The New York Philharmonic has inaugurated its autumn season under the leadership of Gustavo Dudamel, the Venezuelan conductor recently appointed as the orchestra’s music and artistic director. The season opened with a special event at Radio City Music Hall on September 10, followed by subscription concerts at David Geffen Hall. The initial program featured John Adams’s “On the Transmigration of Souls,” Prokofiev’s Fifth Symphony, and a new composition by Zosha Di Castri. This week’s program pairs a premiere by Tania León with Mahler’s Fifth Symphony. The season will include an inaugural gala and special one-night performances featuring renowned artists Lang Lang and Yo-Yo Ma before the Philharmonic embarks on a European tour. Performances run through October 2.

In Cleveland, the venerable Cleveland Orchestra is approaching the conclusion of Franz Welser-Möst’s 25-year tenure as music director. His final programs this fall highlight a blend of contrasting works, beginning with Shostakovich’s Eighth Symphony and Strauss’s “Four Last Songs,” with soprano Golda Schultz featured. Subsequent concerts present Brahms’s and Martinu’s second symphonies. These performances will run through September 26 at Severance Music Center.

The Metropolitan Opera is opening its season on September 22 with a new production of Verdi’s “Macbeth,” directed by Louisa Proske, co-founder of Heartbeat Opera. The production stars Lise Davidsen as Lady Macbeth, with Quinn Kelsey as Macduff and Ryan Speedo Green as Banquo, under the baton of Yannick Nézet-Séguin. The opera will be staged through October 20. This marks a departure from the Met’s recent trend of beginning seasons with contemporary works, as it appears to favor a classic standard amid financial challenges.

At Columbia University’s Miller Theater, fall programming begins with violinist Jennifer Koh performing all of Bach’s sonatas and partitas in a single evening on September 24. Early music enthusiasts can look forward to performances by the vocal ensemble Stile Antico, featuring a new work by Christopher Cerrone alongside Monteverdi and Palestrina (October 15), and the Gesualdo Six, exploring pieces connected to the Compline service (November 12). Contemporary music remains central to the season, exemplified by a composer portrait concert highlighting Suzanne Farrin’s new opera “Macabéa” on October 29.

The Berlin Philharmonic will open Carnegie Hall’s season from October 8-11 under the direction of chief conductor Kirill Petrenko. The gala concert features tenor Jonas Kaufmann singing Italian arias and selections from Respighi’s Roman trilogy. Subsequent programs include Elgar’s “Enigma Variations” and Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony, as well as Brahms’s Piano Concerto No. 1 and Strauss’s “Also Sprach Zarathustra,” with pianist Daniil Trifonov.

The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center continues its autumn programming with an American music-focused opening night on October 13 at Alice Tully Hall, presenting works by Bolcom, Beach, Herrmann, and Copland’s “Appalachian Spring” in its original arrangement. The season also features two-piano works by Jean-Efflam Bavouzet (November 7) and new compositions from Jessie Montgomery, Samuel Carl Adams, Caroline Shaw, and Mark-Anthony Turnage, performed by the Calidore String Quartet (November 12).

Yannick Nézet-Séguin plans to lead a nearly complete Mahler symphony cycle this season, with performances spread among the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Vienna Philharmonic, and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. The Philadelphia Orchestra presents Mahler's Fifth Symphony on October 13 at Carnegie Hall.

Celebrations marking the 90th birthday of composer Steve Reich are underway in New York. The Park Avenue Armory will host extended performances of “Music for 18 Musicians” from October 14-18 featuring the Steve Reich Ensemble and Alarm Will Sound. Carnegie Hall honors Reich with a program on October 22 including “Double Sextet,” “Electric Counterpoint,” and the U.S. premiere of “In All Your Ways.” Additional presentations include “Drumming” at the 92nd Street Y on October 28 and free lunchtime concerts at Trinity Church beginning September 23.

The Takacs Quartet faces a significant transition following the retirement of cellist Andras Fejer, marking the end of the group’s original Hungarian lineup. The quartet’s first appearance in New York with new cellist Mihai Marica will take place on October 16 at Zankel Hall, featuring works by Franck, Mendelssohn, and Carlos Simon alongside pianist Jeremy Denk.

The Metropolitan Opera will also introduce the world premiere of “Lincoln in the Bardo” by composer Missy Mazzoli and librettist Royce Vavrek later this season. The opera adapts George Saunders’s novel centered on a grieving Abraham Lincoln, with baritone Peter Mattei in the title role. The cast includes Christine Goerke, Janai Brugger, Stephanie Blythe, Ryan McKinny, and Anthony Roth Costanzo.