Beethoven Symphony No. 9
Boettcher Concert Hall Denver, CO
Date & Time
Saturday, September 12, 2026
7:30 PM
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Event WebsiteProgram
- Gabriela Ortiz Yanga with the Colorado Symphony Chorus and Percussion Section
- Beethoven Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 with the Colorado Symphony Chorus and vocal soloists
About This Performance
Music Director Peter Oundjian opens the Colorado Symphony season with Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in D minor and its "Ode to Joy" finale, paired with Gabriela Ortiz's Yanga — a percussion-driven portrait of Gaspar Yanga, the enslaved African prince who led a successful uprising in Mexico and founded the first free African settlement in the Americas. Ortiz's score answers the Ninth across four centuries, setting historical struggles for freedom beside Beethoven's hymn to human unity.
Featured Artists
- Peter Oundjian, conductor
- Karen Slack, soprano
- Taylor Raven, mezzo-soprano
- Issachah Savage, tenor
- Andrew Garland, bass-baritone
- Colorado Symphony Chorus, Taylor Martin, director
- Colorado Symphony Percussion Section
Prelude: a pre-concert talk with Assistant Principal Viola Catherine Beeson at 6:30 PM.
Talkback: stay after the performance for a conversation with Music Director Peter Oundjian and Chorus Director Taylor Martin.