CELEBRATE DOLLY PARTON’S LEGACY WITH THE ROCHESTER PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
DOLLY PARTON’S THREADS: MY SONGS IN SYMPHONY COMES TO ROCHESTER FOR SINGLE PERFORMANCE ON JANUARY 12, 2027
DOLLY NARRATES HER MUSICAL JOURNEY ON BIG SCREEN WHILE SINGERS PERFORM SYMPHONIC VERSIONS OF HER SONGS
Patrons Encouraged to Dress Like Dolly and Donate to Rochester’s Imagination Library
PRE-SALE TICKETS AVAILABLE TO SUBSCRIBERS ON FRIDAY, 11/6/26 at 10AM.
TICKETS FOR GENERAL PUBLIC GO ON SALE MONDAY, 11/9/26 at 10AM.
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is thrilled to announce an extraordinary celebration of one of American music’s most beloved icons. On Tuesday, January 12, 2027, at 7:30 PM at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre, the RPO will perform Dolly Parton’s Threads: My Songs In Symphony, an innovative, high-energy, multimedia concert created and co-produced by Dolly Parton herself, alongside Schirmer Theatrical and Sony Music Publishing.
With a theatrical-sized screen installed above the orchestra, Dolly will lead the audience on a musical journey of her songs and her life through videos filmed specially for this concert at her studios in 2025.
“Few artists have the extraordinary ability to bring people together through music quite like Dolly Parton,” said Tonya McBride Robles, CEO of the RPO. “We’re thrilled to bring this special concert to Rochester, with Dolly herself narrating as the RPO performs symphonic arrangements of her beloved songs, joined by exceptional vocalists who bring her music to life. It’s a celebration of the joy, generosity, and humanity that define Dolly—and an opportunity for our community to honor her remarkable legacy of inspiring a love of reading.”
Concert-goers can support Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library which provides books to children, ages 0-5, who live in the city of Rochester. Representatives from the local chapter will be in the lobby to accept donations of new books or monetary contributions which sustain the monthly book deliveries. The gifts can either memorialize Dolly, who passed away on August 25, 2026, or serve as a present to celebrate Dolly’s 81st birthday, which comes just one week after the concert.
RPO subscribers receive priority pre-sale access starting Friday, November 6, 2026 at 10 am. Individual tickets will open to the general public on Monday, November 9, 2026 at 10 am via the RPO Patron Services Center and online. Threads is part of the RPO’s Specials Series which is sponsored by St. Ann’s Community.
A Visual & Symphonic Journey Through an Historic Legacy
Dolly Parton’s Threads: My Songs in Symphony features Dolly’s songs and the stories behind them in an innovative multimedia symphonic experience. Dolly leads audiences on a visual-musical journey of her songs, her life and her stories on-screen, filmed specially for this concert at her studios in 2025. With a cast of phenomenal guest vocalists and musicians, along with new and innovative orchestrations by David Hamilton, Dolly Parton’s Threads: My Songs in Symphony, features hit songs, including “Jolene,” “Coat Of Many Colors,” and “I Will Always Love You,” in addition to Dolly’s personal favorites and a selection from her upcoming Broadway musical, DOLLY: A True Original Musical, with performances beginning in December 2026. Hamilton is returning to Rochester to conduct the RPO again, after having led the orchestra in 2017 when Amy Grant performed.
“The threads of my life are woven together through my songs,” said Dolly Parton as she produced the show in 2025. ”That’s why this project, Threads: My Songs In Symphony, is so special to me. It’s all about sharing my music and my musical journey with audiences in a new way!”
The concert is a 120-minute production (inclusive of a 20-minute intermission) and has been described as the perfect way to honor Dolly’s legendary career. With more than 3,000 songs written and 100 million albums sold worldwide, Dolly Parton also won 11 Grammy Awards, was inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and is Billboard’s #1 Country Artist of All Time. She leaves behind an incredible legacy that continues to inspire generations.
Rochester audiences are invited to turn the evening into a full festival of celebration:
- Dress like Dolly: Concert-goers are enthusiastically encouraged to arrive in their best Dolly-inspired attire—whether that means rhinestones, country western fringe, or big, beautiful, blond hair!
- Photo Ops & Hospitality: Step into the Eastman Theatre lobby early to pose with a life-sized Dolly photo cutout. Concert-goers are encouraged to share their photos and selfies on social media by tagging @RPO.
- Give Back to Rochester Children: In the true spirit of Dolly’s lifelong philanthropic mission, the RPO is partnering with United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes to support the local chapter of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. The initiative provides free, monthly book deliveries to registered children under the age of five who live in the City of Rochester. Attendees can visit the lobby table to sign up children, donate a new book, make a direct cash donation, or scan a quick QR code to cover the annual cost of books for Rochester youth.
TICKET & PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
- Showtime: Tuesday, January 12, 2027, at 7:30 PM (Doors open early for lobby activities)
- Venue: Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre, 60 Gibbs St, Rochester, NY 14604
- RPO Subscriber Pre-Sale: Begins Friday, November 6, 2026 at 10am
- Public On-Sale: Begins Monday, November 9, 2026 at 10am
- Box Office Info: Tickets available at https://rpo.org/event/dolly-partons-threads-my-songs-in-symphony or by calling the RPO Box Office at 585-454-2100
Future performances of Dolly Parton’s Threads: My Songs in Symphony can be found at dollysymphony.com.
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About the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra: Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra has been committed to enriching and inspiring our community through the art of music since its origins in 1922. The RPO presents approximately 150 concerts and broadcasts a year, serving up to 170,000 through ticketed events, education and community engagement activities, and concerts in schools and community centers throughout the region as part of our RPO For All initiative sponsored by M&T Bank.
About Schirmer Theatrical:
Schirmer Theatrical (part of Wise Music Group) is a creative producer at the intersection of music, theater and technology—where legacy meets reinvention—shaping and transforming iconic artist catalogues into immersive, contemporary performance experiences for international stages. With a focus on multidisciplinary creation, Schirmer Theatrical develops new symphonic experiences, theatrical concerts and experiential productions that expand how audiences encounter music. Their creative projects are rooted in collaboration, bringing together top performers, composers, choreographers, directors, visual artists, orchestras, movie studios and creative partners. Schirmer Theatrical honors artistic legacy while pushing performance forward, resulting in globally scalable productions that redefine musical storytelling as immersive, collaborative and alive. Future updates from Schirmer Theatrical can be found at schirmertheatrical.com.
About Sony Music Publishing:
Sony Music Publishing is the world’s number one music publisher with a catalogue of more than three million copyrights, ranging from songs by iconic names including The Beatles, Paul Simon, Michael Jackson, Carole King, Queen and The Rolling Stones to contemporary superstars such as Beyoncé, Pharrell Williams, Lady Gaga, Pink, Sam Smith and Ed Sheeran.
