 1: September 21-27, 2025

Dmitri Shostakovich (September 25, 1906 - August 9, 1975)
Symphony No. 5 premiered November 21, 1937
📅 Birth Anniversary: September 25

Week 2: September 28 - October 4, 2025

George Gershwin (September 26, 1898 - July 11, 1937)
"Rhapsody in Blue" premiered February 12, 1924
📅 Birth Anniversary: September 26

Week 3: October 5-11, 2025

Giuseppe Verdi (October 9, 1813 - January 27, 1901)
"La Traviata" premiered March 6, 1853
📅 Birth Anniversary: October 9

Week 4: October 12-18, 2025

Franz Liszt (October 22, 1811 - July 31, 1886)
"Hungarian Rhapsodies" published 1851-1886
📅 Birth Anniversary: October 22

Week 5: October 19-25, 2025

Domenico Scarlatti (October 26, 1685 - July 23, 1757)
555 Keyboard Sonatas published c. 1738-1757
📅 Birth Anniversary: October 26

Week 6: October 26 - November 1, 2025

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (January 27, 1756 - December 5, 1791)
"The Magic Flute" premiered September 30, 1791
📅 Premiere Anniversary: September 30

Week 7: November 2-8, 2025

Felix Mendelssohn (February 3, 1809 - November 4, 1847)
"A Midsummer Night's Dream" premiered October 14, 1843
📅 Death Anniversary: November 4

Week 8: November 9-15, 2025

Aaron Copland (November 14, 1900 - December 2, 1990)
"Appalachian Spring" premiered October 30, 1944
📅 Birth Anniversary: November 14

Week 9: November 16-22, 2025

Benjamin Britten (November 22, 1913 - December 4, 1976)
"Peter Grimes" premiered June 7, 1945
📅 Birth Anniversary: November 22

Week 10: November 23-29, 2025

Claudio Monteverdi (May 15, 1567 - November 29, 1643)
"L'Orfeo" premiered February 24, 1607
📅 Death Anniversary: November 29

Week 11: November 30 - December 6, 2025

Ludwig van Beethoven (December 17, 1770 - March 26, 1827)
Symphony No. 9 "Choral" premiered May 7, 1824
📅 Birth Anniversary: December 17 (week 13)

Week 12: December 7-13, 2025

Jean Sibelius (December 8, 1865 - September 20, 1957)
Symphony No. 2 premiered March 8, 1902
📅 Birth Anniversary: December 8

Week 13: December 14-20, 2025

Ludwig van Beethoven (December 17, 1770 - March 26, 1827)
Symphony No. 9 "Choral" premiered May 7, 1824
📅 Birth Anniversary: December 17

Week 14: December 21-27, 2025

Alban Berg (February 9, 1885 - December 24, 1935)
"Wozzeck" premiered December 14, 1925
📅 Death Anniversary: December 24

Week 15: December 28, 2025 - January 3, 2026

Franz Schubert (January 31, 1797 - November 19, 1828)
"Winterreise" premiered 1827
📅 Birth Anniversary: January 31 (week 18)

Week 16: January 4-10, 2026

Alexander Scriabin (January 6, 1872 - April 27, 1915)
"Prometheus: The Poem of Fire" premiered March 15, 1911
📅 Birth Anniversary: January 6

Week 17: January 11-17, 2026

Anton Bruckner (September 4, 1824 - October 11, 1896)
Symphony No. 8 premiered December 18, 1892
📅 Premiere Anniversary: December 18 (previous week)

Week 18: January 18-24, 2026

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (January 27, 1756 - December 5, 1791)
"The Magic Flute" premiered September 30, 1791
📅 Birth Anniversary: January 27

Week 19: January 25-31, 2026

Franz Schubert (January 31, 1797 - November 19, 1828)
"Winterreise" premiered 1827
📅 Birth Anniversary: January 31

Week 20: February 1-7, 2026

Felix Mendelssohn (February 3, 1809 - November 4, 1847)
"A Midsummer Night's Dream" premiered October 14, 1843
📅 Birth Anniversary: February 3

Week 21: February 8-14, 2026

Alban Berg (February 9, 1885 - December 24, 1935)
"Wozzeck" premiered December 14, 1925
📅 Birth Anniversary: February 9

Week 22: February 15-21, 2026

George Frideric Handel (February 23, 1685 - April 14, 1759)
"Messiah" premiered April 13, 1742
📅 Birth Anniversary: February 23

Week 23: February 22-28, 2026

Claudio Monteverdi (May 15, 1567 - November 29, 1643)
"L'Orfeo" premiered February 24, 1607
📅 Premiere Anniversary: February 24

Week 24: March 1-7, 2026

Frédéric Chopin (March 1, 1810 - October 17, 1849)
24 Études published 1833 & 1837
📅 Birth Anniversary: March 1

Week 25: March 8-14, 2026

Maurice Ravel (March 7, 1875 - December 28, 1937)
"Boléro" premiered November 22, 1928
📅 Birth Anniversary: March 7

Week 26: March 15-21, 2026

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (March 18, 1844 - June 21, 1908)
"Scheherazade" premiered October 28, 1888
📅 Birth Anniversary: March 18

