Artistry, diversity, return of Music Director Andrew Litton among highlights
Subscriptions on sale Monday, March 2 at 10 am
The Colorado Symphony is thrilled to announce programming for the 2015/16 Season, which opens Friday, September 18, 2015, at Boettcher Concert Hall in downtown Denver
Guided by Music Director Andrew Litton, the Colorado Symphony’s 2015/16 Season represents a richly diverse spectrum of styles, from classical to contemporary, and includes appearances by some of symphonic music’s most revered conductors and artists. More than forty distinct programs in the 2015/16 Season showcase the virtuosity of one of the finest orchestras in the United States while appealing to the broad interests and appetites of Colorado audiences.
“As everybody’s orchestra, our goal and mission, always, is to curate a diverse offering of programs that appeal to music lovers of every taste and background. We’re thrilled by this year’s lineup, which showcases the excellence, virtuosity, depth, and range of the Colorado Symphony.”
Colorado Symphony CEO and Board Co-Chair Jerome H. Kern
On sale Monday, March 2 at 10 a.m., 2015/16 subscriptions are available for renewal by existing subscribers through April 15, 2015. New subscribers enjoy a range of benefits including priority seating, discounts of up to twenty percent, and convenient ticket exchange options. Single tickets go on sale to the general public on Monday, August 3, 2015. New and renewing subscribers can purchase subscriptions and add-on tickets to individual concerts by visiting coloradosymphony.org, by calling 303.623.7876, or by visiting the Colorado Symphony Box Office inside Boettcher Concert Hall, Denver Performing Arts Complex, 1000 14th Street.
Music lovers can choose from a variety of subscription packages to suit a range of tastes, lifestyles, and budgets. Offering both flexibility and choice, subscriptions are the most affordable way to purchase tickets for Colorado Symphony concerts. This season’s options include Custom Design and Flex Pass as well as packages for the Masterworks, Pops, Family, and Inside the Score series. Additional concerts from the Special, Holiday, and Geek series may be included in custom packages or added on.
Most concerts in the 2015/16 Season will be performed at Boettcher Concert Hall, home of the Colorado Symphony. Additional concerts, programs, and venues will be added throughout the season.
2015/16 Season Highlights:
Music Director Andrew Litton Returns
Named Music Director of the Colorado Symphony in August 2013, Andrew Litton has elevated the orchestra to new heights of excellence in performance and programming. With an unparalleled portfolio that includes 120 recordings as both conductor and performer, as well as distinguished conducting appointments around the world, Litton has expanded the orchestra’s global profile and audience. The 2015/16 Season offers eight Litton-led programs — a powerful tour through some of the greatest musical masterpieces of all time. Tchaikovsky, Berlioz, Mahler, and Copland are among the composers who will receive the Litton treatment; an all-Gershwin program (“All Gershwin Featuring The New York City Ballet,” January 10, 2016) features guest dancers from the New York City Ballet, where Litton was named Music Director in December 2014.
Masterworks, In Many Forms
Music Director Andrew Litton opens the season with “Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1,” September 18-20, 2015, an all-Russian slate to start the season with a bang. Between Opening Weekend and the season’s closing in May 2016, Boettcher Concert Hall will welcome ascending and established stars from the symphonic world, including pianists Alessio Bax (“Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1,” September 18-20, 2015), Denis Kozhukhin (“Rachmaninoff Symphony No. 3,” November 6-8, 2015), and Andrew Staupe (“All Beethoven Featuring Symphony No. 3 ‘Eroica,’” December 4-6, 2015). Classic pieces by Mozart, Strauss, Rachmaninoff, Mahler, and other great composers appear alongside works by emerging voices, including banjo master Béla Fleck (“Béla Fleck: Return Of The Banjo,” April 1-2, 2016), and Gabriel Kahane, who appears with his pianist father (and former Colorado Symphony Music Director) Jeffrey Kahane (“Jeffrey and Gabriel Kahane,” April 15-17, 2016, conducted by Jeffrey Kahane). The inaugural Shakespeare Festival probes the musical intersections between the Bard of Avon and the world of music with “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” March 4-5, 2016; “Inside The Score: Shakespeare Festival,” with the Colorado Symphony Chorus, March 11, 2016; and “Shakespeare Festival Romeo And Juliet,” March 18-20, 2016.
