Crunching six months’ worth of concert programs into a sound bite is a tall order. So, let’s leave it to the pros. Here’s what that place you have to practice, practice, practice to get to has come up with for their celebration of America’s quarter millennium. “Carnegie Hall’s 2025–2026 season festival is a multifaceted reflection of the United States 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Starting in January, we highlight the extraordinary musical riches that have flourished in the U.S., and we explore the endlessly diverse voices and influences that have shaped—and continue to shape—American identity.” In a second graph, the copy teases “Broadway, jazz, film music, rock ‘n’ roll, hip-hop, bluegrass, classical, and so much more.” Scrolling through the calendar, we are delighted to glimpse lots of favorite usual suspects—Joyce DiDonato, Wynton Marsalis, The Knights, American Composers Orchestra, Rhiannon Giddens, The Met Orchestra, Brooklyn Rider, and many more. Rodgers & Hammerstein get the ball rolling on January 12 with a concert performance of Oklahoma!—which seems either an obvious or an ingenious choice or maybe both. Rob Berman, second to no one for expertise in the American musical, conducts the Orchestra of St. Luke’s in the extravagant original orchestrations. Scrolling on, we’re hard pressed, honestly, to pick out much of a red, white, and blue thread—but whatever your jam is, you’ll likely find some. On March 2, there’s a program under the intriguing heading, Cancelled: The Secret Life of the American Musical. Sounds so meta! But no, it is, in fact, cancelled. —Matthew Gurewitsch