FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Nick Dobreff, Communications and Creative Director
616.485.3913 (m) – 303.308.2477 (o)
COLORADO SYMPHONY BRINGS LANDMARK NEW WORKS TO COLORADO AUDIENCES DURING THE 2026/27 SEASON
Colorado premieres by Joe Hisaishi and John Wineglass demonstrate the orchestra’s commitment to bringing today’s most compelling voices to Colorado audiences.
DENVER, Oct. 16, 2026 – While audiences have long turned to the Colorado Symphony for timeless masterworks by Beethoven, Mahler, and Tchaikovsky, the orchestra has also long championed the music of living composers, bringing bold new voices and groundbreaking works to Colorado audiences. During the 2026/27 Season, that commitment continues with two remarkable Colorado premieres: Joe Hisaishi’s Concerto for Orchestra, a major new work co-commissioned by the Colorado Symphony, and John Wineglass’ #elijah, a powerful new piece with Colorado roots.
Together, these performances underscore the Colorado Symphony’s commitment to championing new music while creating unforgettable live experiences that connect today’s audiences with the evolving symphonic art form.
A Landmark New Work from Joe Hisaishi
Few living composers have captured the imagination of audiences worldwide like Joe Hisaishi, whose unforgettable scores for Studio Ghibli films including Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, and Howl’s Moving Castle have earned him international acclaim. Beyond film music, Hisaishi has emerged as one of today’s most celebrated orchestral composers and conductors.
On October 16-17, the Colorado Symphony will perform the Colorado premiere of Hisaishi’s Concerto for Orchestra, a sweeping new work that places every section of the orchestra in the spotlight.
Written in five movements and running approximately 45 minutes, the Concerto for Orchestra follows a form made iconic by composers such as Béla Bartók, Witold Lutoslawski, and Zoltán Kodály, placing the orchestra itself at the center of expression. Hisaishi notes, “My aim has been to pursue the pure motion of sound,” drawing on his experience conducting works including Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra and Steve Reich’s The Desert Music. The work’s first and third movements feature driving rhythms, while the inner movements highlight lyrical solo passages for individual instruments. The final movement brings these rhythmic and lyrical elements together.
The work received its world premiere earlier this year with the National Symphony Orchestra before traveling to only a handful of leading orchestras around the world. The Colorado Symphony served as one of the work’s co-commissioners alongside internationally renowned institutions including Carnegie Hall, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and the Orchestre de Paris, making these performances especially unique for Colorado audiences.
#elijah by John Wineglass: A Powerful Musical Reflection on Justice and Humanity
Later this season, the Colorado Symphony presents the Colorado premiere of Emmy Award-winning composer John Wineglass’ #elijah, an emotionally moving work inspired by the life and legacy of Elijah McClain, featuring Colorado Symphony concertmaster Yumi Hwang-Williams as soloist.
Coming to Boettcher Concert Hall April 2-4, 2027, #elijah is a deeply personal artistic response to the events surrounding McClain’s death. Rather than recounting history alone, the work invites audiences into a broader conversation about compassion, empathy, racial justice, and our shared humanity through the universal language of music.
Like Wineglass, McClain was a Black musician — a violinist — and Wineglass was inspired by the commission to tell the story of the 23-year-old man through music. The result, said Wineglass, “is a virtuosic piece, about nine minutes long, and it really encapsulates in the different movements who Elijah was.”
According to those who knew Elijah, McClain was a gentle soul and a self-taught musician known for taking his instruments to a nearby animal shelter, where he played his music to relax the animals. The work has been praised for creating space for reflection, healing, and dialogue while demonstrating the unique power of live orchestral performance to address contemporary issues.
The Colorado premiere also carries special significance for the Colorado Symphony through Concertmaster Yumi Hwang-Williams, who performed the work’s featured violin solo during its 2022 recording with the London Symphony Orchestra. For Hwang-Williams, the project was deeply personal. As a longtime Colorado resident, she described the experience of recording a work inspired by Elijah McClain as both “compact and powerful,” capturing “both the beauty and brutality, but also providing solace.”
“It was an incredibly moving experience for me to be a part of this project, especially given my local connection and the outpouring of support and protests that his death had ignited,” Hwang-Williams said.
Now, for the first time, she will perform #elijah with her own orchestra, bringing the work to the Colorado community whose story inspired its creation.
Together, these Colorado premieres highlight a season that celebrates not only the enduring masterpieces of classical music, but also the composers shaping its future. By investing in new commissions, presenting important contemporary works, and collaborating with today’s leading artistic voices, the Colorado Symphony continues to fulfill its mission to inspire and unite humanity through live symphonic music.
Tickets for both performances, along with the complete 2026/27 Season, are available now. For tickets or more information, visit coloradosymphony.org or call 303.623.7876.
Interested in supporting future commissions by the Colorado Symphony? Learn more about the Composers Circle, the Colorado Symphony’s newest Affinity Group, which brings together people who believe in the importance of new music and want to help shape the Colorado Symphony’s artistic future. Gifts of any size support the creation of bold, new work, while members become part of a community united by a shared interest in what’s next. To learn more, email giving@coloradosymphony.org.
EVENT INFORMATION:
What: Joe Hisaishi’s Concerto for Orchestra with Deanna Tham
Where: Boettcher Concert Hall
When: Friday, October 16 and Saturday, October 17, 2026 at 7:30pm MST
EVENT INFORMATION:
What: Dragon Conducts Brahms’ 4th and #elijah with Yumi Hwang-Williams
Where: Boettcher Concert Hall
When: Friday, April 2 and Saturday, April 3, 2027 at 7:30pm MST; Sunday, April 4, 2027 at 1:00pm 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, 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 – Saturday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. and 90 minutes 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.