Lamont School of Music and Theatre Announces 2026-27 Season
A wide range of performances fill the calendar for the inaugural season of DU’s newly unified performing arts school.
September marks the beginning of the new performance season at the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music and Theatre, which spans classical music, jazz, opera, theater, dance, and more.
Among the season’s highlights are Beethoven’s monumental Ninth Symphony, a celebration of Frank Sinatra, the opera “Cendrillon,” Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” and a collaboration between the Lamont Wind Symphony and the Butterfly Pavilion in nearby Westminster, Colorado.
“This season reflects the incredible range of artistic experiences that are possible at Lamont,” says Brian Pertl, director of the Lamont School of Music and 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 theater.”
“Lamont's upcoming season is a reflection of the creativity, collaboration, and breadth that define performing arts at the University of Denver,” says Sahara Byrne, dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. “We are excited to welcome audiences to experience the remarkable work our students and faculty will bring to the stage this year.”
This season is the first for the Lamont School of Music and Theatre, which brings together two longstanding performing arts programs—the Lamont School of Music and the Department of Theatre—into a unified school. The school will strengthen opportunities for shared learning and creative partnership while preserving the unique identity, traditions, and strengths of both music and theater.
The new season at a glance
Theater performances this year will include three full productions: Sarah Ruhl’s “Orlando,” Samuel Beckett’s “Endgame,” and Shakespeare’s “The Tempest.” 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). Two Short Play Festivals in the spring will feature student capstone projects, in which seniors direct one-act plays.
Lamont Opera Theatre will present Jules Massenet’s “Cendrillon,” a retelling of the Cinderella story featuring Lamont student singers, orchestra, and production team. The department will also present Gioachino Rossini’s comic opera “Il viaggio a Reims” in a concert production with orchestra.
This year’s faculty recitals kick off with the Le Boeuf Brothers, Grammy-winning identical twins Remy Le Boeuf and Pascal Le Boeuf, performing music from their latest album, “Off Center.” Other recitals will feature tenor Matthew Plenk, violinist Linda Wang, clarinetist Jeremy Reynolds, violist Basil Vendryes, carillonist Joey Brink, and baroque cellist Zoe Weiss.
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.
The Lamont Jazz Orchestra will celebrate Colorado jazz composers this fall and present “The Music of Frank Sinatra,” featuring acclaimed vocalist Sachal Vasandani, in February. The Lamont Symphony Orchestra opens its season in October 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.
In March, the Lamont Symphony Orchestra and Choirs unite to perform for Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, one of the most celebrated works in the orchestral repertoire. The performance, conducted by Golan, will feature the Lamont combined choirs and students as vocal soloists.
The Spirituals Project, directed by M. Roger Holland II, presents two major programs: “Truth, Light, and Justice: The Legacy of the Spirituals” in February and “The Tradition Continues” in May. 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 the paintings of 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.
In addition to these ticketed performances, audiences can attend a wide variety of free performances by Lamont’s student ensembles—including everything from the Percussion Ensemble to the Classical Guitar Ensemble—as well as performances by individual guest artists and Lamont students.
Tickets for faculty recitals, large ensembles, and opera and theater performances are available through the Newman Center Box Office. DU students, faculty, and staff receive one free ticket per event. The complete performance calendar is available here.