Colorado Symphony Musicians Front And Center, Chorus Celebrated
Colorado Symphony resident musicians take turns in the spotlight throughout 2015/16, showcasing the brilliance that permeates the orchestra all season long. Audiences will enjoy solo turns from Principal Horn Michael Thornton (“Mozart Performed By Michael Thornton,” Masterworks, October 2-3, 2015), Principal Harp Courtney Hershey Bress (“Elgar ‘Enigma Variations,’” Masterworks, October 16-17, 2015), Principal Cello Silver Ainomäe (“Strauss Conducted By Andrew Litton,” Masterworks, October 23-24, 2015), Assistant Concertmaster Claude Sim (“Mussorgsky Pictures At An Exhibition,” Masterworks, January 29-30, 2016), and Concertmaster Yumi Hwang-Williams (“Dvořák Symphony No. 9 ‘From The New World,’” Masterworks, May 13-14, 2016). Led by Director Duain Wolf, the Colorado Symphony Chorus anchors many powerhouse performances throughout the season, including “Mahler Symphony No. 2 ‘Resurrection,'” Masterworks, February 19-20, 2016, conducted by Andrew Litton; “Handel’s Messiah,” Holiday, December 18-19, 2015, conducted by Duain Wolf; and a blockbuster finale to end the season, with “Carmina Burana,” Masterworks, May 20-22, 2016, conducted by Andrew Litton.
Pops, Specials, and Movies
“76 Trombones” kick off the 2015/16 Pops season, with an original, semi-staged production of Meredith Willson’s classic, “The Music Man,” September 26-27, 2015). With a cast that includes local actors and performers and directed by Robert Neu, this is a community celebration of one of the most beloved musicals in American history. All season long, stars of every genre join the orchestra for performances both inspiring and fun including ukulele master Jake Shimabukuro, October 10, 2015, “Pixar In Concert,” January 15-16, 2016, and Wonderbound, the acclaimed Denver-based modern dance company (“An Evening With Wonderbound,” March 12, 2016). Film buffs will find plenty to watch, and listen to, with a robust Symphony At The Movies series, including Psycho (October 30, 2015), Back to the Future (November 14, 2015), and Home Alone (December 22, 2015). In 2016, the Colorado Symphony presents tributes to two legends — former Colorado Symphony Pops conductor Marvin Hamlisch (“One Singular Sensation: A Tribute To Marvin Hamlisch,” January 23, 2016), and Mel Brooks (“A Symphonic Tribute To Mel Brooks,” April 9, 2016).
Geeks, Families, and Holiday
Attracting patrons of all ages to the Colorado Symphony, many for the first time, the wildly popular Geek series returns with programs to delight one’s inner superhero, including “A Weekend Of Star Wars,” December 26-27, 2015, and “A Symphonic Tribute To Comic Con v3.0,” May 6, 2016. Patrons are encouraged to come dressed as their favorite character from pop culture; many of the musicians will do so, too. Costumes are also a big part of an annual Family series tradition, with “Halloween Spooktacular,” October 31, 2015. Families will enjoy the return of the bombastic, fun “Drums Of The World,” November 29, 2015; “Side-By-Side With DYAO: 100 Year Celebration Of The U.S. National Parks,” February 6, 2016; and classic tales of elephants and other creatures in “Carnival Of The Animals And The Story Of Babar,” March 13, 2016. Finally, no Colorado Symphony season would be complete without a full range of Holiday programs, including the perennial favorite “Colorado Christmas,” featuring the Colorado Symphony Chorus, directed by Duain Wolfe, December 11-13, 2015; and the intimate, uplifting “Holiday Brass At Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church,” December 18 & 20, 2015, featuring Colorado Symphony Brass and Percussion.
The Colorado Symphony is proudly sponsored by Scientific and Cultural Facilities District, ARROW Electronics, DaVita, Target, and 9News.