Week 27: March 22-28, 2026

Béla Bartók (March 25, 1881 - September 26, 1945)
"Concerto for Orchestra" premiered December 1, 1944
📅 Birth Anniversary: March 25

Week 28: March 29 - April 4, 2026

Franz Joseph Haydn (March 31, 1732 - May 31, 1809)
"The Creation" premiered April 29, 1798
📅 Birth Anniversary: March 31

Week 29: April 5-11, 2026

Sergei Rachmaninoff (April 1, 1873 - March 28, 1943)
Piano Concerto No. 2 premiered October 27, 1901
📅 Birth Anniversary: April 1

Week 30: April 12-18, 2026

George Frideric Handel (February 23, 1685 - April 14, 1759)
"Messiah" premiered April 13, 1742
📅 Death Anniversary: April 14

Week 31: April 19-25, 2026

Sergei Prokofiev (April 23, 1891 - March 5, 1953)
"Romeo and Juliet" premiered December 30, 1938
📅 Birth Anniversary: April 23

Week 32: April 26 - May 2, 2026

Franz Joseph Haydn (March 31, 1732 - May 31, 1809)
"The Creation" premiered April 29, 1798
📅 Premiere Anniversary: April 29

Week 33: May 3-9, 2026

Johannes Brahms (May 7, 1833 - April 3, 1897)
Symphony No. 4 premiered October 25, 1885
📅 Birth Anniversary: May 7

Week 34: May 10-16, 2026

Claudio Monteverdi (May 15, 1567 - November 29, 1643)
"L'Orfeo" premiered February 24, 1607
📅 Birth Anniversary: May 15

Week 35: May 17-23, 2026

Richard Wagner (May 22, 1813 - February 13, 1883)
"Der Ring des Nibelungen" complete cycle premiered August 13-17, 1876
📅 Birth Anniversary: May 22

Week 36: May 24-30, 2026

György Ligeti (May 28, 1923 - June 12, 2006)
"Atmosphères" premiered October 22, 1961
📅 Birth Anniversary: May 28

Week 37: May 31 - June 6, 2026

Franz Joseph Haydn (March 31, 1732 - May 31, 1809)
"The Creation" premiered April 29, 1798
📅 Death Anniversary: May 31

Week 38: June 7-13, 2026

Robert Schumann (June 8, 1810 - July 29, 1856)
"Carnaval" premiered 1835
📅 Birth Anniversary: June 8

Week 39: June 14-20, 2026

Edvard Grieg (June 15, 1843 - September 4, 1907)
Piano Concerto in A minor premiered April 3, 1869
📅 Birth Anniversary: June 15

Week 40: June 21-27, 2026

Igor Stravinsky (June 17, 1882 - April 6, 1971)
"The Rite of Spring" premiered May 29, 1913
📅 Birth Anniversary: June 17

Week 41: June 28 - July 4, 2026

Christoph Willibald Gluck (July 2, 1714 - November 15, 1787)
"Orfeo ed Euridice" premiered October 5, 1762
📅 Birth Anniversary: July 2

Week 42: July 5-11, 2026

Gustav Mahler (July 7, 1860 - May 18, 1911)
Symphony No. 9 premiered June 26, 1912
📅 Birth Anniversary: July 7

Week 43: July 12-18, 2026

George Gershwin (September 26, 1898 - July 11, 1937)
"Rhapsody in Blue" premiered February 12, 1924
📅 Death Anniversary: July 11

Week 44: July 19-25, 2026

Philip Glass (January 31, 1937 - still living)
"Einstein on the Beach" premiered July 25, 1976
📅 Premiere Anniversary: July 25

Week 45: July 26 - August 1, 2026

Antonio Vivaldi (March 4, 1678 - July 28, 1741)
"The Four Seasons" published 1725
📅 Death Anniversary: July 28

Week 46: August 2-8, 2026

Dmitri Shostakovich (September 25, 1906 - August 9, 1975)
Symphony No. 5 premiered November 21, 1937
📅 Death Anniversary: August 9

Week 47: August 9-15, 2026

John Cage (September 5, 1912 - August 12, 1992)
"4'33"" premiered August 29, 1952
📅 Death Anniversary: August 12

Week 48: August 16-22, 2026

Claude Debussy (August 22, 1862 - March 25, 1918)
"Clair de Lune" published 1905
📅 Birth Anniversary: August 22

Week 49: August 23-29, 2026

Leonard Bernstein (August 25, 1918 - October 14, 1990)
"West Side Story" premiered September 26, 1957
📅 Birth Anniversary: August 25

Week 50: August 30 - September 5, 2026

Antonín Dvořák (September 8, 1841 - May 1, 1904)
Symphony No. 9 "From the New World" premiered December 16, 1893
📅 Birth Anniversary: September 8

Week 51: September 6-12, 2026

Henry Purcell (September 10, 1659 - November 21, 1695)
"Dido and Aeneas" premiered c. 1689
📅 Birth Anniversary: September 10

Week 52: September 13-19, 2026

Arnold Schoenberg (September 13, 1874 - July 13, 1951)
"Pierrot Lunaire" premiered October 16, 1912
📅 Birth Anniversary: September 13