FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Nick Dobreff, Communications and Creative Director
616.485.3913 (m) – 303.308.2477 (o)
ndobreff@coloradosymphony.org
ANNOUNCING THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING – IN CONCERT
Howard Shore’s Academy Award-winning score will be performed live to the epic motion picture by 238 orchestra and chorus musicians.
DENVER, Oct. 28, 2026 – The Colorado Symphony proudly presents The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King – In Concert, featuring Howard Shore’s Academy and Grammy Award-winning score performed live to the full feature film. Audiences will journey deeper into Middle-earth as the Colorado Symphony, Colorado Symphony Chorus, and soloists bring Shore’s monumental music to life across three performances on February 5, 6, and 7, 2027 at Boettcher Concert Hall.
Building on the story introduced in The Fellowship of the Ring, and continued in The Two Towers, The Return of the King concludes the epic saga. Winner of 11 Academy Awards, the finale of Peter Jackson’s epic trilogy presents the final confrontation between the forces of good and evil fighting for control of the future of Middle-earth.
The 2027 concerts mark a long-awaited completion of the trilogy at Boettcher Concert Hall, which held the Colorado premiere of The Fellowship of the Ring – In Concert in 2025, and The Two Towers – In Concert, in 2026.
The live performances of Howard Shore’s score of The Lord of the Rings, In Concert, are unmatched in the movie-going experience – the iconic score having been voted No.1 in the Classic FM Movie Music Hall of Fame for the fourth year running in 2026.
The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King is one of only three films that have achieved a record 11 Academy-award wins, sharing this milestone with “Ben Hur” and “Titanic.”
The epic film trilogy The Lord of the Rings – The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Two Towers (2002), The Return of the King (2003) – directed by Peter Jackson and based on the beloved J.R.R. Tolkien novel became an international phenomenon. Released by New Line Cinema, the trilogy is among the highest earning films of all time and won a total of 17 Academy Awards. Howard Shore was honored with Academy Awards for Original Score for The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) and The Return of the King (2003), and for Original Song for “Into the West”, featured in The Return of the King (2003). Shore’s work on the trilogy was also honored with two Golden Globes and four Grammy Awards.
Howard Shore commented on the return of The Return of the King, In Concert: “The book has been translated into 40 languages and has attracted a global fan-base, but the fan community doesn’t often have the opportunity to come together in person and coalesce around a performance at this highest level. There is something unique and powerful that happens – a synergy is created in bringing together the music – live on a large scale, with the films, in a magnificent house.
Experience the film in high definition on four big screens while 238 musicians fill the hall with Shore’s sweeping score—from the march of the Uruk-hai to the legendary Battle of Helm’s Deep. Few cinematic moments rival the emotional force of this score performed live.
Doug Adams, author of the comprehensive book The Music of the Lord of the Rings Films and advisor to this In Concert presentation said, “The Lord of the Rings is a story of universal human themes and experiences, including perseverance, sacrifice, friendship, and loyalty. These were the backbone of J.R.R. Tolkien’s books, of Peter Jackson’s films and, of course, of Howard Shore’s music.
“These live performances place the score in the spotlight, and create a wholly new and unique audience experience. Even the most ardent fans are amazed at how completely Shore recreates Middle-earth in music – and how the live score provides narrative clarity, structural complexity, and above all, a living heart to the story. There’s nothing quite like it. This is an extraordinarily moving communal experience. It’s our chance to join the Fellowship.”
Tickets for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King – In Concert go on sale Friday, October 30, at 10am MST. For concert descriptions and ticket information, please visit coloradosymphony.org or call the box office at 303.623.7876.
ABOUT THE FILM
In The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, the epic conclusion to Peter Jackson’s adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved fantasy saga, the fate of Middle-earth hangs in the balance as the forces of good and evil prepare for a final confrontation. While Aragorn embraces his destiny as the rightful king of Gondor and leads the fight against Sauron’s armies, Frodo and Sam press onward through the treacherous landscape of Mordor to destroy the One Ring. With the Fellowship’s courage tested at every turn, their journeys converge in a climactic battle for the future of Middle-earth, where friendship, sacrifice, and the power of hope will determine the fate of an entire world.
EVENT INFORMATION:
What: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King – In Concert
Where: Boettcher Concert Hall
When: Friday, February 5, Saturday, February 6, 2027 at 7:00pm MST & Sunday, February 7, 2027 at 2:00pm
Tickets: Available Friday, October 30, at 10am MST
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CONTACT:
For more information or to request interviews, please contact:
Nick Dobreff, Communications and Creative Director
ndobreff@coloradosymphony.org – 303.308.2477 (o)
For high-resolution, downloadable images of the Colorado Symphony, contact: ndobreff@coloradosymphony.org
Support for the 2026/27 Colorado Symphony Season is provided by: The Scientific & Cultural Facilities District (SCFD), Denver Arts & Venues, Boettcher Foundation, Bonfils-Stanton Foundation, CU Anschutz, The Schoen Foundation, and the Colorado Symphony Guild.
TICKETS:
Tickets to Colorado Symphony events are available online at coloradosymphony.org/tickets, by phone at 303.623.7876, and in person at the Boettcher Concert Hall Box Office, Denver Performing Arts Complex, 1000 14th Street. The Box Office is open Monday – Friday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Saturday, noon – 5 p.m., and two hours prior to each performance.
ABOUT THE COLORADO SYMPHONY
One of the leading orchestras in the United States, the Colorado Symphony Association is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization performing more than 150 concerts annually at Boettcher Concert Hall in downtown Denver and across Colorado. Led by Peter Oundjian as its Music Director as of the 2025/26 season, the Colorado Symphony is home to eighty full-time musicians representing more than a dozen nations and regularly welcomes the world’s most celebrated artists from across musical genres. The orchestra celebrated its Centennial during the 2023/24 concert season and now serves more than 340,000 people each year through live performances at Boettcher Concert Hall, Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre, and other venues throughout Colorado’s Front Range. Boettcher Concert Hall, which opened in 1978, was the first in-the-round symphonic venue built in the United States. In November 2025, voters passed the Vibrant Denver Bond, which allocates $20 million to the future renovation of the concert hall. In August 2026, Denver City Council approved a funding agreement between the City of Denver, Denver Arts & Venues, and the Colorado Symphony that establishes the foundation for Boettcher Concert Hall’s future. Guided by a vision to inspire and unite humanity through live symphonic music, the Colorado Symphony is a living heartbeat of the state — expressing its beauty, creativity, vitality, and inclusive spirit. Through unmatched artistry and bold innovation, the Symphony inspires Colorado and audiences everywhere while expanding access, fostering education, and creating lasting memories through meaningful personal connections. Recognized as an incubator of innovation, creativity, and excellence, the Colorado Symphony listens to and learns from its diverse communities, musicians, and staff; composes and creates with curiosity and versatility; and leads with empathy, collaboration, and responsible stewardship. The Symphony continually expands its reach through in-person and virtual education programs, community partnerships, and programming that celebrates achievement, honors diverse voices, and infuses joy on and off the stage. The Colorado Symphony partners with leading musical artists, cultural organizations, corporations, foundations, educators, sports teams, and individuals to connect people, uplift communities, and inspire everyone to feel part of something greater.