Lamont School of Music & Theatre Announces 2026–27 Season

The 2026–27 season marks the debut of the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music & Theatre, bringing together the School of Music and the Department of Theatre for a year of performances that span classical music, jazz, opera, theatre, dance and more. 

Highlights of the season include Beethoven’s monumental Ninth Symphony, a celebration of Frank Sinatra featuring vocalist Sachal Vasandani, Massenet’s Cinderella-tale opera Cendrillon, Shakespeare’s The Tempest and the Wind Symphony’s collaboration with the Butterfly Pavilion.  

“This season reflects the incredible range of artistic experiences that are possible at Lamont,” said Brian Pertl, Director of the Lamont School of Music & Theatre. “Our students have the opportunity to perform alongside extraordinary faculty and guest artists while engaging with audiences through a wonderfully diverse range of music and theatre.” 

“Lamont's upcoming season is a reflection of the creativity, collaboration and breadth that define performing arts at the University of Denver,” said Sahara Byrne, Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences. “We are excited to welcome audiences to experience the remarkable work our students and faculty will bring to the stage this year.” 

A faculty recital by the Le Boeuf Brothers opens the season on Friday, September 18. Grammy-winning identical twins Remy Le Boeuf and Pascal Le Boeuf will perform music from their latest album, Off Center. Pascal won the Grammy for Best Instrumental Composition in 2025. Remy, Chair of Jazz and Commercial Music at Lamont, won in the same category in 2026.  

The 14 recitals in this year’s Faculty Recital Series include performances by tenor Matthew Plenk, violinist Linda Wang, clarinetist Jeremy Reynolds, violist Basil Vendryes, carillonist Joey Brink and baroque cellist Zoe Weiss. The series also features a collaboration with dancers from Life/Art Dance Ensemble, a Tarot-inspired recital by cellist Kevin McFarland, and the debut of newly appointed faculty cellist Yi Qun Xu with pianist Stephanie Cheng.  

Jazz faculty performances include guitarist Mike Abbott’s solo guitar and loops program, a Brazilian jazz collaboration featuring pianist Peter John Stoltzman and guitarist Gabriel Santiago, and vocalist Tatiana “LadyMay” Mayfield.  

On November 12, the Lamont Jazz Orchestra celebrates Colorado jazz composers with works by Drew Zaremba, Zach Rich, Annie Booth and Remy Le Boeuf. On February 22, the LJO presents The Music of Frank Sinatra, featuring acclaimed vocalist Sachal Vasandani. Under the direction of Remy Le Boeuf, the orchestra will explore Sinatra’s music through fresh arrangements of songs from the Great American Songbook. On May 24, the LJO welcomes Los Angeles-based pianist, composer and arranger Jacob Mann as guest artist. 

Theatre performances this year will include three full productions: Sarah Ruhl’s Orlando running October 29–November 1, Samuel Beckett’s Endgame held February 10–13, and Shakespeare’s The Tempest happening March 4–7. The season also includes staged readings of Collective Rage: A Play in Five Betties (Jen Silverman), No Exit (Jean-Paul Sartre), and Charlie Cox Runs with Scissors (Michael McKeever). The two Short Play Festivals in Spring feature student capstone projects, in which seniors direct a one-act play using the theatrical skills, techniques, perspectives and styles learned in the program. The Department of Theatre will also host a Broken Box Mime Theater residency, which culminates in student performances on October 10. 

Lamont Opera Theatre will join forces with the Symphony Orchestra and the Department of Theatre to present Massenet’s Cendrillon (Cinderella), in a fully staged production April 22–25 in Gates Concert Hall. Sahar Nouri conducts and Matthew Plenk directs this retelling of the Cinderella story featuring Lamont student singers, orchestra, and production team. The department will also present Rossini’s comic opera Il viaggio a Reims, October 30 and November 1, in a concert production with orchestra in Gates.  

The Lamont Symphony Orchestra opens its season on October 7 with music by John Williams, Mozart and Mussorgsky, along with the world premiere of Joseph, the Dream Reader by conductor and music director Lawrence Golan. Later in the fall, the orchestra presents Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6, “Pathétique” and features double bassist Nicholas Recuber in Jeff Beal’s Concerto for Jazz Bass and Orchestra. 

On March 3, the Lamont Symphony Orchestra and Choirs unite for Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, one of the most celebrated works in the orchestral repertoire. The performance, conducted by Lawrence Golan, will feature the Lamont combined choirs and students as vocal soloists. Professor Brian Neal is the soloist on the first half of the program in Hummel’s E-flat Trumpet Concerto. 

The Spirituals Project, directed by M. Roger Holland II, presents Truth, Light, and Justice: The Legacy of the Spirituals on February 25. The program explores the history and continued meaning of Spirituals through works by composers Roland Carter, Moses Hogan, William Dawson, and Undine Smith Moore. The Spirituals Project returns May 15 for The Tradition Continues, featuring music by John Work, Jeffrey Ames, Milton Biggham, and Moses Hogan, as well as a tribute to Roland Carter. 

The Lamont Wind Symphony will explore connections between music and other art forms throughout the season. Programs include Jake Runestad’s Vincent’s Sky with Lamont Choirs, inspired by paintings by Vincent van Gogh; Chromesthesia, featuring students from Denver School of the Arts; Winged Wonders, presented in partnership with the Butterfly Pavilion; and a Cinco de Mayo celebration featuring the Fiesta Colorado Dancers. Sahara Byrne, Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences, will serve as narrator in Lincoln Portrait by Aaron Copland on February 10. The program, “Music of Integrity and Justice,” also includes Adam Schoenberg's American Symphony.  

The ticketed season represents only part of Lamont’s performance calendar. Throughout the year, audiences can also experience a wide variety of free performances by Lamont’s student ensembles. These include performances by the Percussion Ensemble, Jazz Small Groups, String & Wind Chamber Ensembles, North Indian Classical Ensemble, Steel Drum Ensemble, Modern Music Ensembles, Lamont Composers Concerts, Liederabend, Classical Guitar Ensembles, and early music ensembles. The calendar also includes performances and masterclasses by guest artists as well as over 100 recitals by Lamont students. 

Ticketing for faculty recitals, large ensembles, opera and theatre is available through the Newman Center Box Office, and pricing varies by category. Small ensembles and student recitals are free general admission. Multi-recital packages, season passes, and group rate discounts are available. Current DU students, faculty, and staff receive one free ticket per music event with a valid DU ID. Tickets may be purchased at newmantix.com.

The complete 2026–27 Lamont School of Music & Theatre performance calendar is available here.