In this dark time, the San Antonio Symphony is offering a beacon of light. This week, the organization is proving that the show, indeed, must go on.

This fall, the symphony will begin rolling out its 2020-21 season — the organization's 81st year — at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts. It's a milestone of sorts for an organization that has spent the past few years mired in contract negotiations and management issues. Not to mention canceling the remainder of its 2019-20 season due to the global pandemic.

The season's 14-week run kicks off with Rachmaninoff’s "Second Symphony" on September 25 and concludes with Sebastian Lang-Lessing returning to the podium as music director emeritus conducting Shostakovich’s "Fifth Symphony" on May 28-29, 2021, the symphony announced in a May 5 release.

Other highlights include Brahms and Beethoven November 27-28, Mozart and Prokofiev January 8-9, 2021, Carmina Burana November 20-21, and Dox Quixote January 28-29.

Now, of course, in this uncertain age, this is all subject to change, but the symphony says it realizes that people need music — and community — now.

“We know that the beauty of life will reanimate and continue stronger, with the arts even more necessary than before,” said Corey Cowart, executive director of the San Antonio Symphony. “This season will mark a new era for the Symphony. We cannot wait to triumphantly return to the stage and for both musicians and audiences to once again enjoy the gifts this art form offers us all.”

Tickets, including season subscription packages, go on sale soon. Stay up to date by visiting the symphony website.

San Antonio Symphony's 2020-21 Classics Season schedule:

Ravishing Rachmaninof — September 25-26
Performing: Jeffrey Kahane, conductor, and Sterling Elliott, cello.

Nights in the Garden of Spain — October 2-3
Performing: Carlos Miguel Prieto, conductor, and Jorge Federico Osorio, piano.

Sibelius & Schumann — November 6-7
Performing: Matthew Halls, conductor, and Philippe Quint, violin.

Carmina Burana — November 20-21
Performing: Michael Christie, conductor; Kathryn Lewek, soprano; John Tessier, tenor; Craig Irvin, baritone; San Antonio Symphony Mastersingers; and John Silantien, director.

Brahms and Beethoven— November 27-28
Performing: Paulo Bortolameolli, conductor, and Eric Lu, pianist.

Mozart and Prokofiev— January 8-9, 2021
Performing: Pablo Rus Broseta, conductor; Sharon Kuster, bassoon; Paul Lueders, oboe; Ilya Shterenberg, clarinet; and Jeff Garza, horn

Sibelius Symphony No. 5— January 15-16, 2021
Performing: Jessica Cottis, conductor, and John O’Conor, pianist.

Dox Quixote — January 28-29, 2021
Performing: Sebastian Lang-Lessing, conductor, and Kenneth Freudigman, cello.

Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4 — February 5-6, 2021
Performing: David Danzmayr, conductor, and Stephen Hough, pianist.

Dvorak & Brahms — March 5-6, 2021
Performing: Jonathon Heyward, conductor, and Colin Currie, percussion.

Beethoven's Fifth — April 2-3, 2021
Performing: Carlos Izcaray, conductor, and Eric Gratz, violin.

The Firebird — April 9-10, 2021
Performing: Garrett Keast, conductor; Lyubov Petrova, soprano; San Antonio Symphony Mastersingers; and John Silantien, director.

Rachmaninoff Symphonic Dances — May 14-15, 2021
Performing:Lina Gonzalez-Granados, conductor, Benjamin Beilman, violin.

Lang-Lessing Conducts Shostakovich 5 — May 28-29, 2021
Performing: Sebastian Lang-Lessing, conductor, and Federico Gad Crema, pianist.