Colorado Symphony rolls out 2015-16 lineup

The Colorado Symphony on Friday released a 2015-16 season schedule that includes eight masterworks programs with Music Director Andrew Litton conducting Copland, Mahler and Tchaikovsky.

The lineup also includes the return of the symphony’s “Geek” concerts, programs featuring some of the orchestra’s top players as soloists and a new series focusing on Shakespeare.

Some of the highlights:

• Programs featuring symphony members as soloists, including principal horn Michael Thornton playing Mozart Oct. 2-3; principal cellist Silver Ainomae playing Strauss on Oct. 23-24; concertmaster Yumi Hwang-Williams playing Dvorak’s “New World” Symphony No. 9 May 13-14.
• An Oct. 10 concert with ukelele player Jake Shimabukuro.
• The return of the “Geek” concerts with a pair of “Star Wars” concerts Dec. 26-27 and a Comic Con tribute on May 6, 2016.
• An all-Gershwin program on Jan. 10 featuring dancers from the New York City Ballet, where Litton also serves as music director.
• Several concerts featuring the Colorado Symphony Chorus: Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, “Resurrection,” on Feb. 19-20 and Orff’s “Carmina Burana” May 20-22, 2016.  
• The symphony’s first-ever “Shakespeare Festival” featuring symphonic music inspired by the Bard and his plays “Romeo and Juliet” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” throughout March 2016.
• An all-Tchaikovsky collaboration with the Wonderbound dance company on March 12, 2016.
• A return appearance by banjo player Bela Fleck April 1-2, 2016.
• A concert featuring former Music Director and pianist Jeffrey Kahane and his son, composer and pianist Gabriel Kahane, April 15-17, 2016.

Read more at the symphony’s website or see which spring 2015 broadcasts will air on CPR Classical, starting with Saturday night's "American Festival."